Jennifer N. Victor

Photo of Jennifer N. Victor
Titles and Organizations

Associate Professor

Contact Information

jvictor3@gmu.edu
Phone: 703-993-3202
Fairfax Campus, Aquia Building, Room 325
4400 University Drive
Fairfax, VA 22030
MSN: 3F4

Personal Websites

Biography

Jennifer Nicoll Victor is an associate professor of political science at George Mason University’s Schar School Policy and Government.

She studies the U.S. Congress, legislative organization and behavior, social network methods, political parties, campaign finance, organized interest groups, and lobbying. She is the coeditor of the Oxford Handbook of Political Networks (2017). Victor is the coauthor (with Nils Ringe) of Bridging the Information Gap: Legislative Member Organizations in the United States and the European Union (U. Michigan Press 2013). She has published research in the American Journal of Political Science, the British Journal of Political Science, American Politics Research, Party Politics, Interest Groups & Advocacy, P.S.: Political Science and Politics, and elsewhere. In 2019, she was awarded George Mason University’s Teaching Excellence Award.

Victor is a cofounding contributor to the political science blog “Mischiefs of Faction,” and is a contributing writer for GEN by Medium. Her public scholarship has also appeared in the New York Times, The Conversation, OUPblog, and LSE U.S. Politics blog. She serves on the Board of Directors of the nonprofit, nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, is the past president of the National Capital Area Political Science Association, and past chair of the APSA-organized section on Political Networks.

In 2005, she served as an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow in the office of Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND). From 2003-12, she was an assistant professor of political science at the University of Pittsburgh. She joined the faculty at George Mason University in 2012.

She holds a BA in political science from University of California, San Diego (Magna Cum Laude, 1997), and an MA (1999) and PhD (2003) in political science from Washington University in St. Louis.

Curriculum Vitae

View Jennifer N. Victor's CV

(Updated July 25,2019)

Schar School of Policyand Government 
George Mason University 
4400 University Drive, 3F4 Fairfax, VA 22030 USA 
(703) 993-1400 (main) 
(703) 993-3202 (direct)

e-mail: jvictor3@gmu.edu 
View Jennifer Victor's website 
Twitter: @jennifernvictor

EDUCATION

Ph.D. 2003
WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS, Political Science Fields: American Politics, Formal Theory and Methodology

M.A. 1999
WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS, Political Science

B.A. 1997
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO, Highest Honors in Political Science, Magna Cum Laude

ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS

Associate Professor of Political Science with tenure, George Mason University (Aug.2015 Present)

Assistant Professor of Political Science, George Mason University (2012 – 2015)

American Political Science Association, Congressional Fellowship (2004 2005)

Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Pittsburgh (2003 – 2012)

BOOKS

Jennifer Nicoll Victor, Alexander H. Montgomery, and Mark Lubell, eds. 2017 The Oxford Handbook of Political Networks. New York: Oxford University Press.

Ringe, Nils and Jennifer Nicoll Victor. 2013. Bridging the Information Gap: Legislative Member Organizations in the United States and European Union, with Christopher J. Carman. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.

PEER-REVIEWED PUBLISHED ARTICLES

Stein, Robert Stein, Christopher Mann, Charles Stewart III, with Zachary Birenbaum, Anson Fung, Jeb Greenberg, Farhan Kawsar, Gayle Alberda, R. Michael Alvarez, Emily Beaulieu, Nathaniel A. Birkhead, Frederick Boehmke, Joshua Boston, Barry C. Burden, Francisco Cantu, Rachael Cobb, David Darmofal, Thomas C. Ellington, Terri Fine, Charles J. Finocchiaro, Michael Gilbert, Victor Haynes, Brian Janssen, David Kimball, Charles Kromkowski,Elena Llaudet, Ken Mayer,Matthew R. Miles, David Miller, Lindsay Nielson,Yu Ouyang, Costas Panagopoulos, Andrew Reeves, Min Hee Seo, Haley Simmons, Corwin Smidt, Rachel VanSickle-Ward, Jennifer Nicoll Victor, Abby Wood, Julie Wronski. “Waiting to Vote in the 2016 Presidential Election: Evidence from a Multi-County Study.” Political Research Quarterly, March, 2019.

