Matthew P. Thornburg

I ran a Senate simulation last semester using Josh's book and it was an incredible experience. Can't recommend it enough for teaching institutions to students.

I am skeptical of getting much re: party identification from a semi-closed state like NC. My research finds unaffiliated registration is attractive for voters looking to gain access to the dominant party's primaries so I would expect many Democratic folks going unaffiliated, especially in red areas.

Gonna make a company called "Proudfeet".

I am used to doomscrolling through posts about the Heritage foundation and thought this was about them and the post still sorta worked.

Prepping this for the next leg of my DWRPG campaign. I agree with you about not much connecting the stories together--something true of Scaravore too.

CO2 pipeline politics in Iowa's 2026 gubernatorial election Matthew P. Thornburg: Randy Feenstra’s perceived indifference on the CO2 pipeline offers an opening for GOP primary rivals.

New post: Matthew P. Thornburg @thornburg.bsky.social looked at the #IA04 precinct-level data and concludes that Randy Feenstra’s perceived indifference on the CO2 pipeline offers an opening for rivals in Iowa's upcoming GOP primary for governor. #IAGov
www.bleedingheartland.com/2025/07/28/c...

One of the best films ever made about religion in America.

I published a paper on this! I found that it's a combination of factors--how far the deadline to change party is in front of the primary, whether you can do it online, and how fast the state is realigning. Iowa's day-of primary deadline is unique but I agree, especially with it racing right.

Given the assumption party registration = party self-identification, I checked out the 2024 CES data linked below. It largely confirms your findings for Iowa. Overall, it shows Iowa at 49% GOP, 17% Ind, and 34% Dem as of last year.

Understanding Nonpartisan Roll-Off Among Straight Party Voters | Election Law Journal: Rules, Politics, and Policy Voters who use the straight party voting option (SPVO) are more likely than those who do not to roll off when voting for nonpartisan offices and ballot questions. Previous research theorizes that this...

Do voters using the straight party voting option behave differently than those who don't when voting in nonpartisan races? Are they aware they need to vote in these races after selecting the option?

We find the answers are Yes and Yes in Election Law Journal

www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/...

Last year the Aiken Standard posted a letter to the editor espousing the great replacement theory.

Political Science Educator: Volume 28, Issue 2 A Newsletter from APSA's Political Science Education Organized Section Volume 28, Issue 2 - Winter/Spring 2025 Editors: Matt Evans (Northwest Arkansas Community College) & Colin M. Brown (Northeastern...

New issue of the Political Science Educator is available!
educate.apsanet.org/political-sc...

Great contributions by @edorssom.bsky.social, @ozlemtuncel.bsky.social, @thornburg.bsky.social, and @debraleiter.bsky.social among others

#TeachLearnSky #Polisky #EduSky

Murder on an Island: A Classroom Simulation Introducing the American Legal System Our first day of class begins in an unusual way—with a murder. In our Introduction to the Law class (a 300-level course cross-listed between history and political science), we start with a simulation—...

Introducing students to the law is difficult. We have had good luck using a murder mystery/courtroom simulation in class. Happy to share materials at mthornburg@misericordia.edu

The muted impact of CO2 pipeline politics in Iowa's 2024 general election Matthew Thornburg: Randy Feenstra slightly underperformed in the Summit Carbon pipeline precincts, compared to the rest of IA-04.

New post by Matthew P. Thornburg:
The muted impact of CO2 pipeline politics in Iowa's 2024 general election
Small vote shifts, and "Much of the difference between pipeline and non-pipeline precincts comes from a single county: O’Brien." #IA04 www.bleedingheartland.com/2024/11/12/t...