Dr. Rachel Blum is Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science and the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center at the University of Oklahoma. She specializes in political parties, congressional communication, public opinion of Congress, 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 multiple animals.
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 at Cambridge University Press) is also available for purchase. 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. She also teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on political parties, statistical methods, the U.S. Congress, and other topics in the Department of Political Science. Syllabi and other instructional materials can be found on the Teaching page.
