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Contact: Angela Smith, Executive Director, Princetonians for Free Speech, angela@princetonfs.org, 414-254-6440
PRINCETON, N.J., Sept. 15, 2026 — Princetonians for Free Speech (PFS) today released a first-of-its-kind study showing that 98% of reported political contributions by current Princeton faculty went to Democratic candidates or affiliated groups during the 2023-2024 election cycle. Independents and their affiliated groups received 2% of contributions, while Republicans and their affiliated groups received none.
PFS said the findings point to a near-total absence of viewpoint diversity among the university's faculty.
The study covers all contributions by current Princeton faculty that are required to be reported to the Federal Election Commission, covering the most recent full election cycle.
PFS noted its findings echo recent studies at other leading universities. Yale professors donated overwhelmingly to Democrats in 2025, according to the Yale Daily News, and a 2022 Harvard Crimson survey found similar patterns among Harvard faculty.
The lack of faculty viewpoint diversity has become one of the most closely watched issues in higher education reform, PFS said, with a growing number of university leaders announcing changes to address it — often over faculty objections. PFS said Princeton's leadership has yet to acknowledge the issue publicly, unlike leaders at Yale, Harvard, Dartmouth, Johns Hopkins, Vanderbilt and Washington University.
Viewpoint diversity has been a top priority for PFS since it published "The Next Campus Battle After Free Speech: Viewpoint Diversity at America's Elite Universities" last February, written by two PFS officers. Today's study builds on that effort.
"This first of its kind study of Princeton faculty contributions demonstrates the glaring lack of viewpoint diversity among Princeton faculty, an issue that Princeton's leadership can no longer ignore," said Edward Yingling, co-founder and chairman of Princetonians for Free Speech.
An in-depth PFS article describing the study and the efforts to increase faculty viewpoint diversity is available here. The full study is available here.
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Princetonians for Free Speech participated for the fifth time at the 5th Annual Campus Free Speech Roundtable, hosted by North Carolina Congressman Greg Murphy, MD, held in Washington, D.C. on December 12th.
This year, Executive Director Angela Smith represented PFS at this event. The purpose of the 90-minute roundtable was to hear from free speech experts, engaged alumni, representatives from the Trump Administration, and lawmakers about the importance of protecting free speech in higher education.
Stuart Taylor Jr., president of "Princetonians for Free Speech" and an RCP contributor, joined Tom Bevan, Friday on the RealClearPolitics podcast, to talk about the Trump administration’s decision to suspend hundreds of millions of dollars in grants to Princeton.
They discuss this piece by Christopher Rufo and Ryan Thorpe in City Journal: "Princeton’s War on Civil Rights"
by Stuart Taylor Jr. & Edward Yingling
National Review
Excerpt: Princeton University is tiptoeing toward canceling its greatest president and a founder of our nation in a process that its trustees and president Christopher Eisgruber accelerated on October 2 by announcing that they would leave the statue of John Witherspoon in its prominent place on Firestone Plaza — but probably only for now. The issue has been punted to the “Campus Art Steering Committee” to decide whether the statue should be moved, or removed.
Jon Quitslund
September 16, 2026
The apparent lack of interest in Republican candidates among Princeton faculty doesn’t surprise me, considering the current state of the GOP. But is there not a good deal of viewpoint diversity within the Democratic Party’s candidates and affiliated organizations? Is there evidence that Princeton faculty are intolerant of differences within their ranks and in the student body? Are conservative ideas and traditions not being studied, respectfully and analytically?