Laura Tamman
@lauratamman.bsky.social
Clinical Assistant Professor of Political Science at Pace University. NYC politics is my jam.
Alum of CUNY GC (PhD), St. Hilda’s College, Oxford (MA) and U of Georgia (BA).
Devoted Swifty & Arcade Fire obsessed.
I ❤️ good trouble.
www.LauraTamman.com
Alum of CUNY GC (PhD), St. Hilda’s College, Oxford (MA) and U of Georgia (BA).
Devoted Swifty & Arcade Fire obsessed.
I ❤️ good trouble.
www.LauraTamman.com
Pinned
Laura Tamman
@lauratamman.bsky.social
· Oct 29
Vital City | A True Mandate for New York City
What moving local elections to even years will do for local politics
www.vitalcitynyc.org
***Prop 6***
We could double voter turnout in our city elections by making one change: timing. Prop 6 moves NYC elections to presidential years, once state law allows.
TL,DR: More people voting is better for *everybody.*
My take for @vitalcitynyc.bsky.social
www.vitalcitynyc.org/articles/mov...
We could double voter turnout in our city elections by making one change: timing. Prop 6 moves NYC elections to presidential years, once state law allows.
TL,DR: More people voting is better for *everybody.*
My take for @vitalcitynyc.bsky.social
www.vitalcitynyc.org/articles/mov...
Reposted by Laura Tamman
🧵New preprint: Adults often agree with their ingroup even when evidence says otherwise. Why?
To find out, we studied kids, who show the same tendency but *before* political identities take hold. With developmental data, we can see the basic psychological ingredients.
doi.org/10.31234/osf...
1/11
To find out, we studied kids, who show the same tendency but *before* political identities take hold. With developmental data, we can see the basic psychological ingredients.
doi.org/10.31234/osf...
1/11
OSF
doi.org
January 6, 2026 at 3:03 PM
🧵New preprint: Adults often agree with their ingroup even when evidence says otherwise. Why?
To find out, we studied kids, who show the same tendency but *before* political identities take hold. With developmental data, we can see the basic psychological ingredients.
doi.org/10.31234/osf...
1/11
To find out, we studied kids, who show the same tendency but *before* political identities take hold. With developmental data, we can see the basic psychological ingredients.
doi.org/10.31234/osf...
1/11
The era of checks and balances is over.
January 4, 2026 at 8:13 PM
The era of checks and balances is over.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Book cover designs can be hit or miss, but this one is superb.
It conveys the timeliness of the topic, as well as its gravity. This book is not the kind of work that can be churned out over a single summer break, and the cover art reflects the magnitude of the work it contains.
Book cover designs can be hit or miss, but this one is superb.
It conveys the timeliness of the topic, as well as its gravity. This book is not the kind of work that can be churned out over a single summer break, and the cover art reflects the magnitude of the work it contains.
Cover reveal. It's about how & why colonies/states controlled international & domestic migration until 1888, why in the late 19th c the feds took over, & what it was like for politically disfavored groups to live under that arrangement of power. You can't understand voluntary migration history 1/
January 2, 2026 at 3:19 PM
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Book cover designs can be hit or miss, but this one is superb.
It conveys the timeliness of the topic, as well as its gravity. This book is not the kind of work that can be churned out over a single summer break, and the cover art reflects the magnitude of the work it contains.
Book cover designs can be hit or miss, but this one is superb.
It conveys the timeliness of the topic, as well as its gravity. This book is not the kind of work that can be churned out over a single summer break, and the cover art reflects the magnitude of the work it contains.
😭🗽🌆🚕💕
Mamdani arrives to his mayoral inauguration at City Hall in a motorcade of NYC taxi cabs—workers he went on hunger strike with in 2021.
January 1, 2026 at 5:52 PM
😭🗽🌆🚕💕
The Mamdani inauguration block party is kind of a locals version of the Times Square ball drop.
January 1, 2026 at 5:47 PM
The Mamdani inauguration block party is kind of a locals version of the Times Square ball drop.
