Ray La Raja
@raylaraja.bsky.social
UMass political scientist, co-director @UMassPoll, elections, pol parties, campaign finance, Mets fan and Iron Chef contender
A realist perspective on small donors in US Politics from me and @zalbert.bsky.social podcast interview by @mattgrossmann.bsky.social @niskanencenter.bsky.social www.niskanencenter.org/the-rise-of-...
The rise of small donors is mostly making politics worse - Niskanen Center
Ray La Raja and Zach Albert find that small donors are just as advantaged, partisan, and extreme as larger donors.
niskanencenter.org
A new @UMassPoll suggests that Americans remain more united in their civic identity than in their politics. www.brookings.edu/interactive/...
Most Americans agree on basic civic ideals | Brookings
brookings.edu
Small donors are often portrayed as the antidote to big money in politics. In Small Donors in U.S. Politics (@uchicagopress.bsky.social), @zalbert.bsky.social and I show the story is more complicated. They broaden participation—but aren't typical Americans, amplifying the most partisan voices.
Small Donors in US Politics
A myth-busting investigation of small donors: who they are, how they spend their money, and whose campaigns actually benefit from their donations. Many political reformers argue that more robust small...
press.uchicago.edu
New Research Challenges ‘Voters Don’t Matter’ Narrative https://politicalwire.com/2026/05/04/new-research-challenges-voters-dont-matter-narrative/
New UMass Poll gauges ‘What Makes Us American’ ; also views on upcoming 250th anniversary - is it point of pride, unfinished work, or something else?https://www.umass.edu/news/article/ahead-us-250th-anniversary-new-umass-poll-gauges-views-nation-and-what-makes-us
Fewer than one-quarter of Americans view the U.S. economy in a positive light and the nation heading in the right direction — @umasspoll.bsky.social (@agtheodoridis.bsky.social @jesserhodesumass.bsky.social @raylaraja.bsky.social et al) More, via Opinion Today: opiniontoday.substack.com/p/260405
Our just released UMass poll on views of Trump, with more to come this week on views of war, MAGA, immigration, which groups are seen as 'more American', and more.
UMass Amherst@umassamherst.bsky.social · 4mo ago“What is surprising...are the dips in support from the very groups that helped Trump win in 2024,” says UMass Amherst’s Tatishe Nteta. New poll shows sharp drops among men, working-class Americans, African Americans, moderates (-18), and independents (-13). https://bit.ly/4dQZOj6
“What is surprising...are the dips in support from the very groups that helped Trump win in 2024,” says UMass Amherst’s Tatishe Nteta. New poll shows sharp drops among men, working-class Americans, African Americans, moderates (-18), and independents (-13). https://bit.ly/4dQZOj6
President Trump’s Approval Sinks to 33% in New UMass Poll | UMass Amherst
Amidst war with Iran and deepening disapproval over his handling of inflation, immigration, jobs and tariffs, 17% of 2024 Trump voters now express reservations about their vote choice.
umass.edu
More evidence that our @umassamherst.bsky.social Political Science PhD student and @umasspoll.bsky.social fellow Donny Snyder is a rockstar! Coming soon to a Poli Sci job market near you! Donald Snyder Wins NEAAPOR Best Student Paper Award : UMass Amherst www.umass.edu/news/article...
Donald Snyder Wins NEAAPOR Best Student Paper Award | UMass Amherst
Snyder, a doctoral student in political science and graduate fellow with the UMass Amherst Poll, will present his paper, “There’s a Lot to Unpack There: Personalization in Political Language and Affec...
umass.edu
My comments with @robsaldin.bsky.social @BrookingsGov about how poorly designed public participation and transparency can impair governance without necessarily improving democracy. MA examples. www.brookings.edu/articles/whe...
When public participation strengthens—and weakens—democratic governance | Brookings
Public participation strengthens democracy when well designed, but poorly timed input can stall broadly supported policies.
brookings.edu
I teach American government to 200+ college students. If I don't point out to students through the college newspaper that constitutional principles and the rule of law are being undermined, what use am I? This is not about partisanship. dailycollegian.com/2025/10/lett...
Letter: Defend democracy against unchecked presidential power
‘Every generation is called to renew democracy. Yours will be tested,’ writes Ray La Raja
dailycollegian.com
My comments w @agtheodoridis.bsky.social on unique survey of former members of Congress, which indicates how far views of former GOP officeholders differ from Republican electorate on democratic norms @BrookingsGov www.brookings.edu/articles/wha...
What former lawmakers reveal about the strain on American democracy | Brookings
There is a divergence in how current and former lawmakers talk about the issues facing American democracy.
brookings.edu
• Small donors share large‑donor polarization, esp on issues like guns & abortion • They fuel more extreme, media‑savvy candidates • Instead of blanket matching, we need localism & pluralism—district-level donor matches, strengthen parties, civic orgs & expand who votes.
Zack Albert@zalbert.bsky.social · last yr.With @raylaraja.bsky.social: Are small donors the solution to democracy’s problems? www.brookings.edu/articles/are...
www.aei.org/events/elect... I encourage you to join an upcoming event hosted by AEI (online too), with election experts talking about proposals to reform the electoral process, especially to combat extremism.
aei.org
www.nytimes.com/2024/11/17/u...
How Kamala Harris Burned Through $1.5 Billion in 15 Weeks
Her frenzied spending has led to second-guessing among some Democrats and questions as she has pressed for more cash since the election.
nytimes.com
Zack Albert@zalbert.bsky.social · 2y ago3) This speaks to my research with @raylaraja.bsky.social on small donors. They give to high profile races, impulsively and out of emotion. They are not particularly efficient. Their dollars would go a lot farther in the exact types of races they don’t contribute to (local and state)
www.lemonde.fr/idees/articl... via @lemondefr
« La dénonciation de “l’élection truquée” depuis 2020 s’est avérée un coup de maître, un mythe mobilisateur du trumpisme »
TRIBUNE. Donald Trump exploite sans vergogne les peurs d’une base charriant des fondamentalistes religieux, des racistes et des isolationnistes, rassemblés dans une grande synthèse populiste qui a bal...
lemonde.fr
🤔Are Americans’ attitudes toward local issues structured ideologically? ➡️ @bfschaffner.bsky.social @jesserhodesumass.bsky.social & @raylaraja.bsky.social find that only a smaller subset of attitudes about local issues appears distinctively local www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
My argument for why letting the Massachusetts State Auditor audit the legislature should be resisted with as much passion as taxation without representation www.bostonglobe.com/2024/10/16/o... via @BostonGlobe
Why passing Question 1 would hurt democracy - The Boston Globe
By enabling the executive to infringe on the independence of the Legislature, Question 1 undermines the checks and balances system championed by James Madison.
bostonglobe.com
On of my arguments for strengthening the party system and parties for better politics @ Niskanen hypertext @daviddagan.bsky.social hypertext.niskanencenter.org/p/fence-off-...
Fence off the parties, and start in the states
Discussions about political parties lack talk about boundaries. What is the core of a political party? And why should we care? Julia Azari and others are right about the weakness and hollowness of U.S...
hypertext.niskanencenter.org
@NiskanenCenter @daviddagan.bsky.social hosts forum among experts on US political parties, their problems and potential. Not your usual mix of mechanistic reform ideas.
David Dagan@daviddagan.bsky.social · 2y agoThe Democrats showed us this summer that parties can exist as a force apart from individual candidates. But how do we take that demonstration effect and turn it into a movement? We got a bunch of top political scientists together to discuss! hypertext.niskanencenter.org/p/partisans-...