Victor, Jennifer Nicoll and Gina Yanitell Reinhardt. 2016. “Competing for the Platform: How Organized Interests Affect Party Positioning in the United States.” Party Politics. First published on-line December 29, 2016.

Victor, Jennifer Nicoll and Gregory Koger. 2016. “Financing Friends: How Lobbyists Create a Web of Relationships among Members of Congress.” Interest Groups & Advocacy. On-line first 24 May 2016. doi:10.1057/iga.2016.5

Ringe, Nils, Jennifer Nicoll Victor, and Justin H. Gross. 2013. “Keeping Your Friends Close and Your Enemies Closer? Information Networks in Legislative Politics. British Journal of Political Science, 43(3): 601-628.

Victor, Jennifer Nicoll. 2011. “Legislating versus Campaigning: The Legislative Behavior of Higher Office Seekers.” American Politics Research, 39(1): 3-31.

Victor, Jennifer Nicoll and Nils Ringe. 2009. “The Social Utility of Informal Institutions: Caucuses as Networks in the 110th U.S. House of Representatives.” American Politics Research, 37(5): 742-66.

Koger, Gregory and Jennifer Nicoll Victor. 2009. “Polarized Agents: Campaign Contributions by Lobbyists.” PS: Politics & Political Science, 42(3): 485-488.

Victor, Jennifer Nicoll. 2007. “Strategic Lobbying: Demonstrating how Legislative Context Affects Interest Groups’ Lobbying Tactics” American Politics Research, 35(6): 826-845.

Bottom, William P., Gary J. Miller, Cheryl L. Eavey, and Jennifer Nicoll Victor. 2000. “The Institutional Effect on Majority Rule Instability: Bicameralism in Spatial Policy Decisions.” The American Journal of Political Science. 44(3): 523-540.

BOOK CHAPTERS AND OTHER PUBLICATIONS

Victor, Jennifer Nicoll. 2019 (forthcoming). “Lobbying Networks,” in The Oxford Handbook of Electoral Persuasion, Elizabeth Suhay, Bernard Grofman, and Alexander Treschel, eds. Oxford University Press: New York.

Victor, Jennifer Nicoll and Elsa T. Khwaja. 2019 (forthcoming). “Network Analysis: Theory and Testing”, in The Sage Handbook of Research Methods in Political Science & IR, Luigi Curini and Robert Franzese, eds. Sage Publications: Thousand Oaks, CA.

Stein, Robert Stein, Christopher Mann, Charles Stewart III, with Zachary Birenbaum, Anson Fung, Jeb Greenberg, Farhan Kawsar, Gayle Alberda, R. Michael Alvarez, Emily Beaulieu, Nathaniel A. Birkhead, Frederick Boehmke, Joshua Boston, Barry C. Burden, Francisco Cantu, Rachael Cobb, David Darmofal, Thomas C. Ellington, Terri Fine, Charles J. Finocchiaro, Michael Gilbert, Victor Haynes, Brian Janssen, David Kimball, Charles Kromkowski, Elena Llaudet, Ken Mayer, Matthew R. Miles, David Miller, Lindsay Nielson, Yu Ouyang, Costas Panagopoulos, Andrew Reeves, Min Hee Seo, Haley Simmons, Corwin Smidt, Rachel VanSickle-Ward, Jennifer NicollVictor, Abby Wood, Julie Wronski. (forthcoming) “Polling Place Practices,” in Kathleen Hale and Bridgett A. King, eds. The Future of Election Administration, Palgrave.

Victor, Jennifer Nicoll. 2017. Unraveling 2016:Comments on Gelman and Azari’s 19 Things.” Statistics and Public Policy4 (1): 1–3.

Ringe, Nils, Jennifer Nicoll Victor, and Wendy Tam Cho. 2017. “Legislative Networks,” in Oxford Handbook of Political Networks, Jennifer Nicoll Victor, Alexander H. Montgomery, and Mark Lubell, eds. Oxford University Press.

Victor, Jennifer Nicoll. 2016. Campaign Finance and Political Polarization: When Purists Prevail.” The Forum 14 (4).

Van Thomme, Jack,Ringe, Nils, and Jennifer Nicoll Victor. 2015."Explaining Reelection: Expertise, Influence, and Intergroups." In Kaeding, Michael and Niko Switek (eds.): Die Europawahl 2014. Wiesbaden (Germany): Springer VS.