🇮🇹 Grazie Mille. 🍝
Italy says US has sharply cut proposed pasta tariffs after a review reut.rs/4jmki48
Italy says US has sharply cut proposed pasta tariffs after a review
Italy's foreign ministry said on Thursday the United States had sharply lowered proposed duties on several Italian pasta makers following a reassessment of their U.S. activities.
reut.rs
January 1, 2026 at 3:59 PM
🇮🇹 Grazie Mille. 🍝
Steve Banks is one of the finest human beings on the planet. He is an inspired choice for corporation counsel.
New: Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is appointing de Blasio administration veteran Steve Banks as NYC's next corporation counsel.
He's also tapping Elmhurst Hospital CEO Helen Arteaga as his deputy mayor for health and human services. www.nydailynews.com/2025/12/30/m...
He's also tapping Elmhurst Hospital CEO Helen Arteaga as his deputy mayor for health and human services. www.nydailynews.com/2025/12/30/m...
Mamdani taps de Blasio alum Steve Banks as top NYC lawyer, Elmhurst Hospital exec as health deputy
In a statement to The News before the press conference, Mamdani said Arteaga and Banks will bring “effective, principled leadership” to his administration.
www.nydailynews.com
December 31, 2025 at 2:48 AM
Steve Banks is one of the finest human beings on the planet. He is an inspired choice for corporation counsel.
This is a very complicated story that is difficult to follow but it also seems crazy important.
The audit from Comptroller Brad Lander, concluding the joint union-City Hall insurance fund owes billions of dollars to the city, is applauded by fiscal watchdogs and advocates who have long decried deals they say ripped off retirees and taxpayers.
Mamdani Takes Health Fund Audit 'Seriously' as Insolvency Reverberates
The audit from Comptroller Brad Lander, concluding the joint union-City Hall insurance fund owes billions of dollars to the city, is applauded by fiscal watchdogs and advocates who have long decried…
buff.ly
December 31, 2025 at 2:43 AM
This is a very complicated story that is difficult to follow but it also seems crazy important.
Our government, the one *we* elected and pay for with our tax dollars, is responsible for this. I am sickened.
December 22, 2025 at 8:29 PM
Our government, the one *we* elected and pay for with our tax dollars, is responsible for this. I am sickened.
This seems like a BFD.
December 20, 2025 at 2:38 AM
This seems like a BFD.
This might be my favorite piece of writing this year. An absolute *roast*.
“Much of the menu at 1587 Prime reads like magnetic poetry for people with expense accounts”
defector.com/two-nights-p...
“Much of the menu at 1587 Prime reads like magnetic poetry for people with expense accounts”
defector.com/two-nights-p...
Two Nights Playing With Fire At Patrick Mahomes And Travis Kelce's Steakhouse | Defector
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As celebrity restaurant mascots, athletes offer a tidy sense of vertical integration: Why not supply the very calories they need to expend on the field? I’m surprised there are so f...
defector.com
December 17, 2025 at 1:52 PM
This might be my favorite piece of writing this year. An absolute *roast*.
“Much of the menu at 1587 Prime reads like magnetic poetry for people with expense accounts”
defector.com/two-nights-p...
“Much of the menu at 1587 Prime reads like magnetic poetry for people with expense accounts”
defector.com/two-nights-p...
Reposted by Laura Tamman
Just say women. This is taking forever.
December 16, 2025 at 7:17 PM
Just say women. This is taking forever.
Really running through the tape, isn’t he?
"None of your business," Mayor Adams says when asked why he's going to Mexico.
A few minutes later, he declined to say how the trip's being paid for.
Our story from earlier breaking news of his trip: www.nydailynews.com/2025/12/16/n...
A few minutes later, he declined to say how the trip's being paid for.
Our story from earlier breaking news of his trip: www.nydailynews.com/2025/12/16/n...
December 16, 2025 at 6:06 PM
Really running through the tape, isn’t he?
