In a landslide victory yesterday, Conor Williams (GOV ’11) was named the Washington Post‘s “Next Great Pundit.”

Williams’s win marks the end of a month-long gauntlet of rounds, which included blog posts, traditional op-eds, and a roundtable debate. Now, he will receive a three-month writing contract with the Post.

As a pundit, Williams hopes to encourage thoughtful debate.

“Above all, I want to emphasize the importance of keeping the public conversation going in the United States,” he wrote in an email. “Both progressives dismissive of Middle America and Tea Party activists alike seem to be in a hurry to hurl insults instead of engaging in debates over what’s best for the country.”

A piece of advice: Never write about denim.

Photo: Conor Williams

Tuesday update: Voting will remain open until noon today. Go vote!

Original post: Conor Williams (GOV ’11), the PhD candidate who we’ve followed through Washington Post‘s “Next Great Pundit” contest, is one step away from winning the whole thing.

After an initial round, a blogging round, and a video roundtable, readers voted Williams as one of the contest’s final three contestants. His final test, an “old school op-ed,” was published earlier today. In it, Williams decided to analyze the impending midterm elections.

“In Tuesday’s elections, many progressives will stay home and many independents will abandon the Democrats entirely,” he writes. “This will mean a return to power for Republicans, who are largely committed to preventing public institutions from addressing the nation’s problems. This means that it’s their turn to misread their mandate.”

Williams’s competitors took different approaches to the op-ed. Nancy Goldstein, a journalist from Brooklyn, painted broad strokes about the Tea Party and Obama, while Lauren Hogan tackled the Rally to Restore Sanity.

Consider this Vox‘s official endorsement for Williams—big surprise, right? Now, head on over to the polls and win this goofy contest for him.

Conor Williams (GOV ’11), one of a handful of Georgetown students who competed in the Washington Post‘s “Next Great Pundit” contest, has moved onto the next round of voting.

In a series of blog posts, Williams covers a range of topics, including progressivism, conservation, pluralism, and the hot button issue of child marriages. (He even manages to mock Delaware Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell!)

While we’re pleased to see Williams advance—and encourage you to vote for him before the polls close tonight at 6 p.m.—the Post commenters seem divided.

“The WP should hire you today and replace some of their world is flat guys. Great stuff Great Pundit,” a commenter named “Chucky-El,” wrote.

A displeased commenter named “MSJS,” however, was a bit more crass: “The blog is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay tooooooooooooo loooooooooooooong.”

Oof. Everybody’s a critic, we guess.

At least two Georgetown students are competing to become “America’s Next Great Pundit” over at the Washington Post.

The contest, which awards a three-month stint with the Post to the winner, received approximately 1,400 entries earlier this year. Out of those 1,400, 50 were selected by Post staff for the vote.

PhD candidate Conor Williams (GOV ’11) and Alex Bodaken (COL ’12) are currently second and seventh, respectively, in the pool of candidates. While both wrote sample columns about the impact of the D.C. mayoral election on education reform, their styles and backgrounds seriously differ.

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