ABC News political analyst to examine the 2016 campaign and the future of US politics during campus visit

Election Day is fast approaching, with little more than two weeks between now and the conclusion of what Politico called “the dirtiest presidential race since ’72.”

But the impact of the knock-down-drag-out fight for the White House between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump still remains to be seen. Will “Trumpism” live on in the Republican Party, even if his campaign ultimately fails? Will the record-breaking distaste for Trump and Clinton fuel the rise of more unaffiliated voters, marking a tipping point in the electability of a third-party presidential candidate in 2020 or 2024?

ABC News chief political analyst Matthew Dowd will address the numerous ways in which the 2016 election is transforming American politics on Friday at noon in Blackman Auditorium. Titled “Election 2016: Where do we go from here?” the interactive discussion will be live streamed on Facebook for those who are unable to attend the free event.

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Jonathan Kaufmann, director of the School of Journalism. Photo by Matthew Modoono.

Jonathan Kauf­mann, director of Northeastern’s School of Jour­nalism, will moderate the discussion. Kaufmann is particularly curious to know whether Dowd, a Democrat turned Republican turned Independent, sees a role for people like himself in today’s political climate. Dowd grew up in a Republican family, the third of 11 children of an auto executive and elementary school teacher. He began his political career as a Democrat, working for former Texas Sen. Lloyd Bensten, later served as the chief political strategist for the Bush-Cheney 2004 presidential campaign, and is currently a regular contributor to ABC’s This Week and Good Morning America.

“Is there room for people like him in our current polarized campaign?” Kaufman said. “Are we moving toward a more divided country?”

Kaufman also wants to know what will happen to Trump—and his brand—if he loses the election and how the media might cover a Clinton administration. But he sees one overarching question that will be applicable no matter who wins—or loses—the election: “Will the country rally and come together as it often does after an election,” Kaufman said, “or will the divisions continue to expand?”