The Blade: Pandemic has Trump's Ohio rallies on hold until ...?
UC expert David Niven calls political rallies 'theater' that might be lost during pandemic
Political rallies are the perfect stew of everything health officials have warned against to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Dense crowds. Stuffy indoor venues. Lines too long for social distancing. Plenty of vocalizing.
Calling these rallies “theater,” UC faculty member and political expert David Niven comments in The Blade on how coronavirus will impact political campaigns during election season.
“An awful lot of what goes into a campaign is still going to happen, but the theater part, the part that we see, the noisiest and most exciting part, is going to be missing,” says Niven.
Niven teaches American politics in UC's Department of Political Science in the College of Arts and Sciences and conducts research on campaigns, political communication and death penalty policy.
Featured image of Trump at a political rally. Photo/The Blade
Related Stories
‘Designer drug’ shows early neuroprotective signal in acute ischemic stroke
October 28, 2025
Medscape highlighted new trial results led by the University of Cincinnati's Eva Mistry that found an experimental drug shows promise in protecting injured brain cells for patients with acute ischemic stroke.
Is menstrual fluid ‘the most overlooked opportunity’ in women’s health?
October 27, 2025
The Guardian recently reported that period blood has long been thought of as ‘stinky and useless’, but startups are exploring using the fluid to test for a wide range of health conditions — including endometriosis.
What is squalane, and how does it work to moisturize skin?
October 27, 2025
The University of Cincinnati's Kelly Dobos was featured in a Women's Health article discussing squalane, an ingredient being increasingly used in moisturizing skincare products.