Undergraduate Programs

Road to the Whitehouse

RTWH 2024 group picture

The Road to the White House 2024 is a Spring 2024 6-credit course (3 credits for the seminar about presidential campaigns and 3 credits for the presidential primary internship) that includes an internship on one of the first-in-the-nation presidential primary campaigns in South Carolina.

COURSE INFORMATION

Course Objective: To study the history and politics of U.S. presidential campaigns, including an intensive internship in South Carolina leading up to the first-in-the-nation primary.

In our seminars we will discuss topics such as the history of the presidential nominating process, the national conventions, voter turnout, campaign finance, third party and independent candidates, the electoral college, and the nature of presidential campaigns. Traveling from February 16-25th, 2024 students will experience the campaign process firsthand.

For news and updates, visit our blog!

Application Information

Road to the White House 2024 Flyer

The course has limited availability, and there are course fees to cover the costs of travel and lodging.

Please contact Dr. Judithanne Scourfield McLauchlan after October 3rd, 2023 for more information about the course/logistics.

Student Blogs

Student Campaign
Jennifer Admire SCDP
Ellie Barton TRUMP
Olivia Borek TRUMP
Emma Bridegam SCDP
Steven Brown TRUMP
Brittany Cardona SCDP
Steven Duverge SCDP
Jasmine Farrar SCDP
Maxwell Felton SCDP
Valeria Ferrari TRUMP
Eran Fruehauf SCDP
Alexis Hobbs SCDP
Sasha Hossain SCDP
Maddox Johnson SCDP
Alexa Matos SCDP
Amanda Pitts-Dilley HALEY
Dante Rubino HALEY
Abigail Sanders SCDP
Laura Shaw SCDP
Lana Sleiman SCDP
Grace Tabor TRUMP
Zakaria Tounsi SCDP
Nathan Tout-Puissant SCDP
Tyler Williams SCDP

news 

Students to Work on Campaign Trail for Road to the White House Course- USF News/ February 14th, 2024

USF students head to South Carolina for Road to the White House program, will work on presidential campaigns- Florida Politics/ February 14th, 2024

USF students head to South Carolina for Road to the White House program, will work on presidential campaigns- Southeast Politics/ February 14th, 2024

Bay area students head to South Carolina to volunteer for pres­i­dential primary- Bay News 9/ February 14th, 2024

USF Students Take on the South Carolina Presidential Primary with Road to the White House Course- WUSF/ February 23, 2024

USF Professor Uses Super Tuesday as Lesson for Students Pursuing a Career in Politics- Bay News 9/ March 5th, 2024

Young Volunteers Tell Newsmax Why They Like Trump- Newsmax/ Febraury 25th, 2024 

Students Interviewed at Aiken Black History Month Parade- WRDW/ February 18, 2024

RTWH students organize State of the Union Watch Party- Tampa Bay Times/ March 27, 2024

Students experience the frontlines of presidential campaign trail in ‘Road to the Whitehouse’ course- USF College of Arts and Sciences/ March 21st, 2024

Campaign Information


Previous Courses

2020

The Road to the White House 2020 is a Spring 2020 6-credit course (3 credits for the seminar about presidential campaigns and 3 credits for the presidential primary internship) that includes an internship on one of the first-in-the-nation presidential primary campaigns in New Hampshire.

Travel dates are February 2-12, 2020.

The course has limited availability, and there are course fees to cover the costs of travel and lodging.

Please contact Dr. Judithanne Scourfield McLauchlan after September 15th for more information about the course/logistics.

COURSE INFORMATION

Course Objective: To study the history and politics of U.S. presidential campaigns, including an intensive internship in New Hampshire leading up to the first-in-the-nation primary.

In our seminars we will discuss topics such as the history of the presidential nominating process, the national conventions, voter turnout, campaign finance, third party and independent candidates, the electoral college, and the nature of presidential campaigns. Traveling from February 2-12, 2020 students will experience the campaign process firsthand.

