Books
Gaynor, S. W. Echo Chambers: How Partisan Communication Took Over Congress, in production, University of Chicago Press.
Members of Congress today face enormous pressure to communicate with their constituents. Yet in a centralized environment, the average legislator lacks the time, resources, and information necessary to coherently explain legislative actions. Instead, rank-and-file members must turn to those who know the legislation best: party and committee leaders. This book examines how congressional leaders have centralized the constituent communication process to advance partisan narratives, and how rank-and-file members have followed suit.
Burgat, C., Hunt, C., and Gaynor, S. W. Congress Explained: Representation and Lawmaking in the First Branch, 2nd edition. 2025, Sage Press.
This textbook offers an accessible and modern resource in the study of Congress by focusing on the realities of congressional lawmaking in the modern era and legislators that fill the halls of today’s Congress. Read more about this project here.
Peer-reviewed articles
Gaynor, S. W., & Hayes, S. D. (2025). “New lines, new districts, new representation: Institutional impacts of congressional redistricting”, Political Research Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1177/10659129251408063. PDF.
Gaynor, S. W. and Millburne R. (2025). “Playing Ball: Collaboration in the U.S. Congress”, American Politics Research.https://doi.org/10.1177/1532673X251382546. PDF.
Gaynor, S. W., Miler, K. Goel, P, Hoyle A. M. and Resnik P. “Express Yourself (Ideologically): Legislators’ Ideal Points Across Audiences.” Forthcoming, Journal of Politics. PDF.
Gaynor, S. W. (2024). “Following the leaders: Asymmetric party messaging in the U.S. Congress”, Legislative Studies Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1111/lsq.12479. PDF.
– Discussed in Political Science Now, 2024 Post-Election Reflection Series (link).
– Discussed in Bipartisan Policy Center’s 2024 Governance report, “How Primary Elections Impact Behavior in the House of Representatives” (link).
Hayes, S. and Gaynor, S. W. (2024). “Secure Majorities, Unequal Districts: One Person, One Vote & State Bipartisanship.” Electoral Studies 91, 102835. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electstud.2024.102835. PDF.
Goel, P., Malkin, N., Gaynor, S. W., Jojic, N., Miler, K., and Resnik, P. (2023). “How donor activity predicts US legislators’ attention to political speech.” PLOS ONE. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0291169. PDF.
Gaynor, S. W. and Gimpel, J. G. (2023). “Building Support through the Personalization of Twitter Messages in a Permanent Campaign.” American Politics Research. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1532673X231184434. PDF.
Safarpour, A. C., Gaynor, S. W., Rouse, S. M. Swers, M. (2022). When Women Run, Voters Will Follow (Sometimes): Examining the Mobilizing Effect of Female Candidates in the 2014 and 2018 Midterm Elections. Political Behavior. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11109-021-09767-x. PDF.
Gaynor, S. W. (2021). The (Financial) Ties That Bind: Social Networks of Intraparty Caucuses, Gaynor, S. W. Legislative Studies Quarterly. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/lsq.12360. PDF.
Gaynor, S. W. & Gimpel, J. G. (2021). Small Donor Contributions in Response to Email Outreach by a Political Campaign, Journal of Political Marketing, DOI: 10.1080/15377857.2021.1910611.
Gaynor, S. W., & Gimpel, J. G. (2021). Reapportioning the US Congress: The shifting geography of political influence. Political Geography, 86, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polgeo.2021.102365. PDF.
– Discussed in “The Fate of Biden’s Agenda Hangs in the Balance (and it isn’t all about the filibuster)”, Thomas B. Edsall, New York Times
Book Chapters, Articles, and Reports
Gaynor, S.W., “Applying Content Analysis to a Social Media Campaign”, in Political Science Research, 3rd ed, Akin Malici and Elizabeth Smith, forthcoming.
Gaynor, S.W. (2023). The Forum Review: The Collaborative Congress: Reaching Common Ground in a Polarized House. Alison Craig. Cambridge University Press. $110 cloth. 225 pages. PDF.
Gaynor, S. W., J.D. Rackey and Marian Currinder. (2023). “Political Scientists in Congress: Opportunities for Employment and Engagement,” Political Science Today. https://doi.org/10.1017/psj.2023.27
Gaynor, S. W., “Congress and External Influencers: Interest Groups, Activists, and Media.” Congress Explained, Burgat, C. and Hunt, C. Sage Press, 2022.
Gaynor, S. W., “Here’s how Republican and Democratic party leaders reward the faithful and punish wayward members”, The Monkey Cage: Washington Post, Dec. 14, 2021.
U.S. Congress. House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress. Final Report. Washington: U.S. Government Publishing Office, October 2020. (1009-E). (Y 4.2:M 72/R 29). Lead Author, with support from the American Political Science Association Public Service Fellowship. https://purl.fdlp.gov/GPO/gpo146079.
Wyckoff, S., & Lee, F. E. (2020). Advice for Women and Their Colleagues: An Interview with Frances E. Lee. PS: Political Science & Politics, 53(2), 310-312. DOI: 10.1017/S1049096519002129
Wyckoff, S. (2017). “Should Congressional Incumbents be Concerned About the 2018 Midterm Elections?“, Center for American Politics and Citizenship, University of Maryland. Download the full report here.
Working Papers
“Bringing Home the Committee Hearing: Analysis of Field Hearings in the U.S. Congress”
Data
Replication files via GitHub
Replication files for “Financial Ties that Bind”, LSQ Dataverse
Replication files for “Express Yourself (Ideologically)”, JOP Dataverse
SoRelle Wyckoff Gaynor, PhD 