The Crystal Ball (LOCATION UPDATE: Newcomb BALLROOM)
Overview
Larry Sabato, founder and director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, looks into his Crystal Ball and breaks down what to watch for in the 2025 gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey, and discusses how the politics of the moment will shape the 2026 midterms. Sabato will take questions about our unique political moment.
Speaker Biography
Larry J. Sabato, Founder and Director, Center for Politics, and Professor of Politics, Department of Politics, University of Virginia
Larry J. Sabato is a New York Times best-selling author, four-time Emmy winner, and one of the nation’s most respected political analysts. A frequent guest on major networks such as CNN, BBC, and CNN International, he provides sharp, insightful commentary on American politics. A Rhodes Scholar, Sabato is the founder and director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics and has held visiting appointments at Oxford and Cambridge universities. Over his distinguished career, he has taught more than 20,000 students, earning the Thomas Jefferson Award, the University of Virginia’s highest honor. In 2021, he celebrated his 50th year of affiliation with UVA.
Sabato has authored or edited more than two dozen books on American politics. His latest, Campaign of Chaos: Trump, Biden, Harris and the 2024 American Election, analyzed the unique November 2024 elections with the late exit of President Biden from the campaign and the resurgence of President Donald J. Trump for his second term.
As the head of Sabato’s Crystal Ball, he has built one of the most trusted political forecasting platforms in the country. The Crystal Ball has won numerous accolades, including a recent feature as a Jeopardy! question. The Pew Charitable Trust ranked it the #1 leader in political prediction, and The Daily Beast recognized it as a top political site. In 2020, the Harvard Political Review declared it the most accurate in forecasting the Electoral College, stating: "While crystal balls may not exist in real life, Larry Sabato’s editorial team might be the next best thing." In 2024, an independent review by Split Ticket found the Crystal Ball to be the most accurate of all predictors of House, Senate, and presidential elections.
Sabato has won four Emmy Awards for historical and political documentaries, including:
Out of Order – an exposé on dysfunction in the U.S. Senate
The Kennedy Half-Century – a look at JFK’s life, assassination, and enduring impact
Feeling Good About America – an exploration of the 1976 presidential election
Charlottesville – a gripping account of the tragic events of August 11-12, 2017
An influential voice in political discourse, Sabato is active on social media. His Twitter feed (@LarrySabato) was named one of the 140 best by Time Magazine.
This UVA Lifetime Learning event is in partnership with the Center for Politics.
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More Than The Score
This Lifetime Learning program is part of the More Than the Score faculty lecture series. On the mornings of home football games, hear from some of UVA’s top minds.
All talks are free, open to all, and held in-person and virtually at 10 am.
Parking
Parking for Football Games has gone cashless! You can pay using the ParkMobile App.
Parking is available in the Central Grounds Garage and the Emmet/Ivy Garage for $15 on home football game days.
Free general public parking is available in the John Paul Jones Arena (JPJ) parking lot on a first-come, first-served basis.