To learn more, read about how USF St. Petersburg campus students head to New Hampshire primary to work on presidential campaigns by WMNF.

Please view our blog.

Student Blogs

Student Campaign

Zay Castle

BIDEN

Fallia Gregory

BIDEN

Ireland Maechtle

BIDEN

Manuel Rodriguez-Moreno

BIDEN

Halley Hobbs

BUTTIGIEG

Veronica Jimenez

BUTTIGIEG

Jadzia Duarte

KLOBUCHAR

Samantha Fiore

KLOBUCHAR

Mahree Medero

NH GOP

Alecsander Campbell

SANDERS

Andrea Campos

SANDERS

Caitlin Crowley

SANDERS

Jocelyn Hall

SANDERS

Peyton Johnson

SANDERS

Elizabeth Manning

SANDERS

Trevor Martindale

SANDERS

Erica Mitchell

SANDERS

Jessy Stephens

SANDERS

Nicholas Pasierb

TRUMP

Maria Starr 

TRUMP

Jasmine Carter

WARREN

Rachel Collins

WARREN

Melanie Lopez

WARREN

Noah Miller

WARREN

Rebecca Nero

WARREN

Sarah Ortner

WARREN

Jacob Terrell

WARREN

Mitchell Etheridge

YANG

Sydney Snyder

YANG

News

2020 CAMPAIGN INFORMATION

POLITICAL PARTY RESOURCES

The Florida Republican Party
Address 1: 420 E. Jefferson Street; Tallahassee Florida 32301
Address 2: PO Box 311; Tallahassee, FL 32302
Phone: (850) 222-7920
Email

Republican National Committee
Internship Information
Internship Phone: 202-863-8630
Internship Email

Republican National Committee                                                                                    Address: 310 First Street SE, Washington, DC 20003
Phone: 202-863-8500
Email

The Republican Party of Pinellas
Office Address:  4707 140th Avenue North – Suite 208, Clearwater, FL 33762
Phone: (727) 539-6009
Email

The Republican National Convention 
North Carolina, Charlotte- August 24th-27th, 2020
Mailing Address Committee on Arrangements: PO Box 1809, Tampa, Florida 33601
Location of Convention:  Spectrum Center, 333 E Trade St, Charlotte, NC 28202

The Democratic National Committee
Address: 430 South Capitol Street Southeast  Washington, DC 20003
Phone: (202) 863-8000
Internships

The Florida Democratic Party
Address: 214 South Bronough Street; Tallahassee, FL 32301
Phone: (850) 222-3411
Email

The Democratic Party of Pinellas
Office: Pinellas County Headquarters, 2250 1st Avenue North, St Petersburg, FL 33713
Phone: (727) 327-2796
Email Office 
Email Info 

CANDIDATE RESOURCES

DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES

Michael Bennet –  US Senator from Colorado
Email
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
The Land of Flickering Lights: Restoring America In An Age Of Broken Politics by Michael Bennet

Joe Biden –  Former Vice-President and US Senator from Delaware
Email
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Promises to Keep: On Life and Politics by Joe Biden

Cory Booker –  US Senator from New Jersey
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
United: Thoughts on Finding Common Ground and Advancing the Common Good by Cory Booker

Pete Buttigieg – South Bend, Indiana Mayor
Email
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Shortest Way Home: One Mayors Challenge and a Model For America’s Future by Pete Buttigieg

Steve Bullock – Governor of Montana
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Julián Castro – Former Mayor of San Antonio Texas/Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
An Unlikely Journey: Waking up from My American Dream by Julián Castro

Bill de Blasio – Mayor of New York City
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

John Delaney – Former Member of Congress from Maryland
Email
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
The Right Answer: How We Can Unify Our Divided Nation by John K. Delaney

Tulsi Gabbard – U.S. Representative for Hawaii’s 2nd congressional district
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Is Today the Day? Not Another Political Memoir by Tulsi Gabbard

