Steve Rosenzweig
@scrosenzweig.bsky.social
Political scientist studying political violence, ethnic politics, polarization, democratization and democratic erosion. Aspiring ski bum. Book: tinyurl.com/2z2r3rnw
Pinned
Voter Backlash and Elite Misperception
Cambridge Core - African Government, Politics and Policy - Voter Backlash and Elite Misperception
www.cambridge.org
Welcome to new followers! I'm a political scientist studying political (especially election-related) violence, ethnic politics, and polarization, as well as democratization and democratic erosion. Much of my research is on Kenya. I also like to put the U.S. in comparative perspective. Recent book:
I miss Harry Reid
November 10, 2025 at 10:05 PM
I miss Harry Reid
Reposted by Steve Rosenzweig
IN NEW ISSUE: Ethnic voting - @scrosenzweig.bsky.social examines the subject through the lens of group norms & social pressure using data from Africa. Read in more: buff.ly/YYogOYs
#polsci @polstudiesassoc.bsky.social @uoypolitics.bsky.social @sagepub.com #polsci #poisky
#polsci @polstudiesassoc.bsky.social @uoypolitics.bsky.social @sagepub.com #polsci #poisky
November 9, 2025 at 10:00 PM
IN NEW ISSUE: Ethnic voting - @scrosenzweig.bsky.social examines the subject through the lens of group norms & social pressure using data from Africa. Read in more: buff.ly/YYogOYs
#polsci @polstudiesassoc.bsky.social @uoypolitics.bsky.social @sagepub.com #polsci #poisky
#polsci @polstudiesassoc.bsky.social @uoypolitics.bsky.social @sagepub.com #polsci #poisky
That multiple NYS races show up on this list is a huge indictment of the New York Democratic Party. Lost all races in Nassau County, where candidates ran on their opposition to Mamdani, while just across the Sound in Westchester, Ken Jenkins—who did not—cruised to victory with 66% of the vote.
I've gotten this question a bunch.
Of the races I was watching on my cheat sheet, here are the GOP wins:
—Nassau County executive & DA
—mayor of Columbia, SC
—mayor of Binghamton, NY
—mayor of Manchester, NH
—prosecutor of Virginia Beach
—a special election for NH state House
note: all holds
Of the races I was watching on my cheat sheet, here are the GOP wins:
—Nassau County executive & DA
—mayor of Columbia, SC
—mayor of Binghamton, NY
—mayor of Manchester, NH
—prosecutor of Virginia Beach
—a special election for NH state House
note: all holds
I’m inspired to ask—did Republicans win ANYWHERE??
November 5, 2025 at 2:34 PM
That multiple NYS races show up on this list is a huge indictment of the New York Democratic Party. Lost all races in Nassau County, where candidates ran on their opposition to Mamdani, while just across the Sound in Westchester, Ken Jenkins—who did not—cruised to victory with 66% of the vote.
Reposted by Steve Rosenzweig
It's not in this article but the government asserts that the sandwich was thrown at "point blank range", which implies subway sandwiches have defined effective weapon ranges of varying lethality, and I would like to see the government's chart of these ranges.
Trial Begins for Man Accused of Lobbing a Sandwich at a Federal Agent www.nytimes.com/2025/11/03/u...
Trial Begins for Man Accused of Lobbing a Sandwich at a Federal Agent
www.nytimes.com
November 3, 2025 at 9:14 PM
It's not in this article but the government asserts that the sandwich was thrown at "point blank range", which implies subway sandwiches have defined effective weapon ranges of varying lethality, and I would like to see the government's chart of these ranges.
Great analysis of the situation in Tanzania by Dan Paget
Has Tanzania Reached Its Breaking Point? | Journal of Democracy
President Hassan promised Tanzanians freedom, transparency, and reform. Instead, she has delivered repression, violence, and arrests as she bars anyone who dares challenge her.
www.journalofdemocracy.org
October 31, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Great analysis of the situation in Tanzania by Dan Paget
I’m sure I’m not the first to say this, but I can’t see a photo of Bovino without thinking he’s Col. Lockjaw from One Battle After Another
NEW: This guy has been working hard to make himself the face of Trump's deportation push in Chicago. He knows what that could mean for his own future career—because he knows Trump is watching.
www.thebulwark.com/p/this-man-i...
www.thebulwark.com/p/this-man-i...
This Man Is the Face of the Future
Greg Bovino is next.
www.thebulwark.com
October 30, 2025 at 4:43 PM
I’m sure I’m not the first to say this, but I can’t see a photo of Bovino without thinking he’s Col. Lockjaw from One Battle After Another
This is an excellent piece on Raila Odinga and how his politics fit into Kenyan politics since independence writ large
PATRICK GATHARA - Raila Odinga and the Politics of Power - The Elephant
Predicating change on capturing power makes politics a zero-sum game.
www.theelephant.info
October 27, 2025 at 2:19 PM
This is an excellent piece on Raila Odinga and how his politics fit into Kenyan politics since independence writ large
Reposted by Steve Rosenzweig
October 18, 2025 at 8:39 PM
Reposted by Steve Rosenzweig
So dangerous that they must be blown into small pieces rather than arrested … unless they are actually captured in which case they may go home with a warning. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/18/u...