Reposted by Laura Tamman
In the early 90s this Jewish family kept getting harassed in Montana, so the entire town of Billings put up menorahs in their windows in solidarity
Now Ahmed al Ahmed is part of this tradition too, as he figuratively did the most putting up of a menorah in the window that a human being can ever do
Now Ahmed al Ahmed is part of this tradition too, as he figuratively did the most putting up of a menorah in the window that a human being can ever do
Part of the Chanukah tradition is to place the light menorah either outside or in a window where outsiders can see it. This is supposed to advertise the miracle of Chanukah. These days, it is also a way of saying, “This is a Jewish home.”
Every year I think about how it is also an act of bravery.
Every year I think about how it is also an act of bravery.
December 14, 2025 at 11:53 PM
In the early 90s this Jewish family kept getting harassed in Montana, so the entire town of Billings put up menorahs in their windows in solidarity
Now Ahmed al Ahmed is part of this tradition too, as he figuratively did the most putting up of a menorah in the window that a human being can ever do
Now Ahmed al Ahmed is part of this tradition too, as he figuratively did the most putting up of a menorah in the window that a human being can ever do
Shabbat shalom, Jared.
🚀 NOTICE: Federal US website newly registered.
https://merrychristmas.gov
Action taken by the Executive Office of the President (White House Office) at or around 2025-12-13 06:12:04.
https://merrychristmas.gov
Action taken by the Executive Office of the President (White House Office) at or around 2025-12-13 06:12:04.
merrychristmas.gov
Federal US website registered. Content may not be visible yet.
merrychristmas.gov
December 13, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Shabbat shalom, Jared.
What. the. fuck @hakeem-jeffries.bsky.social
"House Democrats on Thursday voted to return Rep. Henry Cuellar to his leadership role on the House Appropriations Committee following his presidential pardon on federal corruption charges."
JICYMI - Shameful, repulsive move by House Democrats and their leaders. Disgraceful.
JICYMI - Shameful, repulsive move by House Democrats and their leaders. Disgraceful.
Democrats Return Henry Cuellar to Powerful Spending Post After Trump Pardon
“We got ratified,” Cuellar told reporters after the vote.
www.notus.org
December 12, 2025 at 11:27 PM
What. the. fuck @hakeem-jeffries.bsky.social
Girl, same. I had to retake Algebra in 9th grade. Now I teach quantitative methods in political science.
Anyway *I* had to take remedial math my freshman year and now I teach data journalism.
New —
What the internet backlash over rising remedial math at UC San Diego misses: Yes, it's a problem that math scores are going down, but selective, well-resourced universities are arguably best equipped to help students catch up.
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/what-the-i...
What the internet backlash over rising remedial math at UC San Diego misses: Yes, it's a problem that math scores are going down, but selective, well-resourced universities are arguably best equipped to help students catch up.
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/what-the-i...
December 11, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Girl, same. I had to retake Algebra in 9th grade. Now I teach quantitative methods in political science.
Receipts!
“this paper provides some evidence that at least in 2020, BLM served as a potent message for mobilizing Black communities while not demobilizing white communities.”
“this paper provides some evidence that at least in 2020, BLM served as a potent message for mobilizing Black communities while not demobilizing white communities.”
#OpenAccess from @journalrep.bsky.social -
Do Racial Justice Frames Increase Support Among Democratic Constituencies? Evidence from Two Survey Experiments during the 2020 Georgia Senate Runoffs - https://cup.org/4oROuW3
- @tabithabonilla.bsky.social & Alvin B. Tillery, Jr
#JREP10
Do Racial Justice Frames Increase Support Among Democratic Constituencies? Evidence from Two Survey Experiments during the 2020 Georgia Senate Runoffs - https://cup.org/4oROuW3
- @tabithabonilla.bsky.social & Alvin B. Tillery, Jr
#JREP10
December 11, 2025 at 12:46 PM
Receipts!
“this paper provides some evidence that at least in 2020, BLM served as a potent message for mobilizing Black communities while not demobilizing white communities.”
“this paper provides some evidence that at least in 2020, BLM served as a potent message for mobilizing Black communities while not demobilizing white communities.”
