Party activists may determine the future of the Republican Party

With the impeachment and exit of Donald Trump from the presidential stage, the Republican Party now faces a dilemma of how to define itself so that it can win back Congress and the White House. In new research Rosalyn Cooperman, Gregory Shufeldt, and Kimberly Conger find that GOP activists fit into two broad groups: Establishment Republicans who are more likely [...

Fearing a primary challenger from their own party in the next election, House representatives have little incentive to compromise on the budget

The current government shutdown has been marked by the near complete failure of Republicans and Democrats to communicate and negotiate towards a solution. Rosalyn Cooperman looks at the reasons behind this lack of communication, arguing that because the majority of Republicans and Democrats have relatively safe seats in the House of Representatives, they have little incentive to adopt a compromising stance due to the threat of a primary challenger from within their own party at the next election. The two dozen Republicans who are in favor of a ‘clean’ Continuing Resolution on the budget, on the other hand, are mostly those who represent ‘swing’ districts, and therefore have no re-election incentive for taking an unyielding party line stance

No Excuse Early Voting

With the institution of no-excuse absentee voting, states like Virginia could see drastically different polling than in past years. Rosalyn Cooperman breaks down who this policy impacts most, and why your absentee vote is so essential this year

Where Are the Women? Women as Candidates in the Republican Party of Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia infrequently produces women candidates for elective office. Since 1917, only three women have been elected (the first in 1992) to Congress, and Virginia typically falls in the bottom quintile for the number of women serving in the state legislature. This project examines the changing political climate of Virginia and why this party - competitive, swing state has not produced more opportunities for women to run for public office. Specifically, we examine the Republican Party of Virginia’s candidate training program for women, the Jennifer Byler Institute, and the ways in which it serves as a pipeline for prospective Republican women candidates

Replication Data for: Can’t Buy Them Love: How Party Culture among Donors Contributes to the Party Gap in Women’s Representation

Data from the 2014 National Supporters Survey of party and women's PAC donor