I am a Professor of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame. My research centers on U.S. politics and policymaking, with a focus on the U.S. Congress. I am author of three books, Legislating in the Dark (2015) and The Limits of Party (2020, with Frances E. Lee), and Understanding American Legislatures (2025). My research has been published in the American Political Science Review, the Journal of Politics, Perspectives on Politics, and more.

My work and my writings have appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, The Atlantic, Vox, and elsewhere. I have also provided testimony to the U.S. House of Representatives.

I received my Ph.D. in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland in 2011, and previously worked on Capitol Hill in the offices of Representative Daniel Lipinski and the House Appropriations Committee.