Political soothsayer Larry Sabato has been chosen as the 2013 Hunter B. Andrews Distinguished Fellow in American Politics at The College of William & Mary.
The longtime director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics is known for often accurately predicting political outcomes, reported on his nonpartisan website, “Sabato’s Crystal Ball.” In 2006, he was named the most accurate prognosticator by Fox News, MSNBC, CNBC and Pew’s Project for Excellence in Journalism.
Sabato will visit the W&M campus from April 4-5 to meet with students, faculty and staff. The Hunter B. Andrews Distinguished Fellowship in American Politics was created in 1998 and is named for the late Andrews, an alum who served as a Virginia State Senator for more than 30 years.
Sabato, a Norfolk native, graduated from U.Va. with a degree in government in 1974. He studied at Princeton University for one year of graduate school before winning a Rhodes Scholarship in 1975, taking him to study at Oxford University’s Queens College. He earned his doctorate in politics from Oxford.
His first taste of politics came at 15, when he joined Virginia Democrat Henry Howell’s first gubernatorial campaign in 1968. For nine years, Sabato worked on Howell’s campaigns. In 1978, he joined U.Va.’s faculty.
Sabato is a well-known author and prominent media source, with the Wall Street Journal referring to him in 1994 as “probably the most quoted college professor in the land.” In July 2008, Sabato correctly projected Barack Obama would win the presidency in a near-landslide. He predicted a 364-174 margin in the Electoral College; the final tally was 365-173.
“Larry Sabato will be a marvelous 2013 Andrews Fellow,” said W&M President Taylor Reveley in a press release. “His grasp of American politics is sweeping, his insight about the machinations of our political leaders is acute, and he knows how to bring all this to life in his books and teaching. He’ll be a delight to have among us for a time.”
