My research is situated within the field of American Politics with a focus on race, public opinion, immigration, media, criminal justice and Latina/o politics. My research uses a variety of advanced methods, with a focus on survey and focus group research. I currently have three ongoing research agendas: 
1.) analyzing racial attitudes among Asian Americans, Blacks, Latinos, Blacks, and Whites; 
2.) examining Latinos' experiences with the criminal justice system; and 
3.) exploring the Latina/o electorate in the South.

Invited Talks:
  • Book manuscript, Partners or Rivals? Power and Latino, Black and White Relations in the 21st Century, presented at the 2016 Virginia Festival of the Book, Charlottesville, Virginia (March 2016) 
  • Book manuscript, Partners or Rivals? Power and Latino, Black and White Relations in the 21st Century, presented at Louisiana State University (February 2016) and presented at Appalachian State University (April 2016)
  • Book manuscript, Partners or Rivals? Power and Latino, Black and White Relations in the 21st Century, featured in an Author Meets Critics Roundtable, 2015 Midwest Political Science Association Meeting, Chicago, Illinois (April 2015)
  • “Latinos in U.S. Politics” along with Gary Segura and Jason Casellas, Loyola University New Orleans (March 2011).
  • “Social, Political Standing and Context: Understanding African Americans’ Immigration Attitudes” presented at                                  the Politics of Race, Ethnicity and Immigration Colloquium (PRIEC), University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico (October 2010).
  • “’La Nueva Orleans?’ Race and Immigration in Post-Katrina America,” Zócalo Public Square discussion panel along with Paula McClain and Robert Suro, New Orleans, Louisiana (October 2009).

Books
Partners or Rivals? Power and Latino, Black and White Relations in the 21st Century (2015) 
My book, Partners or Rivals?, was published by University of Virginia Press. The book relies on national survey data and focus group data to examine interracial attitudes among Latinos, Whites and Blacks in the U.S. Partners or Rivals? won the 2015 American Political Science Association REP Section's Best Book Award on Inter-Race Relations in the United States. 
        *The book is available for purchase on the University of Virginia Press website here and on Amazon here. 
        **Check out my interivew in which I discuss this book on the New Book Network podcast here. 

Peer Reviewed Work with Links
9.) "North Carolina Latinos and the 2016 Election" (forthcoming book chapter to be published by Michigan State University Press)
8.) “To Shape Our World for Good: National Mood and the Promotion of Liberal Values in United States Foreign Policy.” with Will Walldorf,
     Sara Dahill-Brown, and Sandeep Mazumder (forthcoming book chapter to be published by Cornell University Press)
7.) “Getting Pushed Back Further in Line? Southern African American Attitudes toward Immigration and Immigrants.” (with Natasha        
​     Bingham) PS: Political Science and Politics 49(2): 221-227. 2016.
​            *Study featured in a London School of Economics US Centre Blog Post
6.) “Skin Tone and Individuals' Perceptions of Commonality and Competition with Other Racial and Ethnic Groups" (with Jim Garand and
      Johanna Dunaway) Race and Social Problems 7(3): 181-197. 2015.       
5.) “North Carolina Latinos: An Emerging, Influential Electorate in the South”, a book chapter in The Pivotal Role of the Latino Electorate in
     the 2012 Election published by Michigan State University Press in June 2015. The book is available for purchase here.
4.) “Perceptions of Commonality and Latino-White, Latino-Black Relations in a Multiethnic U.S.” Political Research Quarterly 67(4): 905-916.
     2014.
3.) "Taking a New Perspective to Latino Attitudes: Examining the Effects of Skin Tone on Latino Perceptions  of Commonality with Whites
     and Blacks." (with undergraduate student Emily Earle) American Politics Research 41(5): 783-818. 2013. 
2.) “Rebuilding or Intruding? Media Coverage and Public Opinion on Latino Immigration in Post-Katrina Louisiana.” (with Johanna Dunaway,
     Kirby Goidel, Ashley Kirzinger) Social Science Quarterly 92(4):917-937. 2011.
1.)  “Divided Loyalties? Understanding Variation in Latinos’ Attitudes toward Immigration in the United States.” (with Stella Rouse and Jim
     Garand) Social Science Quarterly 91(3):856-882. 2010.

Other research
3.) Book Review of The New Americans? Immigration, Protest, and the Politics of Latino Identity (2017, University of Kansas Press) by Heather Silber Mohamed, Journal of Race, Ethnicity and Politics 
2.) "Introduction and Commentary" to a PS: Political Science and Politics Symposium titled "Stepping Back or Stepping Out? Latinos, Immigration and the 2016 Presidential Election." April 2018.
               *Served as the guest editor of this symposium
1.) "Hispanic Americans" The Oxford Companion to American Politics. Edited by David Coates and Kathy Smith. Oxford University Press,
    pp.489-495. 2012.  

Works in Progress:
4.) Race and Crime Project on Latino experiences with the criminal justice system. Check back for more information about this project. 
3.) Pushing Back on Prejudice Project with Melissa Michelson. Check back for more information about this project. 
2.)"Media Coverage, Media Source and Blacks' Stereotypes of Latinos" (with Xavier Medina Vidal)
1..) “The Relevance of News Media and Social Contact on Whites’ Perceptions of Latinos.” 
​
Research Awards:
  • Latino Center for Leadership Development and Southern Methodist University Grant for the project titled "The Criminal Justice System and Latinos in the South" ($9,747.00)
  • CRADLE fellowship (to learn how to develop competitive external proposals to support multiyear research projects), Wake Forest University

Research Training:
  • ICPSR Mixed Methods Workshop (Approaches for Combining Qualitative and Quantitative Research Strategies) June 2013, UNC Chapel Hill.
  • Duke University’s "Enhancing Research: A Workshop for Political Scientists from Underrepresented Groups" February 2011, Durham, North Carolina.