Kirsten Gillibrand – US Senator from New York
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Off the Sidelines: Speak Up, Be Fearless, and Change Your World by Kirsten Gillibrand

Kamala Harris – US Senator from California
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
The Truths We Hold: An American Journey by Kamala Harris

John Hickenlooper – Former Governor of Colorado
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
The Opposite of Woe: My Life in Beer and Politics by John Hickenlooper

Jay Inslee – Governor of Washington
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Apollo’s Fire: Igniting America’s Clean Energy Economy by Jay Inslee and Bracken Hendricks

Amy Klobuchar – US Senator from Minnesota
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
The Senator Next Door: A Memoir from the Heartland by Amy Klobuchar

Wayne Messam – Mayor of Miramar Florida
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Seth Moulton – US Representative for Massachusetts
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Called to Serve: Learning to Lead In War And Peace by Seth Moulton

Beto O’Rourke – former Member of Congress from Texas
Email
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Dealing Death and Drugs: The Big Business of Dope in the U.S. and Mexico by Beto O’Rourke and Susie Byrd

Tim Ryan – Member of Congress from Ohio
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Healing America: How a Simple Practice Can Help Us Recapture the American Spirit by Tim Ryan

Bernie Sanders – U.S. Senator from Vermont
Email
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Where We Go from Here: Two Years in the Resistance by Bernie Sanders

Joe Sestak – Former Member of Congress from Pennsylvania

Eric Swalwell –  Member of Congress from California
Email
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Elizabeth Warren – U.S. Senator from Massachusetts
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
A Fighting Chance by Elizabeth Warren

Marianne Williamson –  Author/Activist
Email
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
A Politics of Love: A Handbook for a new American Revolution by Marianne Williamson

REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES

Donald J. Trump – President of the United States
Business Owner/Re-Running
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Time to Get Tough: Making America #1 Again by Donald Trump

Bill Weld – former Governor of Massachusetts
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Email

 

2016

The Road to the White House 2016 is a Spring 2016 6-credit course (3 credits for the seminar about presidential campaigns and 3 credits for the presidential primary internship) that includes an internship on one of the first-in-the-nation presidential primary campaigns in New Hampshire.

The course has limited availability, and there are course fees to cover the costs of travel and lodging.

Please contact Dr. Judithanne Scourfield McLauchlan at your earliest convenience for an application and for more information about the course/logistics.

Please view our blog.

2016 students

Course Information

Course Objective: To study the history and politics of U.S. presidential campaigns, including an intensive internship in New Hampshire leading up to the first-in-the-nation primary.

In our seminars we will discuss topics such as the history of the presidential nominating process, the national conventions, voter turnout, campaign finance, third party and independent candidates, the electoral college, and the nature of presidential campaigns. Traveling from January 31, 2016 to February 10, 2016 students will experience the campaign process firsthand. Fore more information, view the 2016 Course Syllabus and the 2016 Course Field Work Syllabus.

23 undergraduate students working on 7 campaigns.

Democrats: Hillary Clinton, Martin O’Malley, and Bernie Sanders

Republicans: Jeb Bush, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and Donald Trump.

View the students’ campaign placements.

Campaign Information

POLITICAL PARTY RESOURCES

The Florida Republican Party
Address 1: 420 E. Jefferson Street; Tallahassee Florida 32301
Address 2: PO Box 311; Tallahassee, FL 32302
Phone: (850) 222-7920
Email

Republican National Committee
Internship Information
Internship Phone: 202-863-8630
Internship Email

The Republican Party of Pinellas
Office Address:  4707 140th Avenue North – Suite 208, Clearwater, FL 33762
Phone: (727) 539-6009
Email

The Republican National Committee Convention – Cleveland- July 18-21, 2016
Mailing Address Committee on Arrangements: PO Box 1809, Tampa, Florida 33601
Location of Convention: Quicken Loans Arena 1 Center Ct, Cleveland, OH 44115

