Ashley Sorensen

She/Her

Links

I am a Ph.D. Candidate (ABD) in Political Science and a Visiting Instructor at Macalester College. My research lies at the intersection of political opinion, political behavior, and representation. I study the impact of social identities like race, gender, and class on political attitudes, women's barriers to elected office, and the effects of Congressional diversity on trust in government. I enjoy playing board games, running with my dogs, and completing home renovation projects.

Educational Background & Specialties

Open Close

Educational Background

B.A. : Political Science (Departmental Honors) and Critical Identity Studies, Beloit College, 2018
M.A. : Political Science, University of Minnesota, 2021

Specialties

Public Opinion
Gender, Race, and Class
Congressional Campaigns and Elections
Survey and Experimental Methods
Measurement, Scaling, and Dimensional Analysis

Publications

Open Close

Publications

. Intersectionality in Campaign Finance: The Impact of Gender and Race on U.S. House Elections. .
Sorensen, Ashley. “Poised to Run: Democratic Women’s Pathways to Electoral Success.” Gender Policy Report, August 2021
Sorensen, Ashley. “Representation Matters: Women & Working-Class Diversity in Congress.” Gender Policy Report, October 2021.
Sorensen, Ashley. “The Good and Bad about Women Donors.” Center for Responsive Politics, August 2016
Sorensen, Ashley and Philip Chen. “She Works Hard for the Money: Explaining Gender and Racial Disparities in Campaign Finance.” (Under Review)
. Seeing is Believing: How Working-Class Members of Congress Impact Political Trust. .

Activities

Open Close

Activities

Outreach

American Political Science Association (APSA) 2021
Midwest Political Science Association (MPSA) 2018, 2019, 2021
Southern Political Science Association (SPSA) 2019, 2020

Professional

Research Assistant: University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN : Merged data files, managed data, made slides, wrote R code for analyzing speeches, created codebooks, collected data on members of Congress & congressional elections, and ran models for Dr. Kathryn Pearson . Fall 2019, Spring 2020, Fall 2021
Research and Data Analyst: Citizen Congress, Washington, D.C.: Scheduled and wrote Vote of the Day questions for app users Wrote code for importing, cleaning, and analyzing app users’ information in STATA and R Oversaw the database and the app’s backend additions Drafted a user feedback survey, made political trivia quizzes, and crafted ideological vote scores for app users. (March 2020-January 2021)
Administrative Fellow: Center for the Study of Political Psychology, Minneapolis, MN.: Organize and help coordinate visits from political psychologists. (September 2021-Present)

Awards

Open Close

Awards

U of MN Political Science Department Claggett Research Fellowship, 2022 ($7,000), U of MN Political Science Department Claggett Research Fellowship, 2022 ($7,000)
Research Grant, Center for the Study of Political Psychology, 2022 ($1,000), Research Grant, Center for the Study of Political Psychology, 2022 ($1,000)
The CLA-RIGS Gender Policy Report, May 2021-August 2021 ($4,000)
ICPSR Box-Steffensmeier Scholarship, June-July 2021
Conference Participation Grant, Center for the Study of Political Psychology, 2021 ($900)
Ornstein Fellowship in American Politics Award, May 2021 ($3,000)
National Science Foundation GRFP Honorable Mention, 2020
Graduate Research Partnership Program, College of Liberal Arts, May 2020-August 2020 ($4,000)
Pilot Research Grant, Center for the Study of Political Psychology, 2020 ($500)
Pilot Research Grant, Center for the Study of Political Psychology, 2019 ($400)
National Harry S. Truman Scholar, 2017 ($30,000)
U of MN College of Liberal Arts Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship, 2022, U of MN College of Liberal Arts Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship, 2022