Victor, Jennifer Nicoll. 2012. “Gridlock Lobbying: Breaking, Creating, and Maintaining Legislative Stalemate.” In Interest Group Politics, 8th ed, Allan J. Cigler and Burdett A. Loomis, eds. Washington, DC: CQ Press. Reprinted in Principles and Practice of American Politics: Classic and Contemporary Readings, 6th ed., Samuel Kernell and Steven S. Smith, eds., Washington, DC: CQ Press (2015).

Epstein, Lee, Jeffrey A. Segal, and Jennifer Nicoll Victor. 2002. “Dynamic Agenda Setting on the U.S. Supreme Court: An Empirical Assessment.” Harvard Journal on Legislation, 39(2).

UNDER REVIEW AND IN PROGRESS

Victor, Jennifer Nicoll. “Legislative Partisan Entrenchment and the Limits of Congressional Networks.” Working Paper.

Reinhardt, Gina Yanitell and Jennifer Nicoll Victor. “A Dynamic Theory of Political Parties: Party Positioning and the Success of Organized Interests.” Working Paper

Victor, Jennifer Nicoll, Stephen Haptonstahl, and Nils Ringe. “Multiplex and Longitudinal Legislative Networks and the Potential for Caucuses to Alleviate Partisan Polarization” Working Paper.

Morin, Alexander, Jennifer Nicoll Victor and Brian Alexander. “Ambition Pays: Specialization, Campaigns, and PAC Donations.” Working Paper.

Allen, Kristen Coopie, Ian Palmer Cook, Zachary Auter, and Jennifer Nicoll Victor. “Second Street Gangs: Ad Hoc Policy Commissions in the Senate.” Working Paper.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Courses Taught at the Undergraduate Level

Introduction to American Politics
Introduction to Quantitative Methods
Congress/Legislative Process
Interest Group Politics
Partisan Polarization in American Politics
Political Networks

Courses Taught at the Graduate Level

American Field Seminar
Legislative Process: U.S. Congress
Interest Group Politics
Introduction to Inferential Statistics
Research Methods

RECENT CONFERENCE PAPERS

“Legislative Networks and Partisan Entrenchment,” presented at the Midwest Political Science Association meeting in Chicago, Illinois, April 4-7, 2019, and Political Parties in Comparative Perspective, Villa Le Balze, Florence, Italy, March 22& 23, 2018; presented at the Midwest Political Science Association meetings in Chicago, Illinois April 7, 2018; presented by invitation at the St. Louis Area Methods Meeting (SLAMM), Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, April 20, 2018.

“The role of caucuses in partisan entrenchment in Congress,” presented at the 10th Annual Political Networks Conference, Columbus, Ohio, June 16, 2017; American Political Science Association Meetings, San Francisco, CA Aug 31 – Sept. 2, 2017.

“Can Caucuses Alleviate Congressional Polarization?,” with Stephen Haptonstahl and Nils Ringe. Paper presented at the Southern Political Science Association Meeting, San Juan, Puerto Rico, January 7-9, 2016; Midwest Political Science Association Meeting, Chicago, Illinois, April 8-10, 2016; Political Networks Annual Conference and Workshops, St. Louis, Missouri, June 23-25, 2016; Midwest Political Science Association, April 6, 2017.

“(Self)-Organizing the Legislature: Committees, LMOs, and Community Structures in EP and US Congress,” paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, San Francisco, CA, Sept. 2-5, 2015.

“Financing Friends: Legislators, Lobbyists, and the Pervasive Influence of Campaign Finance,” with Gregory Koger. Paper delivered on a panel at the 8th annual Workshops & Conference on Political Networks. Portland State University, Portland, Oregon. June 17-20, 2015.

“Legislative Member Organizations in a Comparative Perspective: Exploring the Bridging Nature of LMO Ties in Three Parliaments,” with Nils Ringe. Paper delivered on a panel at the meetings of the American Political Science Association, Washington, DC. Aug.28-31, 2014.

“(Self)-Organizing the Legislature: Committees, Intergroups, and Community Structures in the European Parliament,” with Nils Ringe. Invited paper presentation at “Political Networks in a Transatlantic Perspective Workshop.” July 14-15, 2014, University of Colorado, Boulder.