October 18, 2025 at 5:51 PM
So dangerous that they must be blown into small pieces rather than arrested … unless they are actually captured in which case they may go home with a warning. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/18/u...
This is a great paper that I had a chance to read an earlier version of as a committee member for the @epovb.bsky.social Best Paper award (which it won).
🚨 out at @apsrjournal.bsky.social 🚨
➡️ We ran a large media literacy experiment to fight misinformation
➡️ 13,500 students, 583 villages in Bihar, India
➡️Created custom misinfo curriculum of 4 months
➡️Partnered w the government to roll it out as an official course in classrooms
hopeful findings👇🏽
➡️ We ran a large media literacy experiment to fight misinformation
➡️ 13,500 students, 583 villages in Bihar, India
➡️Created custom misinfo curriculum of 4 months
➡️Partnered w the government to roll it out as an official course in classrooms
hopeful findings👇🏽
October 15, 2025 at 4:47 PM
This is a great paper that I had a chance to read an earlier version of as a committee member for the @epovb.bsky.social Best Paper award (which it won).
Reposted by Steve Rosenzweig
Why most polls overstate support for political violence
www.gelliottmorris.com/p/most-polls...
www.gelliottmorris.com/p/most-polls...
Why most polls overstate support for political violence
Misperceptions about the popularity of violence increase public support for it — but you can help change that.
www.gelliottmorris.com
October 7, 2025 at 12:22 PM
Why most polls overstate support for political violence
www.gelliottmorris.com/p/most-polls...
www.gelliottmorris.com/p/most-polls...
Reposted by Steve Rosenzweig
So happy to see this out! We caution against excessive optimism that the opposition will restore countries back to their democratic trajectories after electoral victory. Weakened institutions and the memory of repression makes it tempting to continue rather than buck the trend of autocratization.
Conventional wisdom says that, once in power, opposition parties will return backsliding countries to the democratic path. In reality, not only is this not true, but it is not uncommon for the opposition to adopt the autocratic habits of the regime they replaced.
muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...
1/2
muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...
1/2
October 1, 2025 at 5:27 PM
So happy to see this out! We caution against excessive optimism that the opposition will restore countries back to their democratic trajectories after electoral victory. Weakened institutions and the memory of repression makes it tempting to continue rather than buck the trend of autocratization.
More evidence of backlash against politicians associated with political violence
📢 New publication! 📢
Does political violence backfire in mature democracies?
In this article, @kkrakows.bsky.social (@kingscollegelondon.bsky.social) and @juansemorales.bsky.social (Wilfrid Laurier University) examine how the January 6 US Capitol Attack affected public support for US politicians.
Does political violence backfire in mature democracies?
In this article, @kkrakows.bsky.social (@kingscollegelondon.bsky.social) and @juansemorales.bsky.social (Wilfrid Laurier University) examine how the January 6 US Capitol Attack affected public support for US politicians.
October 1, 2025 at 4:24 PM
More evidence of backlash against politicians associated with political violence
Reposted by Steve Rosenzweig
🚨 New Bright Line Watch report on state of US democracy
brightlinewatch.org/violence-red...
-Expert ratings ~= since April but ↓ substantially since January
-US now most closely resembles an illiberal democracy
-Partisan gap in democracy ratings highest since 2017
Full thread of results below
brightlinewatch.org/violence-red...
-Expert ratings ~= since April but ↓ substantially since January
-US now most closely resembles an illiberal democracy
-Partisan gap in democracy ratings highest since 2017
Full thread of results below
October 1, 2025 at 2:10 PM
🚨 New Bright Line Watch report on state of US democracy
brightlinewatch.org/violence-red...
-Expert ratings ~= since April but ↓ substantially since January
-US now most closely resembles an illiberal democracy
-Partisan gap in democracy ratings highest since 2017
Full thread of results below
brightlinewatch.org/violence-red...
-Expert ratings ~= since April but ↓ substantially since January
-US now most closely resembles an illiberal democracy
-Partisan gap in democracy ratings highest since 2017
Full thread of results below
Reposted by Steve Rosenzweig
Here's 90 minutes with @adamprz.bsky.social,
Sue Stokes, Steven Levitsky, and
@dziblatt.bsky.social on the state of American democracy right now. It was a great honor for me to be able to convene this set of people to speak together at this moment. Please share! open.spotify.com/episode/0F8W...
Sue Stokes, Steven Levitsky, and
@dziblatt.bsky.social on the state of American democracy right now. It was a great honor for me to be able to convene this set of people to speak together at this moment. Please share! open.spotify.com/episode/0F8W...
