September 8, 2026

KIPEC hosted this seminar featuring Dr. Casey Burgat, Director of the Legislative Affairs Program and Associate Professor at the George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management, to examine key structural changes in contemporary U.S. congressional politics, including the rise of “insecure majorities,” the decline in competitive congressional districts, and the growing importance of primary elections.

The seminar also explored how majority-party status, agenda-setting power, party-unity voting, permanent campaigning, and messaging politics contribute to partisan conflict and legislative gridlock, as well as their implications for executive power and Congress’s role in providing institutional checks on the executive branch.