As will be evident in review of the various exhibits of scholarship listed (and linked) below, my research is largely focused on the American electoral system.  Specifically, the bulk of my research agenda has been centered around presidential nominations and electoral reform.  I have developed a dataset of campaign visits conducted during the presidential nominations of 2008-2020 that has been used in several of my publications focused on understanding the dynamics of those nominating contests.  During the pandemic, my focus shifted toward electoral reform, reviving some research I began in graduate school that examined the Electoral College and exploring the resurging movement to adopt ranked choice voting in various jurisdictions across the United States.  A more thorough discussion of my research agenda can be found in my full research statement.  

Journal Articles: 

New or 'normal' election? Understanding ranking activity in New York City’s first ranked choice voting election  (with Erin Carman) - Social Science Quarterly - 2023 

A Heartbeat Away: Popular Culture's Role in Teaching Presidential Succession  - Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy - 2020

Rallying Votes? A Multilevel Approach to Understanding Voter Decision-Making in the 2016 Presidential Nominating Contests - Journal of Political Marketing - 2019

Open Versus Closed Primaries and the Ideological Composition of Presidential Primary Electorates  (with Barbara Norrander) - Electoral Studies - 2016

The Primary End Game and General Election Outcomes: Are They Connected? (with Barbara Norrander) - The Forum - 2012

Book Chapters:

An Experiential Approach to Teaching the Importance of the Iowa Caucuses - in The Palgrave Handbook of Teaching and Research in Political Science - 2024

Where are Candidates Visiting? Exploring Electioneering in the Nominating Contests - in The Making of the Presidential Candidates 2024 - 2023

Redistricting in Arizona (with Barbara Norrander) -  In Reapportionment and Redistricting in the West, ed. Gary F.

Moncrief.  Lanham, MD: Lexington Books  - 2011

-Note: This book chapter was cited in the decision of the 2014 U.S. Supreme Court case Arizona State Legislature v. Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission ET AL.  (Court Decision Found Here)

Book Reviews:

Review of The Primary Rules: Parties, Voters, and Presidential Nominations by Caitlin E. Jewitt. Perspectives on Politics 17 - 2019

Research Reports (peer reviewed):

Ranked Choice Voting in Western New York? Success & Lessons from New York City (Partnership for the Public Good) - with Erin Carman

Ranking Works: An Examination of Ranked Choice Voting in New York City (Unite America Institute) - with Erin Carman - April 2021

Public-Facing Scholarship:

Ranked Choice Voting Holds Promise for Better Elections (Buffalo News "Another Voice" column) - with Erin Carman - Oct. 2021

RCV in NYC: Who Didn't Rank? (3Streams Blog) - with Erin Carman - Oct. 2021

Dobbs Decision Highlights Need for Electoral College Reform (3Streams Blog) - June 2023

Talk of National Abortion Ban Underscores Need for Electoral College Reform (3Streams Blog) - Sept. 2023

Kathy Hochul for President?  New York Governors & Presidential Ambitions (3Streams Blog) - Nov. 2023

All Politics in the US have Calcified (3Streams Blog) - Nov. 2023

What History Shows Us About Donald Trump's Win in Iowa (3Streams Blog) - Jan. 2024

With Biden's Withdrawal History is Made, Questions Arise (3Streams Blog) - July 2024

In addition to the above publications, I have regularly attended professional conferences to bolster my research agenda and professional development.  As is noted on curriculum vitae, I have been a regular attendee of the Midwest Political Science Association's [MPSA] annual convention.  If I did not attend the MPSA it was because I opted to attend instead the American Political Science Association's [APSA] annual convention.  The APSA is the largest national Political Science conference held annual at venues throughout North America while the MPSA is the largest regional Political Science conference.  Both pull in annual attendance of approximately 5,000 political scientists from across the globe.  I have also had the pleasure of attending the past two State of the Parties conferences.  The State of the Parties conference is held every four years and are more intimate in nature, with a smaller group of political scientists (approx. 100).  This conference allows political scientists to reflect on the state of the parties in the most recent presidential election cycle. It is a privilege to have been able to attend.  All of my conference activity can be found on my CV or in Daemen's annual Scholarship and Excellence brochures.  

Works in Progress

 Ranked-Choice Voting and Political Representation: Improving US Democracy. This is a book project that is currently under contract with Palgrave Macmillan for their Elections, Voting, and Technology Series.  In this book, my co-author (Erin Carman) and I will be exploring ranked choice voting throughout the United States and how it connects with the concept of representation.  We will be using a mixed-methods approach (qualitative interviews mixed with quantitative analysis of exit poll data) to better uderstand the implementation of, education efforts for, and adoption of ranked choice voting in four separate jurisdictions across the United States (New York City, San Francisco, Minneapolis, and Alaska).  The full proposal can be viewed here.  

Ranked Choice Voting and Democracy.  This will be an edited volume co-edited with Erin Carman and David Schultz, a professor of Political Science and Law at Hamline University.  Schultz invited Erin and I to co-edit this volume given our expertise in RCV.  This is currently in the very early stages with a book proposal being finalized prior to shopping it around to various University presses. With this volume, we hope to produce the go-to text on RCV.  Given the 'newness' of RCV in the United States (or at least the newness of the resurgence), a centralized volume on what we know about RCV as of now will be an important contribution to those interested in electoral reform.  

"Divisive Primaries and their Impact on General Eelctions."  The concept of divisive primaries has been met with mixed evidence in the current literature.  I believe this is because we have largely misconceptualized the meaning of divisive primaries.  Many studies measure divisive primaries based on the length of time taken to select a nominee.  While this does show some evidence of uncertainly, it does not necessarily imply the primary has been divisive among party members.  Through this work, I hope to show that a reconceptualization of divisive primaries can better inform us on how primaries impact general election results, if at all.