Reposted by Laura Tamman
If you relatively recently started studying politics and think you have discovered a simple trick to generate a perpetual majority party and then win elections forever, and a large portion of the world is just too stupid to see it, I would ask you to consider that you might be overconfident.
November 18, 2025 at 2:45 PM
If you relatively recently started studying politics and think you have discovered a simple trick to generate a perpetual majority party and then win elections forever, and a large portion of the world is just too stupid to see it, I would ask you to consider that you might be overconfident.
I really wish we had RCV in federal elections.
Yuh-Line Niou, who narrowly lost to Rep. Dan Goldman in 2022 because progressives split the vote, says she won't challenge Goldman next year.
Brad Lander is expected to announce a primary campaign against Goldman tomorrow.
But Alexa Avilés is also exploring a run and has DSA's endorsement.
Brad Lander is expected to announce a primary campaign against Goldman tomorrow.
But Alexa Avilés is also exploring a run and has DSA's endorsement.
That’s why today, I am making the difficult decision to step aside so we on the left can consolidate behind a unified progressive candidacy.
December 10, 2025 at 1:00 PM
I really wish we had RCV in federal elections.
It’s true. The money is not the problem. Elected officials *perception* of the money that is the problem.
Study after study shows campaign ads barely move the needle. So where does money’s real power come from? I ranked the five ways money corrupts politics—from least to most corrosive. What I’ve learned from 15 years of tracking political money:
Money Doesn't Buy Elections. It Does Something Worse.
Campaign ads barely move the needle. The real influence is hiding in plain sight.
open.substack.com
December 6, 2025 at 10:59 PM
It’s true. The money is not the problem. Elected officials *perception* of the money that is the problem.
This photo captures a dream team of New Yorkers!
Honored to meet mayor-elect @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social yesterday (along w/ @keithpowersnyc.bsky.social). Even more honored that NYC's stellar press corps appreciates our @thegraduatecenter.bsky.social mapping work so much: x.com/katie_honan/.... Video clip & kudos via @katiehonan.bsky.social. Thx!
December 5, 2025 at 9:40 PM
This photo captures a dream team of New Yorkers!
I always had the vague sense that Frank Seddio was a corrupt character, but I couldn’t have told you why. Until now. Nick Pinto brings the receipts and the story is 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥. @nickpinto.bsky.social
One of the more insane legal stories I've covered, featuring international investors, $2 million in missing escrow funds, and Brooklyn Democratic Party macher Frank Seddio: hellgatenyc.com/frank-seddio...
The Wild and Wooly Tale of Frank Seddio and $2 Million in Missing Cash
According to a suite of lawsuits, the former head of the Brooklyn Dems is using the borough's courts to run legal interference for an alleged scammer.
hellgatenyc.com
December 5, 2025 at 6:52 PM
I always had the vague sense that Frank Seddio was a corrupt character, but I couldn’t have told you why. Until now. Nick Pinto brings the receipts and the story is 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥. @nickpinto.bsky.social
This was a profoundly inspiring event convened by my colleagues at @paceuniversity.bsky.social that filled me with NYC pride.
“The conference utilized a participatory model, replacing traditional frontal panels with animated discussions…”
documentedny.com/2025/12/03/i...
“The conference utilized a participatory model, replacing traditional frontal panels with animated discussions…”
documentedny.com/2025/12/03/i...
New York’s Future Agenda Set by Community, Not Policymakers - Documented
Using a participatory model, Documented and Pace University convened 150 leaders, students, and advocates to set priorities for the next decade, focusing on issues faced by low-wage immigrant communit...
documentedny.com
December 3, 2025 at 1:24 PM
This was a profoundly inspiring event convened by my colleagues at @paceuniversity.bsky.social that filled me with NYC pride.
“The conference utilized a participatory model, replacing traditional frontal panels with animated discussions…”
documentedny.com/2025/12/03/i...
“The conference utilized a participatory model, replacing traditional frontal panels with animated discussions…”
documentedny.com/2025/12/03/i...