Welcome! I am a Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Irvine. I study American politics, Congress, elections, campaign finance, and gender and politics.

My new book, The Money Signal: How Fundraising Matters in American Politics, explores fundraising in congressional elections from 1980 to 2022. The main argument is that money matters because key political actors—candidates, donors, journalists, and party leaders—coordinate around fundraising as a focal point. Money is a widely used signal of viability and strength that shapes dropout decisions, subsequent donations, media attention, and rewards in office.

My first book, Opting Out of Congress: Partisan Polarization and the Decline of Moderate Candidates, examines the rise of partisan polarization in Congress. The central argument is that the benefits of serving in Congress today are too low for moderates to run for or remain in congressional office. The exit of moderates from the candidate pool further exacerbates the ideological gulf between the two parties.

Another aspect of my research analyzes contemporary patterns of women’s representation and why the number of Democratic women in Congress has increased dramatically since the 1980s while the number of Republican women has barely grown. My work has been published in the American Political Science Review, the Journal of Politics, Legislative Studies Quarterly, Perspectives on Politics, Political Behavior, Political Research Quarterly, Politics, Groups, and Identities, and State Politics & Policy Quarterly. I have received financial support from the American Association of University Women, the Center for Effective Lawmaking, the Dirksen Congressional Center, the National Science Foundation, New Perspectives in American Governance, QUery On Inc., the Portman Center for Policy Solutions, and the Social Science Research Council.