Research

American Politics in Historical Context

Political history is required reading for anyone who is invested in the preservation and strengthening of our democracy. I explore archives across the United States in order to better understand the evolution of the nation's electoral process and the ongoing challenges it has faced over the decades. My research agenda is especially concerned with questions regarding the political incorporation and representation of historically marginalized groups in mainstream party politics. In this way, my contributions to the historical record bring timely and vital context to contemporary discourse about identity and democracy in the modern U.S. My research on the history of the Democratic Party, racial politics, and U.S. Latinos has been published in Modern American History, the Journal of Policy History, and American National Biography. Below are some of the latest projects I am working on.

Works in Progress

Identity and the Race to 270

My first book project is a dramatic expansion of my doctoral dissertation and examines the role of identity in the modern presidential campaign. The book traces over a century of elections and national party politics to demonstrate how the quest for Electoral College majorities incentivized a campaign system rooted in identity-based coalitions and swing vote microtargeting.

Latinos and the Civil Rights Movement

This essay—slated for an edited volume—positions the activism of Mexican Americans and Puerto Ricans during the 1950s into conversation with the Black Civil Rights Movement. Here, I show how Latinos embraced formal, electoral politics that diverged from the Black movement's emphasis on nonviolent direct action.

Can We All Get Along?

I am presently researching an article on the politics of interracial conflict and racial reconciliation in the 1990s, particularly after the fallout of the 1992 Rodney King Riots in Los Angeles. This project builds on robust scholarship about colorblind politics, the rise of multiculturalism, and federal responses to violent uprisings.