Political strategists to discuss presidential race

If it’s a presidential election year, political observers David Keene and Robert Shrum must be returning to Bates College.

And they are.

Republican Keene and Democrat Shrum, familiar faces on television discussion shows, will offer their views of the developing campaign season in a session at the Benjamin Mays Center March 27 at 7:30 p.m. The public is invited to attend at no charge.

This will be the third consecutive presidential campaign to be analyzed at Bates by Keene and Shrum. They also visited Bates in February 1995 to discuss the recent Republican takeover of Congress.

Keene, a longtime GOP stalwart, was political director of George H. Bush’s 1980 presidential and vice presidential bids.

Shrum, a top Democratic strategist, runs a major consulting firm and has written for major newspapers and magazines.

Their visit to Bates is sponsored by the Edmund S. Muskie Archives.