SAG-AFTRA Elects Incumbent Gabrielle Carteris as President Following a Bitter Campaign | L.A. Times

In an article in the Los Angeles Times on the recent SAG-AFTRA presidential campaign, reporter David Ng quotes David M. Smith, PhD, Associate Professor of Economics, and Associate Provost for Online Programs at the Graziadio School. Ng writes that the "acrimonious campaign in which rival factions engaged in name calling and social media attacks," resulted in the election of incumbent President Gabrielle Carteris to a two-year term.

Carteris originally assumed the position following the death of actor Ken Howard in 2016. Dr. Smith says the contentious elections "have been very dramatic with mud-slinging and accusations of election fraud. Having a campaign platform that is centered on shaking things up can be good, but too much acrimony will only further the divisions within the union." Carteris' main opponent was actor Esai Morales, who came in second with 8,145 votes to Carteris' 14,674. Moralis' "Unite for Strength" campaign garnered backing from A-listers that included George Clooney and Bryan Cranston.