Boris Heersink

BA, University of Amsterdam, History
MA, University of Amsterdam, History
MA, The New School for Social Research, Political Science
PhD, University of Virginia, Political Science

Dr. Heersink's research focuses on American politics - most notably the historical development and importance of political parties and interest groups on political outcomes and measuring the effects of campaigns on election results. His research has appeared in - among others - The Journal of Politics, Political Analysis, Perspectives on Politics, Political Behavior, Party Politics, and Studies in American Political Development. He is the (co-)author of two books: Republican Party Politics and the American South, 1865-1968 (Cambridge University Press, 2020 - with Jeffery A. Jenkins) - which was awarded the SPSA V.O. Key Jr. award for best book in Southern politics and the APSA J. David Greenstone Prize for best book in politics and history - and National Party Organizations and Party Brands in American Politics: The Democratic and Republican National Committees, 1912-2016 (Oxford University Press, 2023).

POSC 1100 - Introduction to Politics
POSC 3214 - The US Congress
POSC 3215 - American Political Parties
POSC 3301 - Campaigns and Elections
POSC 5130 - Political Institutions and Processes

Books

National Party Organizations and Party Brands in American Politics; The Democratic and Republican National Committees, 1912-2016 (Oxford University Press, 2023)

Republican Party Politics and the American South, 1865-1968 (Cambridge University Press, 2020). (With Jeffery A. Jenkins).

Selected Peer-Reviewed Articles

“Power in a Union: How Unexpected Group Partnerships Form,” Perspectives on Politics (forthcoming). (With Matthew J. Lacombe.)

“Reconsidering the ‘Southern Veto’: The Two-Thirds Rule at Democratic National Conventions, 1832-1936,” Studies in American Political Development vol. 38, no. 1 (2024) 84-102.

“Southern Republicans in Congress During the Pre-Reagan Era: An Exploratory Analysis,” Party Politics vol. 29, no. 3 (2023) 540-553. (With Jeffery A. Jenkins and Nicholas G. Napolio.)

“Examining Democratic and Republican National Committee Party Branding Activity, 1953-2012,” Perspectives on Politics vol. 21, no. 1 (2023) 142-159.

“Natural Disasters, ‘Partisan Retrospection,’ and U.S. Presidential Elections,” Political Behavior vol. 44, no. 3 (2022) 1225-1246. (With Jeffery A. Jenkins, Michael P. Olson, and Brenton D. Peterson.)

“Mobilization and Counter-Mobilization: The Effects of Campaign Visits in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election,” The Journal of Politics vol. 83, no. 4 (2021) 1878-1883. (With Brenton D. Peterson and Jordan Carr Peterson.)

“Whiteness and the Emergence of the Republican Party in the Early-20^th Century South,” Studies in American Political Development vol. 34, no. 1 (April 2020) 71-90. (With Jeffery A. Jenkins.)

“Party Brands and the Democratic and Republican National Committees, 1952-1976,” Studies in American Political Development vol. 32, no. 1 (April 2018) 79-102.

“Truman Defeats Dewey: The Effects of Campaign Visits on Election Outcomes,” Electoral Studies vol. 49 (October 2017) 49-64. (With Brenton D. Peterson.)

“Disasters and Elections: Estimating the Net Effect of Damage and Relief in Historical Perspective,” Political Analysis vol. 25, no. 2 (April 2017) 260-268. (With Brenton D. Peterson and Jeffery A. Jenkins).

“Measuring the Vice-Presidential Home State Advantage with Synthetic Controls,” American Politics Research vol. 44, no. 4 (July 2016) 734-763. (With Brenton D. Peterson.)