She specializes in American political institutions, with an emphasis on the U.S. Congress and courts. She earner her B.A. in Political Science and Psychology from Wellesley College and her M.A and Ph.D. (both in Political Science) from the University of Minnesota. Her research interests include the voting behavior of U.S. senators, bicameralism, and state delegations in Congress. She is currently working on a project analyzing how a decline in state economic interests has contributed to polarization in Congress.