This should surprise no one. It’s been this way for years.
The College Fix reports:
6 to 1: Democratic speakers dominate 2026 commencement stages at Top 100 universitiesDemocrats outnumber Republican commencement speakers for at least the fourth year in a row, according to a College Fix analysis.The Fix looked at the keynote commencement speakers at undergraduate ceremonies at U.S. News & World Report‘s Top 100 schools.The analysis found only six Republican or Republican-leaning speakers compared to 38 Democrat or Democrat-leaning speakers. Put another way, Democrats account for 86 percent of partisan keynote speakers.The Fix reviewed public statements and donation records to determine the political leanings of speakers. The numbers only include the speakers at either the main commencement ceremony, or if there are multiple events, the undergraduate ceremonies.Other speakers did not publicly indicate a political leaning and were counted as not applicable in the analysis. Some universities have not announced their keynote speakers as of mid-May.This year’s results are more skewed than the 5-to-1 Democrat-to-Republican ratio that The Fix found in 2025. The 2023 and 2024 analyses by The College Fix found similar results.Center-right speakers who made the podium this yearArthur Brooks, former president of the conservative think tank American Enterprise Institute, gave the commencement address at Vanderbilt University on May 7, and is one of six Republican or right-leaning speakers at top schools this year.Mike Huckabee, the current U.S. Ambassador to Israel under President Donald Trump, will speak at Yeshiva University.Dario Gil, undersecretary for science at the U.S. Department of Energy under President Donald Trump, will share the podium at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s commencement ceremony.Former University of Texas quarterback and NFL player Colt McCoy will give the commencement address for University of Texas undergraduates. Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott appointed McCoy to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in January 2026.The fifth right-leaning speaker is Eric Dickerson, who will give the commencement address at Southern Methodist University. Dickerson has actively criticized diversity, equity, and inclusion in the NFL.Finally, conservative political theorist Francis Fukuyama is the graduation speaker at William & Mary University.
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