Rooney Center for the Study of American Democracy Year in Review 2024-25

Facilitating research on critical issues in American democracy and encouraging Notre Dame student engagement in civic and political life.

The Rooney Center’s central mission is to better understand American democracy, to share that understanding with the broader society, and to instill that knowledge in the next generation of American citizens and leaders. As the U.S. experiences rising polarization, misinformation, and distrust in democratic institutions, that mission is more important than ever.”

— Matthew E.K. Hall, Director of the Rooney Center for the Study of American Democracy and David A. Potenziani Memorial College Professor of Constitutional Studies

In the News

Reporters across the country regularly reach out to Rooney Center faculty, highlighting their research and seeking their expertise on stories about all aspects of American politics.

Professional Honors

Christina Wolbrecht: Served as President of Midwest Political Science Association 2024-25

Geoffrey Layman: Delivered the Charles S. Hyneman Memorial Lecture, Department of Political Science, Indiana University, February 2025

Ricardo Ramirez: Received the 2024 Adaljiza Sosa-Riddell Mentor Award for Mentoring of Undergraduates at the Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association

Graduate Student Achievements

Amy Brooke Grauley: Received the Excellence in Teaching Award (spring 2025) from the Department of Political Science Graduate Program

Mackenzie Dobson: Won APSA’s State Politics and Policy section’s Best Graduate Student Paper of AY 2024-25 Award for “Selective Reciprocity in Bipartisan Collaboration: How Majority Security Shapes Legislative Success”

Democracy Catalyst Grant Recipients

Amy Brooke Grauley and Shay Hafner: Survey Experiments Measuring the Effect of Bipartisan Rhetoric on the American Public

Amy Brooke Grauley and Shay Hafner will explore how bipartisan rhetoric can reduce political polarization in the United States. This project addresses the gap in the existing literature by investigating how messaging that promotes bipartisanship affects public attitudes, specifically focusing on policy moderation, out-party endorsements, and emotional appeals. The research will involve three experiments to test how these forms of rhetoric influence voters’ perceptions of both their own party and the opposing party and their views on leadership. By experimentally testing public reactions to bipartisan messaging, the study will offer insights into how such rhetoric can foster bipartisan dialogue and engagement, with implications for reducing polarization and improving democratic governance.

Abigail Hemmen and James Kirk: In what contexts are American citizens most supportive of compromise?

This graduate student research team will conduct two innovative survey experiments exploring American citizens' support for — or opposition to — political compromise by their elected officials. While previous studies suggest that voters generally support compromise and that politicians are influenced by constituents’ preferences, America's current polarized political climate challenges this view. The proposed research will expand our understanding of citizen preferences for political compromise and aims to make a significant academic impact. This study has practical implications for improving government, policymaking, and public discourse, positioning Notre Dame as a leader in advancing democracy and civic dialogue.

Meet our graduate students

Research Highlights

Grants & Honors

Brittany Solomon: Selected as Editor's Choice Article for: Solomon, B. C. (2024). “Liberal versus conservative distrust: A construal level approach to dissimilarity in the workplace.” Journal of Applied Psychology.

Erin Rossiter: Received the 2024 APSA Elections, Public Opinion, and Voting Behavior Section Best Paper Award for “Interacting as Equals Reduces Partisan Polarization in Mexico”

Recent Research Books & Articles

Joint Publications

  • Hall, Matthew E.K., Brittany C. Solomon, Jan G. Voelkel, Michael Nick Stagnaro, James Y. Chu, and Robb Willer. 2025. “Durably Reducing Partisan Animosity through Multiple Scalable Treatments.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
  • Solomon, Brittany C., Alexandra K. Scott, Matthew E. K. Hall. 2025. “Employee ‘Free’ Speech vs. Organizational Censorship on Social Media: Balancing the Tension Between Free Expression and Safeguards to Foster Psychological Safety.” Organization Science.
  • Solomon, Brittany C., Matthew E.K. Hall, Abigail Hemmen, and James N. Druckman. 2024. “Illusory interparty disagreement: Partisans agree on what hate speech to censor but don’t know it.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 121(39):e2402428121.
  • David E. Campbell and Christina Wolbrecht. 2025. See Jane Run: How Women Politicians Matter for Young People. University of Chicago Press.

David Campbell:

Darren Davis:

  • Davis, Darren W. and David C. Wilson. 2025. “The January 6th Insurrection and the Triggering of African Americans’ Racial Resentment.” Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics. 10(1): 180-198

Matthew Hall:

  • Barreto, Matt, Lorrie Frasure, and Matthew E.K. Hall, editors. 2025. Special issue on “Race and January 6th.” Journal of Race and Ethnic Politics 10(1).
  • Voelkel, Jan G., Michael Stagnaro, James Chu… Matthew E. K. Hall… Robb Willer. 2024. “Megastudy Testing 25 Treatments to Reduce Antidemocratic Attitudes and Partisan Animosity.” Science 386(6719):eadh4764.
  • Barreto, Matt A., Lorrie Frasure, Matthew E.K. Hall. 2025. “Race and the Capital Riot: How Racial Attitudes Relate to Anti-Democratic Beliefs Following the January 6th Insurrection.” Journal of Race and Ethnic Politics 10(1):1-4.
  • Hall, Matthew E.K., and Joseph C. Ura. 2024. “Loss of Supreme Court Legitimacy Can Lead to Political Violence.” The Conversation. June 24.