The Democratic National Committee
Address: 430 South Capitol Street Southeast  Washington, DC 20003
Phone: (202) 863-8000
Internships

The Florida Democratic Party
Address: 214 South Bronough Street; Tallahassee, FL 32301
Phone: (850) 222-3411
Email

The Democratic Party of Pinellas
Office: Pinellas County Headquarters, 2250 1st Avenue North, St Petersburg, FL 33713
Phone: (727) 327-2796
Email

The Democratic National Committee Convention – Philadelphia July 25-July 28 2016
Location of Convention: Wells Fargo Center, 3601 S. Broad Street, PHL

DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES

Lincoln Chafee - Former US Senator and Governor from Rhode Island
Twitter
Against the Tide: How a Compliant Congress Empowered a Reckless President by Lincoln Chafee

Hillary Clinton - Former U.S. Secretary of State, U.S. Senator and First Lady
Phone (National): 646-854-1432
Twitter | Facebook
Hard Choices by Hillary Clinton

Bernie Sanders - U.S. Senator
Address (National): PO Box 905 Burlington, VT 05402
Twitter | Facebook
The Speech: A Historic Filibuster on Corporate Greed and the Decline of Our Middle Class by Bernie Sanders

Martin O’Malley
Address (National): 1501 St. Paul Street, Ste 115, Baltimore MD 21202
Phone (National): 443-552-3526
Twitter | Facebook

Jim Webb – Former Virginia Senator
Address: PO Box 11742 Burke, VA 22009
Twitter | Facebook
A Time to Fight: Reclaiming a Fair and Just America by Jim Webb

REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES

Jeb Bush - Former Governor of Florida
Address (National) : PO Box 440641 Miami, FL 33144
Twitter | Facebook

Dr. Ben Carson – Physician
Twitter | Facebook
One Nation: What We Can All Do to Save America’s Future by Dr. Ben Carson

Chris Christie
Twitter | Facebook

Ted Cruz – US Senator from Texas
Address: PO Box 25376 Houston, TX 77265
Twitter | Facebook
A Time for Truth: Reigniting the Promise of America by Ted Cruz

Carly Fiorina – Businesswoman and Former CEO of Hewlett-Packard
Twitter | Facebook
Rising to the Challenge: My Leadership Journey by Carly Fiorina

Lindsey Graham – US Senator from South Carolina
Address: PO Box 2732 Columbia, SC 29202
Phone (National): 703-542-3282
Twitter | Facebook

Mike Huckabee – Former Governor of Arkansas
Address: PO Box 3357 Little Rock, AR 72203
Twitter | Facebook
God, Guns, Grits, and Gravy by Mike Huckabee

Bobby Jindal
Address: PO Box 5101, Baton Rouge, LA 70821
Twitter| Facebook
Leadership and Crisis by Bobby Jindal

George Pataki 
Facebook
Where I Come From by George Pataki

Rand Paul 
Phone (National): 202-735-5323
Twitter | Facebook
Taking a Stand: Moving Beyond Partisan Politics to Unite America by Rand Paul

Rick Perry – Former Governor of Texas
Twitter | Facebook
Fed Up!: Our Fight to Save America from Washington by Rick Perry

Marco Rubio – US Senator from Florida
Address: PO Box 558701 Miami, FL 33255
Email
Twitter | Facebook
American Dreams: Restoring Economic Opportunity for Everyone by Marco Rubio

Rick Santorum 
Address: PO Box 238 Verona, PA 15147
Phone (National): 515-216-0105
Email
Twitter | Facebook
Blue Collar Conservatives: Recommitting to an America That Works by Rick Santorum

Donald Trump
Twitter
Time to Get Tough: Making America #1 Again by Donald Trump

John Kasich - Governor of Ohio 
Facebook
Stand for Something: The Battle for America’s Soul 

John Gilmore - Former Governor of Virginia, former Chair of the RNC

 

*Please note: this information was compiled in June 2015 when course development was underway.