“(Self)-Organizing a Legislature: How lawmakers' institutions reveal policy preferences and priorities”, with Nils Ringe. Political Networks Conference, McGill University, Montreal, Ontario, Canada. May 29-May 31, 2014

“Jane of all Trades, Master of None: The Representational Trade-off of Female Members of Congress.” Presented at the Annual meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago, Illinois, April 2-5, 2014.

“Coordinating the Congress: Explaining Caucus Persistence in the United States House,” with Nils Ringe. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, Chicago, Illinois, August 29-September 1, 2013.

“Multiplex Legislative Networks and the Power of Caucuses to Alleviate Partisan Polarization,” with Stephen Haptonstahl and Nile Ringe. Presented at the 6th Annual Political Networks Conference, Bloomington, Illinois(Indiana University), June 27-29,2013; paper delivered on a panel at the meetings of the American Political Science Association, Washington, DC. Aug. 28-31, 2014.

“Solving Congressional Partisan Polarization one Caucus at a Time,” with Nils Ringe (University of Wisconsin, Madison). Presented at the Midwest Political Science Association Meetings, Chicago, Ill, April 10-14, 2013.

“Competing for the Platform: The Politics of Interest Group Influence on Political Party Platforms,” with Gina Yannitell Reinhardt (Texas A&M University). Presented at the 2013 Southern Political Science Association Meetings in Orlando, Florida, January 3-6, 2013 & Meetings of the American Political Science Association, New Orleans, LA. Aug, 30 - Sept. 2, 2012 (conference canceled due to hurricane)

“Second Street Gangs: Ad Hoc Policy Commissions in the Senate,” with Kristen Coopie Allen, Ian Palmer Cook, and Zachary Auter (University of Pittsburgh). Presented at the 2013 Southern Political Science Association Meetings in Orlando, Florida, January 3-6, 2013 & Midwest Political Science Association Meetings, Chicago, IL April 10-14, 2013 & 6th Annual Political Networks Conference, Bloomington, Illinois (Indiana University), June 27-29, 2013.

(Older conference presentations available upon request)

GRANTS

National Science Foundation (#1558713), “Workshop: Support for Political Networks Conference and Training Workshops,” PI: Jennifer N. Victor, $212,471(2016-2019)

George Mason University Provost Summer Research Award, $5,000 (2016)

University of Pittsburgh Provost’s Central Research Development Fund $5,000 (July 2010)

Manner’s Award, University Center for Social and Urban Research, $10,000 (June 2010)

Visions in Methodology conference travel grant, University of Iowa, $400 (March 2010)

Society for Political Methodology travel grant, $500 (Yale University) (2009)

Visions in Methodology conference travel grant, Ohio State University, $400 (October 2008)

University of Pittsburgh Third Term Research Stipend, $4,000 (2007)

Congressional Research Award, The Dirksen Congressional Center, $3,500 (2001)

HONORS AND AWARDS

George Mason University Teaching Excellence Award, 2019.

Distinguished Senior Scholar, Visions in Methodology, hosted by The Ohio State University, May 7 10, 2018.

“Political Ties Award,” 2017 APSA Political Networks Section best political networks paper published in a peer-reviewed journal in 2016-2017 for “Financing Friends: How lobbyists create a web of relationships among members of congress,” Interest Groups Advocacy, 5(3): 224-262.

George Mason University, School of Policy, Government, and International Affairs Teaching Award (2015)

Pi Sigma Alpha (political science honor society) honorary inductee, GMU chapter (2015)

“Professor of the Year,” presented by students of IFC/NPHC, University of Pittsburgh (2009)

APSA Congressional Fellowship (2004-2005)

Dean’s Award for Teaching Excellence, Washington University (2000 - 2001)

Dean’s Dissertation Fellowship, Washington University (2001 - 2002)

Washington University Graduate Student Fellowship (1997 - 2001)

Washington University Dean's Award Supplement (1997- 2001)

Highest Honors in Political Science, University of California, San Diego (1997)

Outstanding Senior, Muir College Alumni Award, University of California, San Diego (1997)

Phi Beta Kappa (1997)

DeWitt Higgs Award (1997) (UCSD's outstanding senior in law and public policy)

GRADUATE STUDENTS MENTORED

Former StudentsChair

Nelson, John, PhD (2019), George Mason University, Computational Social Sciences

Alexander, Brian, Ph.D. (2015), George Mason University, Political Science. Tenure-track position at Washington & Lee University.