Jeffrey Harden:

Rachel Porter:

  • Porter, Rachel. 2025. “Evaluating (in)experience in congressional elections.” American Journal of Political Science. 69(1): 284-298.
  • Case, Colin R. and Rachel Porter. 2025. “Conceptualizing and measuring early fundraising in congressional elections.” Political Science Research & Methods. (forthcoming)

Erin Rossiter:

  • Greene, Kenneth F., Erin L. Rossiter, Enrique Seira, and Alberto Simpser. 2024. “Interacting as Equals Reduces Partisan Polarization in Mexico.” Nature Human Behavior.

Brittany Solomon:

Solomon, Brittany C. (2024). “Liberal versus conservative distrust: A construal level approach to dissimilarity in the workplace.” Journal of Applied Psychology.

Meet our faculty

Health of Democracy Survey

Since 2023, the Center has conducted a biannual, nationally representative survey, called the Health of Democracy Survey, to assess popular attitudes and support for democratic norms in the United States. The results have supported numerous research projects, attracted media attention, and inspired collaborations with scholars at other top universities. For the last three waves, we have conducted this survey as a panel, following the same Americans to track shifts in their attitudes over time.

Some of our findings are highlighted in our Rooney Reports

Research Labs

Politics, Organizations, and Psychology Lab (POP)

This year, the Politics, Organizations, and Psychology Lab pursued a variety of research projects. The Lab primarily focused on popular support for freedom of speech, including attitudes toward hate speech, censorship in the workplace, speech on social media, and protests on college campuses. They have also pursued research on partisan polarization, elite rhetoric, bipartisanship and political compromise, and popular attitudes toward transgender athletes participating in sports. These research projects have produced publications in high-impact outlets, including Science, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and Organization Science.

Religion and Democracy Lab (RAD)

The Religion and Democracy Lab examines the relationship between religion and democratic politics in the United States and around the world. We invite faculty and graduate students from the American Politics and Comparative Politics subfields to participate in discussing the ongoing research on religion and democratic politics being done by individual members or groups of members. Groups of members also collaborate on research on religion and politics domestically and globally. RAD Lab members also participate in interdisciplinary conversations about religion through participation in the Research and Analysis in the Sociology of Religion seminar, sponsored by the Center for the Study of Religion and Society.

Representation and Politics in Legislatures Lab (RPLL)

RPLL members secured substantial research funding, with grants awarded from sources like the Unite America Election Reform Grant ($21,745 to Rachel Porter), the Center for Effective Lawmaking ($3,200 to Mackenzie Dobson), the Franco Family Institute ($3,000 to Emily Anderson and Abigail Hemmen, and $2,118 to Gessica de Freitas), the Democracy Initiative Catalyst Grant ($18,200 to Abigail Hemmen), and Notre Dame Global ($4,438 to Gessica de Freitas). Their research was presented at numerous conferences, including the Midwest Political Science Association Annual Conference, American Political Science Association Annual Conference, and the State Politics and Policy Conference.

Additionally, the lab received media attention, with Jeff Harden and Alejandra Campos featured in The Economist and Emma Schroeder in Indiana Public Media. Rachel Porter also launched CampaignView, a new data initiative.

Representation of Women Lab (ROW)

The main work of the Representation of Women Lab this past year was to develop CAPES, the Civically and Politically Engaged Survey. The survey is designed to help us better understand the factors that encourage and discourage political ambition at both the national and local level and for both elected and appointed office. CAPES was fielded in May 2025. Their proposal to write a "Cambridge Element" was accepted, and they will soon sign a contract to deliver that manuscript to Cambridge University Press by January 2026. The authors of that manuscript are Christina Wolbrecht (ND political science/Rooney Center), Lakshmi Iyer (ND economics), Mirya Holman (University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs), two Rooney Center graduate students (Emma Schroeder and Fiona Rodger), and incoming Hesburgh Program postdoc Samantha Chapa.

The Benjamin Radcliff Prize in Research Excellence

The Benjamin Radcliff Prize in Research Excellence was created to honor the life and work of Benjamin Radcliff, a former professor in Notre Dame's Department of Political Science. The prize includes a generous research grant and is awarded to graduate students on a nonrecurring basis to recognize outstanding accomplishments in publishing research on American or comparative politics, especially research related to political behavior, deliberative democracy, or human happiness.

This past fall, Wayde Marsh (assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville), a former student of professor Benjamin Radcliff, was awarded the inaugural Benjamin Radcliff Prize in Research Excellence. Marsh received the prize during his seminar talk, recognizing his outstanding research.

Keeping the Republic Conference

The Rooney Center hosted the third annual Keeping the Republic Conference in May 2025. The conference brought together exceptional scholars from a range of disciplines including political science, law, sociology, and history to present their research on topics of critical importance understanding the precariousness of American democracy.

