Thursday, December 3, 2026
6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. EST
Location: Intercultural Center (ICC) Auditorium
The 2026 midterm elections dramatically flipped the balance of power in both chambers of the U.S. Congress, presenting an opening for legislators to change the course of the nation’s policy agenda for the next two years. This dialogue will examine the midterms’ results, focusing especially on the role that faith played for the candidates, their campaigns, and the decisions of voters.
Who won and why, and which issues and strategies had the greatest effect on voters? What might the results mean for the nation’s policy priorities going forward, and for the role of the faithful in shaping those priorities? And how might the Catholic Church use the lessons from this election to strengthen its role in public life and bolster Americans’ own sense of participation and responsibility in our democracy?
Christopher White, associate director for strategic initiatives and senior fellow of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life, will moderate the conversation.
This Public Dialogue is part of the Initiative’s Faith and the Faithful series, co-sponsored with Georgetown’s Institute of Politics and Public Service.
Recording
The dialogue starting at 6:00 p.m. EST will be recorded and posted online for later viewing.
Photo credit: imdm
Participants
Mo Elleithee (SFS’94)
Mo Elleithee is the founding Executive Director of Georgetown University’s Institute of Politics and Public Service. Before coming to Georgetown, Mo worked for over 20 years as a top Democratic communications strategist, including working on four presidential campaigns.
Ruth Graham
Ruth Graham is a national reporter for the New York Times who covers religion and faith in the United States. During the midterms, she covered the role that faith played in key races across the country, including in the senate races in Texas and Kansas.
Mike Madrid (SFS’97)
Mike Madrid is a leading expert on Latino voters. He has served as political director for the California Republican Party, as senior advisor to both Democrats and Republicans, and co-founded the Lincoln Project. He is author of The Latino Century: How America's Largest Minority Is Transforming Democracy (2024). He is a senior advisor to the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life.
Jean Welch Hill
Jean Welch Hill is the executive director of the Washington State Catholic Conference. She previously served as the director of the Office of Life, Justice and Peace and government liaison in the Diocese of Salt Lake City. She is a 2026-27 fellow with the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life.
Accessibility
All accommodation requests should be sent to cathsocialthought@georgetown.edu by Tuesday, December 1. A good-faith effort will be made to fulfill requests.