Dr. Rachel Blum is the Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science and the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center at the University of Oklahoma. She specialized in political parties, ideology, political behavior, and computational methods. She received her PhD at Georgetown University in May 2016. Prior to her appointment at the University of Oklahoma, she held a faculty appointment at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.
Originally from Denver, Colorado, Dr. Blum now lives in Norman, Oklahoma. She is joined in Norman by her partner, kiddo, parents, grandmother, and four animals (two sheepadoodles and two bengal cats).
Dr. Blum’s book on the Tea Party, How the Tea Party Captured the GOP: Insurgent Factions in American Politics (University of Chicago Press) is now available for purchase! Her second book, Cooperating Factions: A Network Analysis of Party Divisions in U.S. Presidential Nominations (with Hans Noel) is forthcoming with Cambridge University Press. A full list of projects can be found on the Research page.
In addition, she plays an active role in the Carl Albert Center’s leadership and graduate programs. She teaches the Center’s community engagement internship class, Community Scholars, as well as graduate courses in the Department of Political Science. Syllabi and other instructional materials can be found on the Teaching page.