Keeping the Republic Conference 2025

Research Seminars

The Rooney Center regularly holds research seminars for faculty, graduate students and distinguished scholars to present and receive feedback on their work in progress. This year, the Center hosted emerging scholars including:

  • Efrén Pérez (University of California, Los Angeles) - “Taking Stock of Solidarity Between People of Color”
  • Emily Anderson, Mackenzie Dobson, and Jeff Harden (University of Notre Dame) - “The Consequences of Elite Action Against Elections”
  • David Lewis (Vanderbilt University) - “Presidential Control and Interagency Networks”
  • Laurel Harbridge-Yong (Northwestern University) - “Information and Perceptions of Electability in Primary Elections”
  • Tyler Leigh (University of Notre Dame) - “The Presumed Influence of Fringe Ideas: How Social Media Undermines Support for Open Expression”
  • James Kirk (University of Notre Dame) - “Catholic Candidate Identity and Voter Perceptions”
  • Christopher Johnston (Duke University) - “On Value Conflict in American Politics”
  • Wayde Marsh (University of Tennessee) - “Corporate Culture Warriors: Public Perceptions and Punishment of Corporate Position-Taking”
  • Jake Grumbach (University of California, Berkeley) - “Old Money: Campaign Finance and Gerontocracy in the United States”
  • Michele Margolis (University of Pennsylvania) - “Identity-Belief Paradox: What We Call Ourselves, Not What We Believe, Drives Our Politics”
  • “See Jane Run” Book Launch for David Campbell and Christina Wolbrecht (University of Notre Dame), with guest discussant Jennifer Merolla (University of California, Riverside)
  • Luis Schiumerini (University of Notre Dame) - "Affective Polarization without Partisans"

University of Illinois Grad Student Exchange:

  • Do Young Gong - “Bullets to Bargains: Wartime Coup Attempts in Civil War Management and Resolution”
  • Alesha Lewis - “Targeted Political Lie Detection”
  • Matt Mettler - “An Integrated Multidimensional Strategy for Exploring Political Misinformation”

American Democracy and the 2024 Election

In the fall, the Rooney Center hosted a panel discussion on American democracy and the 2024 election, featuring Francis Rooney, former U.S. ambassador to the Holy See; Carlos Lozada with The New York Times; Gerard Baker with The Wall Street Journal; Dianne Pinderhughes from the University of Notre Dame; and moderator G. Marcus Cole, the Joseph A. Matson Dean of the Notre Dame Law School.

The Washington Program hosted 34 students in Washington, D.C. this year. The impressive group of students had internships at a range of organizations, including on Capitol Hill with members’ offices and committees, law firms and government affairs firms, advocacy organizations, and think tanks. Our students continue to take public policy, legislative politics, and foreign policy courses and even an art history course that takes advantage of all the monuments and museums in Washington.

Being part of the Washington Program gave me the professional and personal skills necessary to succeed not only in D.C. but throughout the rest of my life. By living independently, working nearly full time, and being surrounded by fantastic peers in the heart of the United States government, I was truly able to grow as a student, friend, employee, and person.”

— Richie Sutliff ’26

The experience of studying and working in Washington, D.C. has been incredibly enriching. Being immersed in such a dynamic environment, alongside professors who offer valuable insight and support, has truly enhanced my education and provided me with invaluable experiences.”

— Aliyah Cerda ’27

Interning with the Department of Health and Human Services while commuting from D.C. challenged me to grow in ways I never expected. I gained a new sense of independence and discovered skills and interests I didn’t know I had. The Washington Program truly expanded my understanding of public service, city life, and reality after graduation.”

— Sandy Kang ’26

The Hesburgh Program in Public service continues to serve as an academic home for students interested in American public policy. Our interdisciplinary minor provides students with an engaging curriculum and our Lyman Internship Grants give students an opportunity to spend their summer in public service internships. This summer our students interned with Members of Congress, Federal agencies, and government affairs firms. The Hesburgh Program also provides support to Student Policy Network (SPN), a student-run organization that partners with government offices, think tanks, and issue advocacy organizations to offer policy research opportunities for students. SPN offered 12 team projects in fall 2024 and 15 in spring 2025 producing research on a range of issues including human rights concerns, human trafficking, international energy policies and trade, wage theft, property and housing law, financial education, political corruption and more.

Senior Thesis Projects

Rooney Center faculty actively advise students with their own research. This year, our faculty advised 14 senior theses:

  • Geoffrey Layman — Alex Mohs
  • David Campbell — Natalie Bock, Ryan Casey, Sarah Ryan, Jack Sirianni
  • Ricardo Ramirez — Ian Schowe, Jasmine Pena Ramirez, Michael Viggiano
  • Rachel Porter — Thomas Musgrave, Erik Johansen
  • Angela McCarthy — Isabella Leak, Xochitl Obispo, Sadie Stinson
  • Emma Schroeder — Leanne Daley
Read more about 2024-25 senior thesis projects
Connect with us