Biography

I am a Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science at Trinity College, and earned my PhD from Brown University in 2020. My dissertation project explains the conditions which make it more likely for outsider candidates to win primary elections.

My dissertation addresses the democratic and representational implications of party and interest group competition in primary elections. Using a combination of methods, including a conjoint survey experiment, a traditional survey experiment, qualitative case studies, and quantitative analysis of longitudinal campaign finance data, the dissertation demonstrates that growing voter distrust of parties and political institutions combined with significant changes to the campaign finance system have benefited candidates who, in previous eras, have been blocked or impeded from running for office by party leaders.

I received my B.A. in Political Science from Central Connecticut State University, and my M.A. in Political Science from Brown University. Prior to attending graduate school I worked as a legislative operations specialist for the Connecticut General Assembly. When I am not reading or thinking about politics and when there is not a global pandemic I enjoy trying new restaurants, rooting for the Boston Red Sox and New York Giants (it’s a Connecticut thing), and walking my two dogs.