Welcome! I am an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Oregon. Before arriving to UO, I was a post-doctoral research fellow at the Center for the Study of Democratic Politics at Princeton University and received my Ph.D. in political science from the University of California, Berkeley.
My research focuses on public opinion, political parties, Congress, polarization and representation. I have published on these topics in the American Political Science Review, Journal of Politics, Perspectives on Politics and Public Opinion Quarterly. My work on early abortion opinion among evangelicals has been included in The Washington Post’s Monkey Cage. I have commented on national and state politics in The Huffington Post, Newsweek, NBC News as well as numerous state and local news outlets.
My book, Roots of Polarization (forthcoming August 2024, University of Chicago Press), explores how the racial realignment shaped contemporary polarization across other culture war issues. You can pre-order it here.
I teach courses on The U.S. Congress, statistics for political science (grad and undergrad) and Introduction to U.S. Politics.
Email: obrian [at] uoregon [dot] edu
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NeilOBrian4
Neil O'Brian 