Allen, Kristen C., Ph.D. (2013), University of Pittsburgh, Political Science. Tenure-track position at Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, as of August 2013.

Former Students—Committee Member

Ibrahim, Ayah, PhD (2018),George Mason University, Political Science

Kikuchi, Hirokazu, Ph.D. (2012) University of Pittsburgh, Political Science. Now a researcher at University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.

Gross, Justin H., Ph.D (2010) Department of Statistics and Heinz School of Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University. Now, a tenured Associate. Prof. of Political Science, University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Ringe, Nils, Ph.D (2005) Department of Political Science, University of Pittsburgh. Now, a tenured Associate Prof. of Political Science, University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Current Students—Chair, GMU

Grant, Aubrey, (2020) Public Policy
Snyder, Matt (2020)Political Science

Current Students—Committee member, GMU

Armstrong, Andrew, Political Science
Atherley, Scott, Political Science
Beuhlman, Michelle, Political Science
Campbell, Matthew, Political Science
Khwaja, Elsa Talat (2020),Public Policy
Scott, Geoffrey, Political Science
Stuvland, Aaron (2020),Political Science
Tombe, Sandra, Public Policy
Turner, Tiffany, Political Science

INVITED TALKS

“The Future of Political Parties,” John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress, May 21, 2018.

Visions in Methodology, Distinguished Scholar. Ohio State University, May 8, 2018.

St. Louis Area Methods Meeting (SLAMM). Invited presentation at Iowa State University, April 20, 2018.

“Why the Senate is Broken,” American University Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies, October 30, 2017

Introduction to Inferential Statistics (10-day course), Georgian Institute of Public Affairs, Tbilisi, Georgia. Invited instructor on US State Department Grant (PIs: Priscilla Regan and Eric McGlinchey), July 17 – August 4, 2017

Ohio State Election Panel, December 2016, Columbus, Ohio

Wesleyan Median Project Post-Election conference, November 2016, Middletown, Connecticut

Introduction to Inferential Statistics (10-day course), Georgian Institute of Public Affairs, Tbilisi, Georgia. Invited instructor on US State Department Grant (PIs: Priscilla Regan and Eric McGlinchey), July 25 August 6, 2016

St. Louis Area Methods Meeting (SLAMM). Invited presentation at American University, April 22, 2016.

“Congressional Gridlock and Legislative Politics” presented to the National Association of County Collectors, Treasurers, and Finance Officers. Marriott Wardman Park, Washington, DC, February 19, 2016

“Social Network Analysis and the Study of Politics.” Guest Lecturer (invited), Prof. Alan Abramson, George Mason University, Public Administration program, February, 2015.

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. November7, 2014, American Politics Research Workshop, invited talk.

United States Department of State, European Union Bureau and Bureau of Intelligence and Research, July 21, 2014

United States Department of State, Bureau of Intelligence and Research and The National Intelligence Council, July 2, 2014.

University of Denver, May 20-21, 2014.

Center for Social Complexity, George Mason University, October 25, 2013.

American University, January 7, 2013 (National Capital Area Political Science Association). University of Virginia, October 5, 2012.

Woodrow Wilson Center, Democracy Project of the Bipartisan Policy Center, October 17, 2012. Georgetown University, September 21, 2012

University of Wisconsin, Madison (American Politics Workshop), April 19, 2010.

EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBRESHIPS

American Political Science Review, 2016 present
American Politics Research, 2015 – present
Political Analysis, 2019 – present
PS: Political Science & Politics, 2015– 2018

JOURNAL PEER REVIEWS (most recent review) 

American Journal of Political Science (2019)
American Political Science Review, (2019)
American Politics Research (2018)
British Journal of Political Science (2019)
Business & Politics (2016)
Cambridge University Press (2018)
Comparative Political Studies, (2015)
Congress & Presidency (2017)
EPJ Data Science (2019)
European Journal of Political Research( 2010)
European Political Science Review (2016)
European Union Politics (2008)
Interest Groups & Advocacy(2018)
Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication (2017)
Journal of Experimental Political Science (2016)
Journal of Law and Courts (2019)
Journal of Politics (2018)
Journal of Political Science (2013)
Journal of Public Policy (2016)
Journal of Theoretical Politics( 2014)
Journal of Women, Politics & Policy (2016)
Legislative Studies Quarterly, (2019)
Mobilization (2014)
National Science Foundation (2018)
Oxford University Press (2015)
Party Politics (2019)
Perspectives on Politics (2018)
PLOS ONE (2016)
Policy Studies Journal (2011)
Political Analysis (2018)
Political Behavior(2010)
Political Communication (2014)
Political Research Quarterly (2019)
Political Science Quarterly (2014)
Political Science Research Methods (2019)
Politics & Gender (2012)
Polity (2016)
Princeton University Press (2018)
P.S.: Political Science & Politics(2018) Research & Politics (2016)
Routledge Press (2013)
Science (2016)
Social Networks (2018)
State Politics and Policy Quarterly (2018)
Time-Sharing Experiments for the Social Sciences (TESS) (2011)
W.W. Norton & Co. (2018)

Invited discussant: Legislative Studies Virtual Workshop, February3, 2016

RESEARCH INTERESTS

American political institutions: Congress, interest groups, lobbying, political parties, campaign finance.

Methodology: social networks, econometrics, game theory, experiments

UNIVERSITY AND DEPARTMENTAL SERVICE

George Mason University service

Director, Undergraduate Programs, Schar School of Policy & Government, 2014-2018.

Undergraduate Council, George Mason University, 2017 – 2018.

Search Committee Chair, Assistant Professor of Political Methodology, 2017

Search Committee Member, Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education, 2016

Appointed Member, Provost’s Task Force for a Multidisciplinary Education Platform (appointed) 2014-2017

Coordinator, Undergraduate Research Assistants Program(SPGIA), 2015-present

Coordinator for Workshop for Research in Political Science, 2014-2015

Director of the Bachelor’s Degree in Government and International Politics, School of Policy, Government, and International Affairs, GMU, 2014-2015.

PhD Admissions Committee, Public Policy, GMU, 2015

PhD American Politics Field Examinations Committee, Member,2014, 2015

Chair Search Committee (Dean’s Appointment), College of Humanities and Social Sciences for the Department of Public and International Affairs, 2013-2014

PhD American Field Examinations, Committee Chair, GMU 2013-2014.

Ph.D. Admissions Committee, Department of Public and International Affairs, GMU 2013, 2014.

Elected member, Faculty Senate, GMU, Admissions Committee, 2014-2016

University of Pittsburgh service

Committee on Undergraduate Education, Dept. of Political Science(2011-2012)

Department Technology and Alumni Affairs Committee, Dept. of Political Science (2010-2012)

Chair’s Advisory Committee, Dept. of Political Science (2008- 2011)

Graduate Education Committee, Dept. of Political Science (2006-2007)

Methods Speaker Series Committee, Dept. of Political Science (2006-2007)

Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Council (2004-2007)

Search Committee: Junior Faculty in International Relations(2005-2006)

Search Committee: Senior Faculty in American Politics (2003-2004)

Washington University in St. Louis service

President: Free Union of Graduate Students (2000-2001)
Graduate Student Representative, Methods Search Committee (1999)
Graduate Student Representative to the Department Faculty (1998-1999)

RELEVANT PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

Political Networks Section, American Political Science Association, Conference Host 2018, 11th Annual Political Networks Conference and Workshops.

American Political Science Association

  • Selection Committee for Congressional Fellowship Program, 2016 & 2013
  • Review Committee for PS: Political Science Politics (appointed by APSA Director), 2013-2014

Center for Responsive Politics: Board of Directors, 2015-present

Political Networks Section, American Political Science Association: Past Chair (2016-2017), Chair (2015-2016), Vice-Chair (2014-2015), Communications Chair (2011-2015)

National Capital Area Political Science Association: President (2016-2017), President-elect (2015-2016), Executive Board (2014-2015)

Presidential Commission on the Administration of Elections, Polling Process of the Future: Study Site Coordinator, 2016 & 2014

Midwest Political Science Association, Legislative Institutions Section: Section Chair, 2014-2015 5th Annual Conference on Political Networks: Program Chair, University of Colorado, Boulder, June 13-16,2012.

