Paul Stekler
Wofford Denius Chair in Entertainment Studies; Professor of Public Affairs and Radio-Television-Film
Education
- Ph.D., Harvard University, 1982
Paul Stekler is an acclaimed documentary filmmaker and founder of the Center for Politics and Governance at the LBJ School of Public Affairs. His film work includes "George Wallace: Settin' the Woods on Fire," "Last Man Standing: Politics, Texas Style," two segments of the "Eyes on the Prize II" series on the history of civil rights, "Last Stand at Little Big Horn" (broadcast as part of PBS's series "The American Experience"), "Louisiana Boys: Raised on Politics" (broadcast on PBS's "P.O.V." series) and "Getting Back to Abnormal." His films have won two Peabody Awards, three duPont-Columbia University Journalism Awards, three Emmy Awards and a special jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival.
Dr. Stekler holds a doctorate in government from Harvard University, where his work focused on Southern politics. He previously worked as a political pollster in Louisiana while teaching at Tulane University. His writing has appeared in the Texas Observer, Texas Monthly and the International Documentary Association's magazine, among other places, and in the book, Killing Custer, co-written with novelist James Welch. Dr. Stekler was named film school Mentor of the Year in 2014 by Variety.
Media Expertise
- State and national campaign politics
- Elections
- Public Broadcasting
Faculty from the LBJ School of Public Affairs are nationally and internationally recognized scholars and experts across a range of major policy topics, including the 2020 election at the local, state and federal levels. View our 2020 election experts guide below.
Where to watch LBJ School faculty
Pre-election
Friday, Oct. 30: Steven Pedigo joins Fox 7 Austin for a special newscast on Propositions A and B; Airs at approximately 6 p.m. CT
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The president has employed the same kind of inflammatory language as George Wallace did in the 1968 campaign. Richard Nixon ran that year seeking the middle between the Alabama governor and Hubert Humphrey. LBJ's Paul Stekler talks about the comparison.
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"Look past the presidential race and there are indications Texas is rapidly moving from red to purple politically. In just the past few weeks, three Republican congressmen in the crosshairs of Democrats have retired rather than face stiff challenges in 2020," Professor Paul Stekler argues in the Austin American-Statesman.
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