A female student holding a microphone towards another female student to ask questions at a political debate.

Department of Political Science News

The Department of Political Science is dedicated to excellence in research, teaching, and service. Our students learn and receive mentorship from faculty members who specialize in various subjects including American politics, comparative politics, international politics, political theory, public law, and public policy.

Current Political Science News

Portrait of 51ԹϺ alumnus Zachary Billot
People |

With resilience and resolve, award adds to Billot's legacy as one of 51ԹϺ’s most academically decorated graduates.

A rear view of 51ԹϺ students, dressed in red caps and gowns, filtering into the Thomas & Mack Center with the stage in the background
Campus News |

An enduring 51ԹϺ end-of-semester tradition is to highlight exceptional students who embody the academic, research, and community impact of the graduating class.

51ԹϺ XMAS
Campus News |

This month’s frosty headlines and highlights from the students and faculty of 51ԹϺ.

unlv pumpkins
Campus News |

A monthly roundup of the top news stories at 51ԹϺ, featuring the presidential election, gaming partnerships, and much more.

Undergrad researcher Benjamin Sabir helps H. Jeremy Cho examine an atmospheric water harvesting device. (Jeff Scheid/51ԹϺ)
Campus News |

A monthly roundup of the top news stories featuring 51ԹϺ staff and students.

Students pass by Lied Library as they walk campus on the first day of Fall 2024 semester classes
Campus News |

A collection of news highlights featuring students and faculty.

Political Science In The News

KVVU-TV: Fox 5

The 2024 election is over but some Nevadans are still getting political spam texts. The messages ask the receiver to click a link to donate money, sign a petition or participate in a survey.

KTNV-TV: ABC 13

When members of the 2025 Legislature take the oath of office in February, there will be a lot of new faces. A total of 15 lawmakers — representing 105 years of legislative experience — will not be returning to Carson City because they ran for other offices, chose not to seek re-election, were forced to quit by term limits or were defeated.

Nevada Independent

For the first time in 20 years, Nevada went red in the presidential race — but the GOP’s gains didn’t trickle all the way down the ballot. Although Democrats failed to win a two-thirds supermajority in the Legislature, only one incumbent Democrat lost a legislative race, while the state’s Democratic congressional delegation swept their contests.

Las Vegas Sun

Southern Nevada’s senior citizen population is expected to explode by 45% from 2020 to 2030, bringing with it additional strains on an already-struggling health care infrastructure, a 51ԹϺ report shows.

Nevada Independent

A presidential candidate with a unique ability to turn out low-propensity voters. A Nevada senator running a state-specific campaign and keeping her party leaders at arm’s length. And an electorate much more interested in third-party candidates and the “none of the above” option in the Senate race than in the presidential race.

The Epoch Times

Despite that Trump won the Silver State, Republican military veteran Sam Brown lost to incumbent Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.). The Senate race came down to the fact that Rosen was the incumbent, according to 51ԹϺ political science professor Daniel Lee.

Political Science Experts

An expert on voting behavior, East Asia, and political psychology.
An expert on Latin American politics, with a focus on NAFTA and the Mexican and North American automobile industry.
An expert in polling, campaign finance, political communication, and elections.
An expert in foreign policy and international security.
An expert in competitive debate, policy debate, argumentation and persuasion, and presidential and political debates.
An expert on American politics, campaigns and elections and public policy.

Recent Political Science Accomplishments

Austin Horng-En Wang (Political Science) was invited by the Sigur Center for Asian Studies at the George Washington University to have a talk on November 18, titled "Public Opinion in Taiwan and its implications to US-China-Taiwan Relations." In this talk, Wang explained the recent surge of nonpartisans in Taiwan and their attitude on the…
Rachel Torres (Political Science) and her coauthors Joseph Coll from Texas Tech University and Caroline Tolbert from the University of Iowa recently published "The unqualified voter: racial animus in support for voter qualifications" in Politics, Groups, and Identities. Their article examines the extent to which racial animus influences…
The Department of Political Science hosted the 66th Annual Conference of the American Association for Chinese Studies (AACS2024) on October 4-6. The conference covers China, Taiwan, Chinese-speaking communities, and the Chinese diaspora. Scholars and students from Japan, Poland, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and other parts of the U.S. attended…
Andrew Lugg (Political Science) recently published the article "Globaloney: Extended Party Networks and the Dissemination of Anti-Globalization Insults" in the journal Political Research Quarterly with co-author Zachary Scott. The article uses social media data examining the "globalist" insult to show how party-affiliated factions…
Austin Horng-En Wang (Political Science) published an op-ed, "As the TPP Faces Controversy, Will Third Parties Disappear From Taiwan Politics?" in The Diplomat. In this article, Wang analyzed the 2024 Taiwan Presidential and Congressional elections and recent surveys, and argued that many Taiwanese voters will still support the third…
Annie Vong (Lincy Institute; Brookings Mountain West), Zachary Billot (Lincy Institute; Brookings Mountain West), and Nicole Dias Del Valle (Political Science; Philosophy Law & Justice; Brookings Public Policy) recently co-authored a Brookings Institution blog post titled, "Youth voices in the 2024 election: What students want to see on the…