Presidential candidates began offering opinions over the weekend on whether or not South Carolina should remove the Confederate flag from its capitol building.

Matthew Eshbaugh-Soha, associate professor in the UNT Department of Political Science, is available to discuss candidates offering opinions on controversial topics. He can be reached at 940-565-2329 or mes@unt.edu.

"This is unlikely to be a major issue and I think that the candidates - at least some, like Rick Perry - are able to say that they do not like it, and that the flag "divides people," but that it also is up to the people of South Carolina," Eshbaugh-Soha said. "This is a typical approach that candidates take by offering their own personal view but also limiting how far those out of state should be involved in the decisions. A possible comparison may be in the early 2000s when Democratic candidates stated that they were personally in favor of same-sex marriage, but that the decision was up to the states."

Eshbaugh-Soha researches American political institutions and public policy. He is the co-author of Breaking Through the Noise: Presidential Leadership, Public Opinion and the News Media and The President's Speeches: Beyond "Going Public."