He received his Ph.D in political science from the University of Arizona in 2005. His research largely explores the political behavior of racial and ethnic populations in the United States, Latino health policy, and the congressional behavior of Latino and African American members of Congress. His work has been published in Political Research Quarterly, Social Science Quarterly, Urban Affairs Review, Political Science and Politics, Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved and American Politics Research, as well as other peer reviewed journals. Professor Sanchez teaches graduate and undergraduate courses on American politics, racial and ethnic politics, and political behavior. He is also currently the Interim Director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Center for Health Policy at UNM.