Research

My research sits at the intersection of elite rhetoric and mass behavior in the United States. My research agenda explores the messaging strategies candidates use, and the extent to which varying messages resonate with different groups of voters. I study both intraparty and interparty contexts. My dissertation assesses the presence of populist rhetoric in American politics at different moments in political history and analyzes its salience in contemporary primary contests. In both my dissertation and in co-authored work forthcoming in Party Politics, I find that elite rhetoric may have deleterious effects on democratic norms. Cumulatively, my research expands and deepens scholarly knowledge on the strategic behavior of political elites and how it affects partisan politics and primary elections. My work also offers normative insights into the recent success of populist rhetoric in American politics.

To read my full research statement, please click here.

Peer-Reviewed Publications:

“Donate To Help Us Fight Back: Persuasion Rhetoric in Campaign Donation Solicitations.” Forthcoming at Party Politics. With Seo-young Silvia Kim (Sogang University) and Jan Zilinsky (Technical University of Munich) 

Political candidates utilize social media to mobilize supporters, persuade voters, and raise money. However, little is known about the structure of mass electoral appeals when donors are the primary target instead of voters. Because candidates’ donors and voters can differ significantly, with donors more partisan and ideologically extreme on average, we theorize that candidates use strategic rhetoric tailored to specific audiences. To analyze how campaigns perceive and target their “financial electorate,” we leverage data from the Facebook Ad Library for 2020 U.S. congressional candidates and distinguish political ads by their persuasion targets. Using text analysis, we test the hypotheses that donor-targeting messages are more toxic, negative, and likely to reference a polarizing president than voter-targeting messages. The results support our hypotheses, and Republican candidates, on average, used more toxic language than their Democratic counterparts. As campaigns’ scramble for donations intensifies, these characteristics of fundraising appeals may further polarize the electorate.

“Teaching Electoral Institutions Using In-Class Simulations.” Forthcoming at PS: Political Science and Politics.

Understanding how institutions shape outcomes is an important skill for students of American political science. Simulations where students participate in mock-elections structured by real-world institutions can serve as a potent tool to aid students’ learning. This article presents a model for a simulated 2020 Democratic Iowa caucus. Following official procedures, students engage in debates over which candidate to support, and ultimately come to a final decision for their simulated precinct. The simulation helps students understand the institutions which structure Iowa’s caucuses, and aids them in forming conclusions about the strengths and weaknesses of those institutions. This simulation was implemented in a class on parties and elections in the Spring 2023 semester, where it proved to be an enjoyable exercise for students. It was re-implemented in the Spring 2024 semester as one of several simulated presidential nominations, and proved to be a helpful teaching tool.

My paper was accepted for publication on September 9th, 2024. Please click here to read a copy of the paper. A link to the published article will be provided when one is available.

Working Papers:

Book Project: