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ACADEMIC POSITIONS
Professor of Political Science, George Washington University, 2020-present
Professor of Media and Public Affairs (by courtesy), George Washington University, 2020-present
Associate Professor of Political Science, George Washington University, 2014-2020
Assistant Professor of Political Science, George Washington University, 2012-2014
Assistant Professor of Government, American University, 2010-2012
Assistant Professor of Political Science, Syracuse University, 2006-2010
EDUCATION
Ph.D. in Government, University of Texas at Austin, 2006
M.A. in Government, University of Texas at Austin, 2004
Bachelor of Journalism, University of Texas at Austin, 1998
BOOKS
2021. News Hole: The Demise of Local Journalism and Political Engagement. New York: Cambridge University Press. (with Jennifer L. Lawless) Series on Communication, Society, and Politics.
*Awarded the Goldsmith Book Prize from Harvard University's Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Public Policy, 2023.
2016. Women on the Run: Gender, Media, and Political Campaigns in a Polarized Era. New York: Cambridge University Press. (with Jennifer L. Lawless)
*Named Choice Outstanding Academic Title, 2016
2013. Influence from Abroad: Foreign Voices, the Media, and U.S. Public Opinion. New York: Cambridge University Press. (with Matt Guardino)
REFEREED JOURNAL ARTICLES
2022. "The Contingent Effects of Sexism in Primary Elections." Political Research Quarterly 75(4): 1021-1036. (with Jennifer L. Lawless) | Appendix
2019. "How Messages about Gender Bias Can Both Help and Hurt Women's Representation." American Politics Research 47(3): 621-627. (with Deborah Jordan Brooks)
2018. "Foreign Voices, Party Cues, and U.S. Public Opinion about Military Action." International Journal of Public Opinion Research 30(3): 504-516. (with Matt Guardino) | Appendix
2018. "The Decline of Local News and Its Effects: New Evidence from Longitudinal Data." Journal of Politics 80(1): 332-336. (with Jennifer L. Lawless) | Appendix
2015. “As Local News Goes, So Goes Citizen Engagement: Media, Knowledge, and Participation in U.S. House Elections.” Journal of Politics 77(2): 447-462. (with Jennifer L. Lawless) | Appendix | News Data
2015. “A Non-Gendered Lens? Media, Voters, and Female Candidates in Contemporary Congressional Elections.” Perspectives on Politics 13(1): 95-118. (with Jennifer L. Lawless)
2014. “Who Cares What They Wear? Media, Gender, and the Influence of Candidate Appearance.” Social Science Quarterly 95(5): 1194-1212. (with Jennifer L. Lawless and Gail Baitinger) | Appendix
2012. “The Intersection of Redistricting, Race, and Participation.” American Journal of Political Science 56(1): 115-130. (with Seth C. McKee) | Appendix | Data
2011. “The Influence of Foreign Voices on U.S. Public Opinion.” American Journal of Political Science 55(4): 830-850. (with Matt Guardino) | Appendix | Media Data
2011. “When Gender and Party Collide: Stereotyping in Candidate Trait Attribution.”Politics & Gender 7(2): 133-165.
2010. “Trait Voting in U.S. Senate Elections.” American Politics Research 38(6): 1102-1129.
2010. “The Dynamics of Agenda Convergence and the Paradox of Competitiveness in Presidential Campaigns.” Political Research Quarterly 63(3): 594-611. | Appendix
2010. “Whose Views Made the News? Media Coverage and the March to War in Iraq.”Political Communication 27(1): 59-87. (with Matt Guardino)
2010. “A Matter of Distinction: Candidate Polarization and Information Processing in Election Campaigns.” American Politics Research 38(1): 165-192. (with Mathieu Turgeon)
2009. “The Participatory Effects of Redistricting.” American Journal of Political Science53(4): 1006-1023. (with Seth C. McKee)
2009. “Has Television Personalized Voting Behavior?” Political Behavior 31(2): 231-260.
2009. “Dixie’s Kingmakers: Stability and Change in Southern Presidential Primary Electorates.” Presidential Studies Quarterly 39(2): 400-417. (with Seth C. McKee)
2008. “Party Reputations, Journalistic Expectations: How Issue Ownership Influences Election News.” Political Communication 25(4): 377-400.
2008. “Does the Messenger Matter? Candidate-Media Agenda Convergence and Its Effect on Voter Issue Salience.” Political Research Quarterly 61(1): 134-146.
2008. “Toward a One-Party South?” American Politics Research 36(1): 3-32. (with Seth C. McKee)
*Reprinted in Princeton Readings in American Politics, Richard M. Valelly, ed. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2009, pp. 519-541.
2005. “Candidate Qualities through a Partisan Lens: A Theory of Trait Ownership.”American Journal of Political Science 49(4): 908-923.
2005. “Voter Turnout in the California Recall: Where Did the Increase Come from?” American Politics Research 33(2): 187-215. (with Brian K. Arbour)
2004. “Booting Barnes: Explaining the Historic Upset in the 2002 Georgia Gubernatorial Election.” Politics & Policy 32(4): 708-739. (with Seth C. McKee)
2004. “Accentuating the Personal: Media Exposure, Political Sophistication, and Evaluations of Presidential Candidate Traits.” LBJ Journal of Public Affairs 16(2): 86-97.
REPORTS AND EDITED VOLUME CHAPTERS
2024. "The Community Impact of Independent Journalism." Report for The Lenfest Institute for Journalism.
2015. “News as a Casualty: District Polarization and Media Coverage of U.S. House Campaigns.” In James A. Thurber and Antoine Yoshinaka (eds.), American Gridlock: The Sources, Character, and Impact of Political Polarization, 287-308. New York: Cambridge University Press. (with Jennifer L. Lawless)
2015. “The Participatory Consequences of Florida Redistricting.” In Seth C. McKee (ed.),Jigsaw Puzzle Politics in the Sunshine State, pp. 208-224. Gainesville, FL: University of Florida Press. (with M.V. Hood III and Seth C. McKee)
2014. “Differences of Degree: Issue Agendas in a Polarized Media Environment.” In James A. Thurber and Candice J. Nelson (eds.), Campaigns and Elections American Style, 4th Edition, pp. 123-144. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
2013. “The News Anew? Political Coverage in a Transformed Media Age.” In Travis N.Ridout (ed.), New Directions in Media and Politics, pp. 193-209. New York: Routledge.
2010. “Parties and the Media: Getting Messages to Voters.” In Jeffrey M. Stonecash (ed.),New Directions in American Political Parties, pp. 44-62. New York: Routledge.
2010. “The Transformation of Southern Presidential Primaries.” In Branwell D. Kapeluck, Laurence W. Moreland, and Robert P. Steed (eds.), Presidential Elections in the South: Putting 2008 in Political Context, pp. 39-69. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers. (with Seth C. McKee)
SELECTED AWARDS, FELLOWSHIPS, AND GRANTS
Shapiro Policy Research Scholar, George Washington Institute of Public Policy, 2014-2015, 2024-2025
2023 Goldsmith Book Prize from Harvard University’s Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy, for News Hole: The Demise of Local Journalism and Political Engagement.
University Facilitating Fund, 2023, 2018
Dean's Research Chair, Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, 2019-2022
Robert W. Kenny Prize for Innovation in Teaching of Introductory Courses, 2018
Choice Outstanding Academic Title, 2016, for Women on the Run
Named George Washington University’s Best Professor by The Hatchet, 2016, 2015, and 2014
Commissioned in 2015 as a Kentucky Colonel by the governor and secretary of state of the Commonwealth of Kentucky in recognition of “service and accomplishments on behalf of others”
Rockefeller Center McNulty Grant, Dartmouth College (with Deborah Jordan Brooks), 2013
Distinguished Ph.D. Alumnus, Department of Government, University of Texas at Austin, 2011
Research Fellow, Institute for the Study of the Judiciary, Politics, and the Media at Syracuse University, 2007-2008
National Science Foundation: Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Research Grant, 2005
ACADEMIC POSITIONS
Professor of Political Science, George Washington University, 2020-present
Professor of Media and Public Affairs (by courtesy), George Washington University, 2020-present
Associate Professor of Political Science, George Washington University, 2014-2020
Assistant Professor of Political Science, George Washington University, 2012-2014
Assistant Professor of Government, American University, 2010-2012
Assistant Professor of Political Science, Syracuse University, 2006-2010
EDUCATION
Ph.D. in Government, University of Texas at Austin, 2006
M.A. in Government, University of Texas at Austin, 2004
Bachelor of Journalism, University of Texas at Austin, 1998
BOOKS
2021. News Hole: The Demise of Local Journalism and Political Engagement. New York: Cambridge University Press. (with Jennifer L. Lawless) Series on Communication, Society, and Politics.
*Awarded the Goldsmith Book Prize from Harvard University's Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Public Policy, 2023.
2016. Women on the Run: Gender, Media, and Political Campaigns in a Polarized Era. New York: Cambridge University Press. (with Jennifer L. Lawless)
*Named Choice Outstanding Academic Title, 2016
2013. Influence from Abroad: Foreign Voices, the Media, and U.S. Public Opinion. New York: Cambridge University Press. (with Matt Guardino)
REFEREED JOURNAL ARTICLES
2022. "The Contingent Effects of Sexism in Primary Elections." Political Research Quarterly 75(4): 1021-1036. (with Jennifer L. Lawless) | Appendix
2019. "How Messages about Gender Bias Can Both Help and Hurt Women's Representation." American Politics Research 47(3): 621-627. (with Deborah Jordan Brooks)
2018. "Foreign Voices, Party Cues, and U.S. Public Opinion about Military Action." International Journal of Public Opinion Research 30(3): 504-516. (with Matt Guardino) | Appendix
2018. "The Decline of Local News and Its Effects: New Evidence from Longitudinal Data." Journal of Politics 80(1): 332-336. (with Jennifer L. Lawless) | Appendix
2015. “As Local News Goes, So Goes Citizen Engagement: Media, Knowledge, and Participation in U.S. House Elections.” Journal of Politics 77(2): 447-462. (with Jennifer L. Lawless) | Appendix | News Data
2015. “A Non-Gendered Lens? Media, Voters, and Female Candidates in Contemporary Congressional Elections.” Perspectives on Politics 13(1): 95-118. (with Jennifer L. Lawless)
2014. “Who Cares What They Wear? Media, Gender, and the Influence of Candidate Appearance.” Social Science Quarterly 95(5): 1194-1212. (with Jennifer L. Lawless and Gail Baitinger) | Appendix
2012. “The Intersection of Redistricting, Race, and Participation.” American Journal of Political Science 56(1): 115-130. (with Seth C. McKee) | Appendix | Data
2011. “The Influence of Foreign Voices on U.S. Public Opinion.” American Journal of Political Science 55(4): 830-850. (with Matt Guardino) | Appendix | Media Data
2011. “When Gender and Party Collide: Stereotyping in Candidate Trait Attribution.”Politics & Gender 7(2): 133-165.
2010. “Trait Voting in U.S. Senate Elections.” American Politics Research 38(6): 1102-1129.
2010. “The Dynamics of Agenda Convergence and the Paradox of Competitiveness in Presidential Campaigns.” Political Research Quarterly 63(3): 594-611. | Appendix
2010. “Whose Views Made the News? Media Coverage and the March to War in Iraq.”Political Communication 27(1): 59-87. (with Matt Guardino)
2010. “A Matter of Distinction: Candidate Polarization and Information Processing in Election Campaigns.” American Politics Research 38(1): 165-192. (with Mathieu Turgeon)
2009. “The Participatory Effects of Redistricting.” American Journal of Political Science53(4): 1006-1023. (with Seth C. McKee)
2009. “Has Television Personalized Voting Behavior?” Political Behavior 31(2): 231-260.
2009. “Dixie’s Kingmakers: Stability and Change in Southern Presidential Primary Electorates.” Presidential Studies Quarterly 39(2): 400-417. (with Seth C. McKee)
2008. “Party Reputations, Journalistic Expectations: How Issue Ownership Influences Election News.” Political Communication 25(4): 377-400.
2008. “Does the Messenger Matter? Candidate-Media Agenda Convergence and Its Effect on Voter Issue Salience.” Political Research Quarterly 61(1): 134-146.
2008. “Toward a One-Party South?” American Politics Research 36(1): 3-32. (with Seth C. McKee)
*Reprinted in Princeton Readings in American Politics, Richard M. Valelly, ed. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2009, pp. 519-541.
2005. “Candidate Qualities through a Partisan Lens: A Theory of Trait Ownership.”American Journal of Political Science 49(4): 908-923.
2005. “Voter Turnout in the California Recall: Where Did the Increase Come from?” American Politics Research 33(2): 187-215. (with Brian K. Arbour)
2004. “Booting Barnes: Explaining the Historic Upset in the 2002 Georgia Gubernatorial Election.” Politics & Policy 32(4): 708-739. (with Seth C. McKee)
2004. “Accentuating the Personal: Media Exposure, Political Sophistication, and Evaluations of Presidential Candidate Traits.” LBJ Journal of Public Affairs 16(2): 86-97.
REPORTS AND EDITED VOLUME CHAPTERS
2024. "The Community Impact of Independent Journalism." Report for The Lenfest Institute for Journalism.
2015. “News as a Casualty: District Polarization and Media Coverage of U.S. House Campaigns.” In James A. Thurber and Antoine Yoshinaka (eds.), American Gridlock: The Sources, Character, and Impact of Political Polarization, 287-308. New York: Cambridge University Press. (with Jennifer L. Lawless)
2015. “The Participatory Consequences of Florida Redistricting.” In Seth C. McKee (ed.),Jigsaw Puzzle Politics in the Sunshine State, pp. 208-224. Gainesville, FL: University of Florida Press. (with M.V. Hood III and Seth C. McKee)
2014. “Differences of Degree: Issue Agendas in a Polarized Media Environment.” In James A. Thurber and Candice J. Nelson (eds.), Campaigns and Elections American Style, 4th Edition, pp. 123-144. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
2013. “The News Anew? Political Coverage in a Transformed Media Age.” In Travis N.Ridout (ed.), New Directions in Media and Politics, pp. 193-209. New York: Routledge.
2010. “Parties and the Media: Getting Messages to Voters.” In Jeffrey M. Stonecash (ed.),New Directions in American Political Parties, pp. 44-62. New York: Routledge.
2010. “The Transformation of Southern Presidential Primaries.” In Branwell D. Kapeluck, Laurence W. Moreland, and Robert P. Steed (eds.), Presidential Elections in the South: Putting 2008 in Political Context, pp. 39-69. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers. (with Seth C. McKee)
SELECTED AWARDS, FELLOWSHIPS, AND GRANTS
Shapiro Policy Research Scholar, George Washington Institute of Public Policy, 2014-2015, 2024-2025
2023 Goldsmith Book Prize from Harvard University’s Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy, for News Hole: The Demise of Local Journalism and Political Engagement.
University Facilitating Fund, 2023, 2018
Dean's Research Chair, Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, 2019-2022
Robert W. Kenny Prize for Innovation in Teaching of Introductory Courses, 2018
Choice Outstanding Academic Title, 2016, for Women on the Run
Named George Washington University’s Best Professor by The Hatchet, 2016, 2015, and 2014
Commissioned in 2015 as a Kentucky Colonel by the governor and secretary of state of the Commonwealth of Kentucky in recognition of “service and accomplishments on behalf of others”
Rockefeller Center McNulty Grant, Dartmouth College (with Deborah Jordan Brooks), 2013
Distinguished Ph.D. Alumnus, Department of Government, University of Texas at Austin, 2011
Research Fellow, Institute for the Study of the Judiciary, Politics, and the Media at Syracuse University, 2007-2008
National Science Foundation: Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Research Grant, 2005