My research focuses on the process of representation in American politics. Several of my current projects explore how social group identifications such as race and religious affiliation affect citizens’ perceptions of candidates’ ideologies. I also do research in the field of state politics. I teach courses in American politics (including public opinion and political behavior), research methodology, religion and politics, and racial and ethnic politics. I received my graduate training at the University of Rochester.
Articles
Content and Complexity in Policy Reinvention and Diffusion: Gay and Transgender-Inclusive Laws against Discrimination (with Jami K. Taylor, Daniel C. Lewis, and Brian DiSarro), State Politics and Policy Quarterly (2012)
This article sheds new light on policy diffusion by exploring policy complexity in state-level lesbian,...
Estimating the Impact of State Policies and Institutions with Mixed-Level Data (with David M. Primo and Jeffrey Milyo), State Politics and Policy Quarterly (2007)
Forthcoming Articles
Barking Up the Wrong Tree: Why Bo Won't Fetch Many Votes for Barack Obama in 2012 (with Daniel C. Lewis), PS: Political Science and Politics (2013)
In “The Dog that Didn't Bark: The Role of Canines in the 2008 Campaign,” Diana...
Religion and Perceptions of Candidate Ideologies in U.S. House Elections, Politics and Religion (2013)
Using data from the American National Election Studies, Poole-Rosenthal DW-Nominate scores, and data on the...
Contributions to Books
Does Public Financing of State Election Campaigns Increase Voter Turnout? (with Jeffrey Milyo and David M. Primo), Public Financing in American Elections (2011)
Unpublished Papers
From Black and White to Left and Right: Race, Perception of Candidates' Ideologies, and Voting Behavior in U.S. House Elections (2012)
While there is a strong scholarly consensus that race continues to play a central role...
Race and Perceptions of Candidates' Ideologies in U.S. House Elections (2012)
I examine the hypothesis that race affects citizens' perceptions of candidates' ideologies. In the past,...
Testing Policy Responsiveness with Dynamic MRP Estimates: Direct Democracy and Gay Rights in the U.S. (with Daniel C. Lewis) (2012)
One major challenge in testing whether direct democracy institutions increase governmental responsiveness is the measurement...