Awards Committee for Fellowships (Chair) to attend the 4th Annual Networks in Political Science Training and Conference, Ann Arbor, MI, June 2011.

Midwest Political Science Association, Award Committee for the PatrickJ. Fett Award for the best paper on the study of Congress and Presidency, 2011.

Policy Committee on Governmental Reform, member: Organizing for America 2008. Networks in Political Science, Program Committee and Awards Committee for meetings at Harvard University, June 2009; Duke University, May 2010.

Political Organizations and Parties Section Co-Chair for APSA Meetings in Boston 2008 (2007- 2008).

Political Organizations and Parties Section, APSA, Award Committee, Party Politics Award (2005).

Legislative Assistant, Office of Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND)(2005)

Volunteer Consultant for United Nations Development Project(New Delhi, India) (November- December 2001)

Computer laboratory/Statistics Consultant (Social Sciences Computing Facility at Washington University in St. Louis) (1999- 2003)

Participant at “Liberty and Hierarchy” Conference on political economy. Presented by The Liberty Fund: Park City, Utah. June 1999. Dr. Michael Munger and Dr. Andrew Rutten, primary organizers.

Research Assistant, Dr. Mathew McCubbins, University of California, San Diego (1996-1997)

PUBLIC SCHOLARSHIP

Paid Submissions- GEN for Medium

Victor, Jennifer. 2019. “The Mueller Hearings Won’t Move the Needle on Impeachment.” Medium. July 24, 2019.

Victor, Jennifer. 2019. “The Democratic Nominees Are Still Debating Busing and the Soul of the Party.” Medium. July 9, 2019.

Victor, Jennifer. 2019. “The Primary Debates Will Showcase Candidates’ Personalities More Than Their Policies.” Medium. June 28, 2019.

Victor, Jennifer. 2019. Why Can’t Congress Do More to Protect Migrant Children? Medium. June 20, 2019.

Victor, Jennifer. 2019. “Pete Buttigieg Has a Plan to Ruin the Supreme Court.” Medium. June 14, 2019.

Victor, Jennifer. 2019. “The Future Is Surprisingly Bright for Gun Control Advocates.” Medium. June 6, 2019.

Victor, Jennifer.2019. How Trump Remade the Republican Party in His Image Featured Stories.” Medium. May 29, 2019.

Victor, Jennifer. 2019. Don’t Expect to See Roe v. Wade Overturned Anytime Soon.” Medium. May 21, 2019.

Victor, Jennifer. 2019. “Should Democrats Try to Impeach Trump? Featured Stories.” Medium. May 14, 2019.

Victor, Jennifer. 2019. “We Need More PACs to Fix Our Broken Electoral System.” Medium. May 8, 2019.

Victor, Jennifer. 2019. “Don’t Count on the Courts to Save Voting Rights – Featured Stories.” Medium. May 2, 2019.

Victor, Jennifer. 2019. “How Campaign Finance Reports Predict the Presidential Race.” Medium. April 24, 2019.

Victor, Jennifer. 2019. Americans Have a Love/Hate Relationship With Their Political Parties.” Medium. April 18, 2019.

Invited Submissions

Victor, Jennifer. 2018. “Shutdown under a Unified Government? Blame Trump.” The Conversation. January 20, 2018.

Victor, Jennifer Nicoll. 2017. “To Understand Modern Politics, Focus on Groups, Not Individuals.” OUP blog. December 20, 2017.

Victor, Jennifer. 2017. The Persistence of America’s Political Polarization.” Medium. April 7, 2017.

Victor, Jennifer Nicoll. 2017. “Parties Are More Likely to Form Coalitions with Groups That Are like Them and Show Loyalty, but Not Those That Are Rich.” USAPP (blog). March 13, 2017.

Victor, Jennifer. 2016. “Can Congress Build Bipartisanship through Caucuses?The Conversation. Accessed September 22.

Victor, Jennifer. 2016. “What Is a Party Platform, and Why Do Candidates Often Ignore Them?The Conversation. July 27.

