Reports & Public-Facing Writing
I write regularly for Good Authority (the successor to The Washington Post’s Monkey Cage) and publish policy reports for organizations like Demos and the Institute for Strategic Dialogue. A selection follows. For peer-reviewed work, see Publications.
Recent Good Authority Posts
See all my Good Authority posts →
- “These Democrats have established moderate credentials.” June 5, 2026. Ideological moderation might appeal to conservatives, but it can also rankle liberals.
- “Democrats and Republicans disagree on what political violence even is.” With Miles Kendrick. April 27, 2026. The crux of the disagreement: whether the government’s actions can constitute violence.
- “The long-standing Democratic advantage in party identification is gone.” March 25, 2026. A new report shows how much the partisan landscape has shifted.
- “Most Americans don’t see compromise as central to good citizenship.” February 11, 2026. Our election survey data reveal some surprising findings.
- “Secular Democrats are on the rise.” With Stephen Ansolabehere. October 29, 2025. Fewer Democrats identify as religious — and that’s creating tension with Black voters.
- “Many Trump supporters now think U.S. elections are fair.” With Caroline Soler. August 28, 2025. But they still trust U.S. elections less than Harris supporters.
- “Trump also captured the support of those who stayed home on Nov. 5.” With Caroline Soler. August 27, 2025. But nonvoters in the last election still preferred Democrats in down-ballot races.
- “Democrats’ losses among Hispanic voters may be larger than they look.” With Caroline Soler. June 20, 2025. Conservative Hispanic Americans are ditching their Hispanic identity, surveys show.
- “Trump’s policies are endangering the economy.” With Caroline Soler. March 18, 2025. And it might cost Republicans in the 2026 midterms.
- “Surprise, there’s an unlikely immigration consensus in America.” With Caroline Soler. February 28, 2025. But it may still not be enough to lead to a big policy shift.
Op-Eds
- “How Trump’s Racism Is Helping the Suburbs Turn Blue.“ The New York Times. August 23, 2020.
- “The Youth Vote Will Decide 2020.“ The New York Times. February 16, 2019.
- “Why Obama Voters Defected to Trump.“ The New York Times. March 10, 2018.
- Pieces at Vox — author archive.
- “Donald Trump’s claims of illegal votes have been debunked. Repeatedly.“ Politico. November 2016.
A fuller archive of media writing is on the Muck Rack profile. All earlier Washington Post Monkey Cage posts are also available via the Good Authority archive.
Policy Reports
- QAnon and Conspiracy Beliefs. Institute for Strategic Dialogue, 2020.
- Whose Voice, Whose Choice? The Distorting Influence of the Political Donor Class in Our Big-Money Elections. With Sean McElwee and Jesse H. Rhodes. Demos, 2016.
Have a media inquiry? Email brian.schaffner@tufts.edu.