Bailey Oates
I’m a PhD candidate in the Department of Political Science at Michigan State University and will enter the academic job market in the fall of 2026. I am an American politics scholar whose research interests center on political behavior, political communication, political psychology, and institutions. Broadly, my research examines how political communication and institutional contexts shape public opinion, political behavior, and perceptions of political elites.
My dissertation, “Political Talk in Context: Everyday Discourse and Elite Rhetoric in the American Public,” uses original survey experiments and large-scale text analysis to examine how gender, partisanship, and communication style shape political discourse and persuasion. I also have research examining public support for state secession, political emotions and participation, judicial decision-making, and diversity in executive appointments.
I am passionate about teaching and mentoring students, with experience teaching American politics at the undergraduate level and research methodology at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, alongside extensive one-on-one tutoring experience. I particularly enjoy helping students develop confidence in research methods and apply those skills to substantive questions about politics.
Research & Teaching Interests
State Politics, Political Communication, Political Psychology, Research Methodology, and Public Behavior and Opinion.