Victor, Jennifer. 2016. “Campaign Fund Raising Is an Arms Race With Limited Impact - NYTimes.com.” New York Times, February 25, on-line edition, sec. Room for Debate.

Mischiefs of Faction

I am a co-founder and regular contributor to this independent blog, Mischiefs of Faction, which was hosted by Vox.com from 2015-2019. Currently, the editorial team includes: Seth Masket, Julia Azari, Jennifer Nicoll Victor, Hans Noel, Gregory Koger, Jonathan Ladd, Amy Erica Smith, and Richard Skinner. My recent posts include:

Victor, Jennifer. 2019. “The Scientific Maneuver Mueller Used That Implicates the President.” Vox. April 22, 2019.

Victor, Jennifer N. 2019. Parts of US Constitution Have Not Aged Well. A Short Series about Reform. - Vox.” April 1, 2019.

Victor, Jennifer. What Good Are Elections, Anyway? Vox, October30, 2018.

Victor, Jennifer. “Lisa Murkowski’s Unusual Vote on Kavanaugh, Explained.” Vox, October 8, 2018.

Victor, Jennifer.2018. How Kavanaugh’s Partisan and Gender Biases Weaken American Democracy.” Vox. October 1, 2018.

Victor, Jennifer. 2018. “Use Big Data to Explain Politics Rather than Predict It.” Vox. February5, 2018.

Victor, Jennifer. 2017. “Trump Uses Pay to Play. Here’s Why and How to Fix It. - Vox.” September 6, 2017.

Victor, Jennifer. 2017. Being a Good Scientist and a Good Human: Thoughts on Teaching during Trump - Vox.” August 28, 2017.

Victor, Jennifer N. 2017. On the Importance of Political Science Blogging.” Vox. May 29, 2017.

Victor, Jennifer N. 2017. “The Dangers of Partisan Animosity.” Vox. April 3, 2017.

Victor, Jennifer N. 2017. “Mapping the Trump-Russia Network.” Vox. March 6, 2017.

Victor, Jennifer N. 2017, January 30, 2017. “How to distinguish conservative policy actions from democracy-threatening actions.” Mischiefs of Faction, Vox.com

Victor, Jennifer N. 2016, November 18. “A Political Science Call to Action,” Mischiefs of Faction, Vox.com

Masket, Seth and Jennifer N. Victor. October,5, 2016. “Clinton has more than 3 times as many field offices as Trump. How much of an advantage is this?Mischiefs of Faction, Vox.com

Victor, Jennifer N. 2016, September21. Stakes Are Higher for Clinton than Trump in Their First Matchup Monday.” Mischiefs of Faction, Vox.com

Victor, Jennifer N. Campaign Money in 2016 has become meaningless.” May 25, 2016. Mischiefs of Faction on Vox.com.

Victor, Jennifer N. “The Clockwork Rise of Donald Trump and Reorganization of American Parties.” March 14, 2016. Mischiefs of Faction on Vox.com.

Victor, Jennifer N. What to Look for in Tuesday’s New Hampshire Primary.” February 8, 2016. Mischiefs of Faction on Vox.com.

Victor, Jennifer N. “If Trump and Sanders win in Iowa and New Hampshire, will they be the nominees?” January 29, 2016. Mischiefs of Faction on Vox.com.

Victor, Jennifer N. A science-backed New Year’s resolution to help fix American Politics.” January 16, 2016. Mischiefs of Faction on Vox.com.

Victor, Jennifer N. Here’s who’s winning the Republican Nomination Contest.” October30, 2015. Mischiefs of Faction on Vox.com.

Older blog posts available upon request. 

Potentially of interest, my Erdös number is 4, by two different paths:

  • I am a co-author with Gary J. Miller (AJPS 2000), who is a co-author with Norman Schofield, who co-authored with Craig A. Tovey, who co-authored with Paul Erdös.
  • I am a co-author (2019 PRQ with 22-coauthors) with Charles Stewart, III, who has co- authored with Ronald Rivest, who has co-authored with David Avis, who co-authored with Paul Erdös.

References available upon request.

Areas of Research

  • Campaign Finance
  • Elections
  • Interest Groups
  • Legislatures
  • Quantitative Methods
  • Social Network Analysis
  • U.S. Politics

Affiliations

  • Affiliation: Philosophy, Politics, and Economics