Jennifer Lawless

Jennifer L. Lawless received her Ph.D. in political science from Stanford University in 2003 and her B.A. in political science from Union College in 1997. She is a Professor Government at American University, where she is also the Director of the Women & Politics Institute.  Her teaching and research focus on gender politics, electoral politics, and public opinion. She has published numerous articles in academic journals, such as the American Political Science Revieew, American Journal of Political Science, Journal of Politics, and Politics & Gender. She is also the author of Becoming a Candidate: Political Ambition and the Decision to Run for Office (Cambridge University Press, 2012) and the lead author of It Still Takes A Candidate: Why Women Don't Run for Office (Cambridge University Press, 2010).

A nationally recognized speaker on electoral politics, Dr. Lawless’s analysis and commentary have been quoted in outlets including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, USA Today, CNN.com, MSNBC.com, FOXNews.com, the CBS Evening News, ABC World News Tonight, the Today Show, and the Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.

In 2006, she sought the Democratic nomination for the U.S. House of Representatives in Rhode Island’s second congressional district. Although she lost the race, she is very active in politics.  She served on the national board of Emerge America from 2009 – 2011 and is currently an advisory board member.