PhD Candidate. Rice University.
I am a Ph.D. candidate in the Political Science Department at Rice University. My training is in the field of American politics with a focus on racial and ethnic politics, public opinion, and political behavior.
My dissertation investigates how citizens form perceptions of candidate pandering. I evaluate how the qualities of a candidate and a candidates' appeal affect a citizens determination for whether the candidate is being sincere or pandering. For example, in one chapter accepted for publication at Political Communication, I examine how Hispanic Americans evaluate candidates that use Spanish-language appeals. I expose a sample of Hispanics to a hypothetical candidate speaking Spanish and vary the language of the appeal (English or Spanish), the quality of the Spanish (English-accented Spanish or native-accented Spanish), and the ethnicity of the candidate (non-Hispanic White or Hispanic). The results indicate that White candidates speaking English and candidates speaking American-accented Spanish are perceived as pandering and candidates that speak fluent Spanish, including the White candidate, are seen as very sincere.
My other research investigates how external cues, such as threat or political communication, affect the way that people engage with their political environment. In one co-authored paper forthcoming at the American Political Science Review, we explore how Hispanic and White voters evaluate politicians that use Spanish-language appeals. In another co-authored paper, we explore how a change in the proportion of African Americans in a member of Congress's district affects the number of African Americans they feature in their campaign advertisements and whether there is a change in their substantive representation of Black interests' through the support of Civil Rights legislation. I am also interested in the role of psychology for political behavior and have another co-authored paper that examines the effect of anxiety on political participation. In particular, I look at whether political trust acts as a moderator for anxiety and political participation. Ultimately, I hope to understand what forces help drive inclusion in the political process as well as steps that can be taken to encourage greater participation.
In my free time, you can find me watching a San Antonio Spurs game. Otherwise, I love the outdoors and especially backpacking.
My dissertation investigates how citizens form perceptions of candidate pandering. I evaluate how the qualities of a candidate and a candidates' appeal affect a citizens determination for whether the candidate is being sincere or pandering. For example, in one chapter accepted for publication at Political Communication, I examine how Hispanic Americans evaluate candidates that use Spanish-language appeals. I expose a sample of Hispanics to a hypothetical candidate speaking Spanish and vary the language of the appeal (English or Spanish), the quality of the Spanish (English-accented Spanish or native-accented Spanish), and the ethnicity of the candidate (non-Hispanic White or Hispanic). The results indicate that White candidates speaking English and candidates speaking American-accented Spanish are perceived as pandering and candidates that speak fluent Spanish, including the White candidate, are seen as very sincere.
My other research investigates how external cues, such as threat or political communication, affect the way that people engage with their political environment. In one co-authored paper forthcoming at the American Political Science Review, we explore how Hispanic and White voters evaluate politicians that use Spanish-language appeals. In another co-authored paper, we explore how a change in the proportion of African Americans in a member of Congress's district affects the number of African Americans they feature in their campaign advertisements and whether there is a change in their substantive representation of Black interests' through the support of Civil Rights legislation. I am also interested in the role of psychology for political behavior and have another co-authored paper that examines the effect of anxiety on political participation. In particular, I look at whether political trust acts as a moderator for anxiety and political participation. Ultimately, I hope to understand what forces help drive inclusion in the political process as well as steps that can be taken to encourage greater participation.
In my free time, you can find me watching a San Antonio Spurs game. Otherwise, I love the outdoors and especially backpacking.