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Connections
A smiling man with short dark hair wearing a blue button-down shirt and a grey blazer. He is holding a pair of eyeglasses. The word "Connections" appears on the left side of the photo in vertical letters.
"Connections with Evan Dawson"

Valery Perry went on the road in search of democracy

By Evan Dawson,
Megan Mack, Julie Williams
Published September 28, 2026 at 5:39 PM EDT
Two people wearing headphones sit at a table in a radio talk studio: a woman at left is wearing her long brown hair pulled back, a light blue short-sleeved shirt and a multi-colored scarf around her neck; a man at right has very short dark hair and is wearing eyeglasses, a navy button-down shirt, and blue jeans.
Julie Williams
/
WXXI News
Valery Perry with host Evan Dawson on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Monday, September 28, 2026
WXXI News

Where is democracy backsliding? It’s a question we discuss with democratization policy expert Valery Perry.

Perry recently took a road trip on Route 66. She shares what she observed about democracy in America along the way.

She also helps us understand the significance of the recent German state elections, as well as concerns about the Trump administration intervening in or suspending upcoming elections.

In studio:

To watch Valery Perry's Route 66 video, click here.

"Connections with Evan Dawson"
Evan Dawson
Evan Dawson is the host of "Connections with Evan Dawson." He joined WXXI in January 2014 after working at 13WHAM-TV, where he served as morning news anchor. He was hired as a reporter for 13WHAM-TV in 2003 before being promoted to anchor in 2007.
See stories by Evan Dawson
Megan Mack
Megan Mack is the executive producer of "Connections with Evan Dawson" and live/televised engagement programming.
See stories by Megan Mack
Julie Williams
Julie Williams is an associate producer for "Connections with Evan Dawson." She started at WXXI in 2019 and has been working on Connections since 2022.
See stories by Julie Williams