Interests

Overall, broadly, my research focuses on how Latino communities are represented in and organize in American political institutions. 

More specifically, my research explores how political context shapes Latino political attitudes and civic engagement, with particular attention to disparities and periods of crisis or disruption. I work at the intersections of Latino politics, organized interests, and representation, to examine how Latinos navigate and politically respond to shifting structural conditions in the United States.

On the individual level, I examine how context affects identity, trust, attitudes, and behavior. I have conducted various studies in this area, such as on the formation of conspiracy beliefs, redistricting and perceptions of representation, and the political connections between identity labels and ideology. 

At the institutional level, I examine how policy environments and organizational infrastructure affect Latinos in the United States. The projects I have worked on in this area have included research around sanctuary policy design, health disparities and access, and the functions, emergence, capacity, and lobbying of Latino-serving organizations.

My dissertation bridges these interests by examining how varying and compounding levels of institutional stress (in policy areas including education, health, immigration, economics, criminal justice, and environment) affect the organizations that represent Latinos in U.S. counties from 2005 to 2024. 

I often employ mixed methods and quantitative approaches in my work. I primarily draw on large-N panel data, original longitudinal databases, survey experiments, and qualitative interviews.