Contemporary US Politics

This page gathers Theda Skocpol’s research on contemporary U.S. politics, spanning her books, including The Tea Party and the Remaking of Republican Conservatism and Rust Belt Union Blues, and articles in journals such as Perspectives on Politics, Studies in American Political Development, and PS: Political Science & Politics. From the Tea Party and elite donor networks to the anti-Trump resistance, these works examine the forces reshaping American parties and democracy.

Articles

Rising Threats to U.S. Democracy: Roots and Responses
Theda Skocpol. PS: Political Science & Politics Published online 2025; James Madison Lecture, APSA Annual Meeting, September 6, 2024 [PDF] [Online Link]
Categories: Commentary on US Politics, Contemporary U.S. Politics, and Research Article

Immigration Clashes, Party Polarization, and Republican Radicalization: Tracking Shifts in State and National Party Platforms since 1980
Kirsten Walters; Theda Skocpol. Studies in American Political Development pp. 1-17; Received: 9 December 2022; Accepted: 11 July 2023 [PDF] [Online Link]
Categories: Contemporary U.S. Politics and Research Article

Social Justice Campaigns and Democratic Party Gains: How Georgia’s Partisan Reformers Overtook North Carolina’s Moral Advocates
Theda Skocpol; Caroline Tervo; Kirsten Walters. Studies in American Political Development pp. 1-21; Received: 18 October 2021; Accepted: 12 April 2022 [PDF] [Online Link]
Categories: Contemporary U.S. Politics and Research Article

From the Tea Party to the Anti-Trump Resistance
Logan Gose; Theda Skocpol; Vanessa Williamson. 2020 [PDF]
Categories: Contemporary U.S. Politics and Research Article

The Elite and Popular Roots of Contemporary Republican Extremism
Theda Skocpol and Caroline Tervo (editors). Upending American Politics: Polarizing Parties, Ideological Elites, and Citizen Activists from the Tea Party to the Anti-Trump Resistance 2020 [PDF]
Categories: Contemporary U.S. Politics and Research Article

The Overlooked Organizational Basis of Trump’s 2016 Victory
Michael Zoorob; Theda Skocpol and Caroline Tervo (editors). Upending American Politics: Polarizing Parties, Ideological Elites, and Citizen Activists from the Tea Party to the Anti-Trump Resistance 2020 [PDF]
Categories: Contemporary U.S. Politics and Research Article

Trump’s Trump: Lou Barletta and Anti-Immigrant Politics
Emily Thos; Theda Skocpol and Caroline Tervo (editors). Upending American Politics: Polarizing Parties, Ideological Elites, and Citizen Activists from the Tea Party to the Anti-Trump Resistance 2020 [PDF]
Categories: Contemporary U.S. Politics and Research Article

When Political Mega-Donors Join Forces: How the Koch Network and the Democracy Alliance Influence Organized U.S. Politics on the Right and Left
Alexander Hertel-Fernandez; Theda Skocpol; Jason Sclar. Studies in American Political Development Vol. 32, October 2018, pp. 127-165 [PDF] [Online Link]
Categories: Contemporary U.S. Politics and Research Article

Business Associations, Conservative Networks, and the Ongoing Republican War over Medicaid Expansion
Alexander Hertel-Fernandez; Theda Skocpol; Daniel Lynch. Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law Vol. 41, No. 2, April 2016; DOI 10.1215/03616878-3476141 [Online Link]
Categories: American Political Development & Public Policies, Contemporary U.S. Politics, and Research Article

The Koch Network and Republican Party Extremism
Theda Skocpol; Alexander Hertel-Fernandez. Perspectives on Politics Vol. 14, No. 3, September 2016 [PDF] [Online Link]
Categories: Contemporary U.S. Politics and Research Article

Naming the Problem: What It Will Take to Counter Extremism and Engage Americans in the Fight against Global Warming
Theda Skocpol. Scholars Strategy Network / Columbia School of Journalism Symposium Prepared for Symposium on The Politics of America's Fight Against Global Warming, February 14, 2013; Harvard University [PDF]
Categories: Contemporary U.S. Politics and Research Article