A Nov. 6 Philadelphia Inquirer article that summarized the tempestuous and precedent-setting 2016 presidential campaign quotes Professor Tabatha Abu El-Haj.

Voter dissatisfaction with political elites fueled outsider campaigns by Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders, Abu El-Haj said.  

“There is a bipartisan concern that political leaders are not representing their constituents - they are playing to the base by engaging in partisan wrangling, or doing what their campaign donors want rather than governance, addressing problems the country has," Abu El-Haj said.

An authority on the American political process, Abu El-Haj has studied barriers to political participation.

Declining membership in civic groups such as labor unions has weakened citizens’ sense of connection to political institutions, Abu El-Haj said.