Student Blogs

STUDENT CAMPAIGN
Sarah Adams BUSH
Emily Hughes BUSH
Randi Doan CLINTON
Charles McEntee CLINTON
Antionio Permuy CLINTON
Victor Sims CLINTON
Kristina Sonstroem CLINTON
Nicholas Encinas CRUZ
Yaite Ruiz CRUZ
David Thompson O'MALLEY
Courtney Fornof RUBIO
Christopher Happel RUBIO
Miranda Latimer RUBIO
Georgia Pevy RUBIO
Christopher Ward RUBIO
Patrick Bateman SANDERS
Samantha Kendall SANDERS
Kendall Legac SANDERS
Richard Marini SANDERS
Emily-May Thatcher SANDERS
Alyssa Winston SANDERS
Jack Zygadlo SANDERS
Terran Winegeart TRUMP

 

2012

2012 class photo

COURSE INFORMATION

Course Objective: To study the history and politics of U.S. presidential campaigns, including a presidential primary campaign internship in Florida.

Course Syllabus

View photographs from the internship on the 2012 course BLOG.

At the Campaign Internship Job Fair students had the opportunity to hear from representatives of the campaigns of

  • President Barack Obama
  • Florida Democratic Party caucus organization
  • Speaker Newt Gingrich
  • Governor Jon Huntsman
  • Congressman Ron Paul
  • Governor Rick Perry
  • Senator Rick Santorum
  • Republican Party of Pinellas County County
  • Governor Gary Johnson

Students in 2012 were placed on the campaigns of President Barack Obama, Governor Mitt Romney, Speaker Newt Gingrich, Senator Rick Santorum, Congressman Ron Paul, and Governor Gary Johnson.

To study the history and politics of U.S. presidential campaigns, including an intensive internship in Florida in advance of its front-loaded presidential primary.

In our seminars we discussed topics such as the history of the presidential nominating process, the national conventions, voter turnout, campaign finance, third party and independent candidates, the electoral college, and the nature of presidential campaigns. 

21 students interned for the Obama, Romney, Gingrich, Santorum, Paul and Johnson campaigns. View the students’ campaign placements.

 

2008

2008 class photo

Course INFORMATION

COURSE OBJECTIVE: To study the history and politics of U.S. presidential campaigns, including an intensive 10-day internship in New Hampshire leading up to the first-in-the-nation primary.

Students had the opportunity to intern for one of the presidential campaigns in NEW HAMPSHIRE, home of the first-in-the-nation primary. Students learned first-hand about presidential campaigns and the presidential nominating process.

Seminars were led and internships arranged and supervised by Professor Judithanne Scourfield McLauchlan, a former White House staffer and veteran of several presidential campaigns who has extensive political experience in New Hampshire.

In our seminars we discussed topics such as the presidential nominating process, the national conventions, voter turnout, campaign finance, third party and independent candidates, the electoral college, and the nature of presidential campaigns.

  • 19 Undergraduate and Graduate Students
  • 11 Campaigns
  • 3 Cities

Students interned for the following presidential campaigns: Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Dennis Kucinich, Barack Obama, Bill Richardson, Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, John McCain, Ron Paul and Mitt Romney.

Student Blogs

STUDENT CAMPAIGN
Damaris Escalera CLINTON
Emilio Favale CLINTON
Steven Lapinski CLINTON
Danita Mouttaki CLINTON
Larry Rodanski CLINTON
Matthew Perlegis EDWARDS
Joel VanHorn EDWARDS
Maggie Bratcher GIULIANI
Laura Davis GIULIANI
Rebekah Lee HUCKABEE
Paul Mena JOURNALIST
Paul Mena, en espanol JOURNALIST
Russell Leach MCCAIN
Joseph Spilatro OBAMA
Shadi Fackih PAUL
Brandon Keith PAUL
Andrew Wilson RICHARDSON
Scott Burrows ROMNEY
George Meehan ROMNEY
Laura Tomlinson ROMNEY

 

2004

Course Information

2004 class photo

Course Objective : To study the history and politics of U.S. presidential campaigns, including an intensive 10-day internship in New Hampshire leading up to the first-in-the-nation primary.

