Welcome. I am the Robert Lee Madison Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Public Affairs and Director of the Haire Institute for Public Policy at Western Carolina University. I previously served as department head from 2011-2021, and MPA Director from 2005-2010. My research and teaching focuses on American politics with an emphasis on elections & voting, state & local politics, southern politics, and North Carolina politics.
My most recent book is Anatomy of a Purple State and I’ve published widely on my areas of interest in a variety of journals—mostly within my home discipline of Political Science, but my work has also appeared in public administration, sociology, geography, and psychology journals.
In addition to traditional scholarship, I am committed to public-facing Political Science and I enjoy speaking with journalists, writing for popular media, and talking with community groups. I am a frequent source for news media seeking expertise on my areas of interest and have been quoted in media outlets including the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, the News and Observer, Spectrum News, the Assembly, the New Yorker, BBC, and NPR.
I have also served as an expert witness for voting rights and elections cases, serve on the editorial team at the Journal of Election Administration Research and Practice and the NC State Board of Elections' Modernization of Election Data Systems (MEDS) bipartisan commission, and fill various and sundry related positions. I once received a 9/10 on Room Rater (“Strong Academic setup. Books. Love the Chairs. One pillow. Add a plant”) and had a tostada named after me at a local restaurant.
