By Melanie Gerko
This past week, we had the privilege of hearing from two experts whose careers have been at the intersection of politics and national security. On Tuesday, 10/1, George Stephanopoulos shared his journey from Capitol Hill to the Clinton campaign, and on Thursday, 10/3, Chris Krebs offered a look at the state of election security in the digital age. While their experiences are worlds apart, both speakers revealed a common theme: political campaigns and elections have evolved in ways no one could have predicted.
Stephanopoulos, who famously helped orchestrate Bill Clinton’s 1992 victory, recounted the moment he knew politics was his calling. After seeing the Capitol dome as a young man, he knew that’s where he wanted to be. Fast forward to 1986, he found himself torn between journalism and politics. In the end politics won, and by 1992, Stephanopoulos was deep in the trenches of Clinton’s groundbreaking campaign. What stood out about Clinton’s run was the way they adapted to the emerging 24/7 news cycle—a strategy that set the campaign apart from the previous election in 1988, where news coverage was limited to two cycles per day. Stephanopoulos recalled how their team aimed to “win every day” in the media, transforming how political campaigns interacted with the press and public.
But it’s not just the media landscape that has changed. Stephanopoulos highlighted how the nature of campaigns has shifted over time. In the early ’90s, they targeted 19 battleground states. Today, he noted, there are at most seven, with some arguing only three are truly in play. Campaigns have also become more about mobilizing the base rather than persuading undecided voters, as fewer people in the middle remain truly undecided. He emphasized how different the media environment is now, where hyper-local focus exists in an overwhelmingly nationalized media ecosystem. “It’s almost like running in a different country,” he reflected.
Just two days later, Chris Krebs took the stage and shared an equally compelling story from the world of election security. As the former director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Krebs was at the forefront of protecting U.S. elections from cyber threats. His career took a dramatic turn in 2016, when Russian operatives not only spread disinformation through social media but also breached state voter registration databases—a wakeup call for the U.S. government.
Krebs outlined how cyber threats have evolved since then. In 2020, both Russia and Iran interfered in U.S. elections, though their tactics differed. Russia continued its subtle, ongoing disinformation campaigns, while Iran attempted to intimidate voters through bizarre videos and fake narratives. The sheer complexity of these attacks underscored how foreign adversaries are not just targeting politicians—they’re targeting the public’s trust in democratic institutions.
One of the most striking points Krebs made was about the rise in threats against election workers. As disinformation spreads, those tasked with administering elections have increasingly become targets of harassment and even violence. Krebs emphasized the importance of having paper ballots with audit trails, which now cover 95% of U.S. votes. Yet he expressed concern that, despite these safeguards, the growing distrust of election processes may undermine public confidence.
Listening to both Stephanopoulos and Krebs, it became clear that while campaigns have become more media-driven and elections more vulnerable to digital threats, the underlying challenges remain the same: how do we preserve trust in democracy? Stephanopoulos spoke of a time when campaigns were about persuading undecided voters and building broad coalitions. Krebs, on the other hand, warned that the real threat today is not just foreign interference, but the erosion of trust in the electoral system itself.
Both speakers’ talks were eye-opening, offering rare insights into the complex machinery behind political campaigns and election security. Stephanopoulos gave us a glimpse into how political strategy has evolved, while Krebs highlighted the urgent need for vigilance in the face of ever-evolving cyber threats. Together, their stories remind us that democracy, while resilient, is not immune to the challenges of the modern age. As we look toward future elections, it’s clear that the fight to protect the integrity of our political system is far from over.
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