UB Faculty Experts

President Obama's visit will be exciting for Democrats and political observers, but it is unlikely to have any immediate impact on the Western New York economy or the state budget situation, says Dyck, an expert on presidential politics and voter behavior. 

 

Presidential visits, and especially tours, are an important way for presidents to maintain a hold on the 24-hour news cycle, he notes.

 

Thursday's Obama visit offers an opportunity for Buffalo to be part of that cycle for a limited amount of time, but the gravity of this visit for Western New York "is probably being overplayed by politicians and pundits," Dyck says.

 

In fact, the research on presidential visits show that they have very modest impacts on elections -- and that modest impact is seen at the height of campaign season, not six months before, he adds.