Seminars led and internships arranged and supervised by Professor Judithanne Scourfield McLauchlan , a former White House staffer and veteran of several presidential campaigns who has extensive political experience in New Hampshire .

In our seminars we discussed topics such as the history of the presidential nominating process, the national conventions, voter turnout, campaign finance, third party and independent candidates, the electoral college, and the nature of presidential campaigns. Fore more information, view the 2004 Course Syllabus.

21 students interned on seven campaigns: the Bush/Cheney re-election campaign and the Democratic campaigns of General Wes Clark, Governor Howard Dean, Senator John Edwards, Senator John Kerry, Congressman Dennis Kucinich, and Senator Joe Lieberman.

Students’ campaign placements

 

News

Not only did students have the opportunity to meet the presidential candidates and the various celebrity surrogates that came to New Hampshire to stump on their behalf, but also our students began to feel like celebrities themselves! They were interviewed by journalists from newspapers such as the Boston Globe, the Manchester Union Leader, the Hartford Courant, and the Weekly Standard.

Students experienced media coverage while working on campaigns.

Brandon Keith chats with Alan Colmes

Friends and family called them on their cell phones telling them that they had again been spotted on TV, on programs including

  • NBC’s ”The Today Show”
  • NBC’s “Nightly News”
  • NBC’s “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno”
  • Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show”
  • ABC news
  • FoxNews
  • MSNBC
  • CNN (including the documentary on the Dean campaign that aired after our return, “True Believers”)
  • C-Span
  • Discovery Channel

Our students also appeared on New England television stations, such as

  • WMUR (ABC, New Hampshire)
  • New England Cable News
  • Vermont's News 7

 

Brandon Keith chats with journalist Tim Russert
Complete list of media placements

Coverage wasn’t limited to the United States. Our students were also interviewed by journalists from

  • France
  • Germany
  • Switzerland
  • Sweden
  • South Korea
  • Japan

Here in Tampa Bay, our students were featured in

  • St. Petersburg Times*
  • Tampa Tribune
  • The Crow's Nest
  • Tampa Bay’s 10 (CBS)
  • Ch. 28 (ABC)
  • Fox News
  • 89.7 WUSF
  • 970 WFLA

*This story was picked up by the Associated Press State and Local Wire Service and was reprinted in papers across the state of Florida, including the Tallahassee Democrat, the Daytona Beach News-Journal, the Bradenton Herald, and the Miami Herald.

Select news reports about The Road to the White House

  • News Channel 10 Report
  • WUSF News Story
  • News Channel 10 Story

Student Blogs

STUDENT CAMPAIGN
Meagan Waszak Bush/Cheney Re-Elect
Ashley Hendrickson Bush/Cheney Re-Elect
Michael Gagliardo Bush/Cheney Re-Elect
Brittany Fenske Wes Clark
Alexandra Yorra Wes Clark
Danialle Coates Wes Clark
Amy Kiser Gov. Howard Dean
Teresa Przetocki Gov. Howard Dean
Joe Roma Gov. Howard Dean
Joseph Smolen Gov. Howard Dean
Julie Petrick Gov. Howard Dean
Christina Bush Gov. Howard Dean
Edita Pojani Gov. Howard Dean
Brandon Keith Gov. Howard Dean
Ada Capellan John Edwards
Nicole McConnell John Edwards
Chad Thereau John Kerry
Elizabeth Austin John Kerry
Jolene Bussiere John Kerry
Dinara Newman Dennis Kucinich
Michena Georges Joe Lieberman
Ted Haynie