The State of American Democracy with Steven Levitsky, Adam Przeworski, Susan Stokes and Daniel Ziblatt | The Civic Forum E10
Spotify video
open.spotify.com
September 24, 2025 at 8:10 PM
Here's 90 minutes with @adamprz.bsky.social,
Sue Stokes, Steven Levitsky, and
@dziblatt.bsky.social on the state of American democracy right now. It was a great honor for me to be able to convene this set of people to speak together at this moment. Please share! open.spotify.com/episode/0F8W...
Sue Stokes, Steven Levitsky, and
@dziblatt.bsky.social on the state of American democracy right now. It was a great honor for me to be able to convene this set of people to speak together at this moment. Please share! open.spotify.com/episode/0F8W...
Reposted by Steve Rosenzweig
We must stand resolutely against political assassination and political violence of all kinds, and just as resolutely against everyone who exploits acts of violence as the pretext or excuse for political repression of political opponents.
Very, very bad stuff coming from leading right-wingers
September 10, 2025 at 9:12 PM
We must stand resolutely against political assassination and political violence of all kinds, and just as resolutely against everyone who exploits acts of violence as the pretext or excuse for political repression of political opponents.
Reposted by Steve Rosenzweig
Information environment has reached its grotesque conclusion in that there is a very real killer out there who has not been identified, apprehended, or investigated, a detail practically inconsequential to nearly every commentator’s purposes.
September 10, 2025 at 9:27 PM
Information environment has reached its grotesque conclusion in that there is a very real killer out there who has not been identified, apprehended, or investigated, a detail practically inconsequential to nearly every commentator’s purposes.
Reposted by Steve Rosenzweig
I mean what on earth are district court judges supposed to do at this point other than get the message from SCOTUS to let Trump do whatever he wants to no matter what the law says.
September 8, 2025 at 4:14 PM
I mean what on earth are district court judges supposed to do at this point other than get the message from SCOTUS to let Trump do whatever he wants to no matter what the law says.
Reposted by Steve Rosenzweig
🚨🚨🚨Announcing a special issue on “Political Violence in Democracies” published by @jpeaceresearch.bsky.social and edited by @andrearuggeri.bsky.social, U Daxecker, and me. In this very long 🧵, I will introduce the special issue with its 14 articles. doi.org/10.1177/0022...
Political violence in democracies: An Introduction - Andrea Ruggeri, Ursula Daxecker, Neeraj Prasad, 2025
It is well established that democracies experience less political violence than autocracies. Paradoxically, however, this widely accepted fact has led scholars ...
doi.org
September 8, 2025 at 11:09 AM
🚨🚨🚨Announcing a special issue on “Political Violence in Democracies” published by @jpeaceresearch.bsky.social and edited by @andrearuggeri.bsky.social, U Daxecker, and me. In this very long 🧵, I will introduce the special issue with its 14 articles. doi.org/10.1177/0022...
Reposted by Steve Rosenzweig
Reposted by Steve Rosenzweig
Warnings From Weimar
Why bargaining with authoritarians fails.
www.foreignaffairs.com
August 28, 2025 at 10:17 AM
Reposted by Steve Rosenzweig
over the last week, several political scientists i trust have declared trump a dictator and that america is not a full functioning democracy anymore. see here:
goodpoliticsbadpolitics.substack.com/p/where-we-a...
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-author...
i think making a list clarifies this:
goodpoliticsbadpolitics.substack.com/p/where-we-a...
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-author...
i think making a list clarifies this:
August 28, 2025 at 2:14 PM
over the last week, several political scientists i trust have declared trump a dictator and that america is not a full functioning democracy anymore. see here:
goodpoliticsbadpolitics.substack.com/p/where-we-a...
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-author...
i think making a list clarifies this:
goodpoliticsbadpolitics.substack.com/p/where-we-a...
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-author...
i think making a list clarifies this:
Reposted by Steve Rosenzweig
I am hiring! 1-2 post-docs to join my project on political violence in democracies at @uupeace.bsky.social!
We are looking for 1–2 postdoctoral researchers to join the project “Political Violence in Democracies”, led by @hannefjelde.bsky.social
📌 Full-time, 2-year postdoctoral position
📆 Start Date: Dec 1, (or by agreement)
📍 Location: Uppsala
⏳ Apply by: Oct 1
Read more: www.uu.se/en/about-uu/...
📌 Full-time, 2-year postdoctoral position
📆 Start Date: Dec 1, (or by agreement)
📍 Location: Uppsala
⏳ Apply by: Oct 1
Read more: www.uu.se/en/about-uu/...
August 19, 2025 at 7:19 AM
I am hiring! 1-2 post-docs to join my project on political violence in democracies at @uupeace.bsky.social!
Reposted by Steve Rosenzweig
“Conceptualizing Election-Related Violence” in Terrorism and Political Violence www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Conceptualizing Election-Related Violence
Electoral violence has become an increasingly common manifestation of political violence around the globe. Reflecting the growing significance of this form of violence, there has been a sharp rise ...
www.tandfonline.com
August 6, 2025 at 3:03 PM
“Conceptualizing Election-Related Violence” in Terrorism and Political Violence www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....