Michael Tesler

Biography

Michael Tesler, Ph.D., is Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Irvine. A scholar of American political behavior, Tesler has focused his research on the role of racial attitudes, identity politics, and public opinion in contemporary American elections and politics.

Tesler is the author or co-author of three books examining race and identity in recent presidential elections. His work includes Obama's Race: The 2008 Election and the Dream of a Post-Racial America (2010, with David O. Sears), Post-Racial or Most Racial? Race and Politics in the Obama Era (2016), and Identity Crisis: The 2016 Presidential Campaign and the Battle for the Meaning of America (2018, with John Sides and Lynn Vavreck). His research has appeared in journals such as the American Journal of Political Science, the Journal of Politics, and Political Communication, and he has contributed analysis to outlets including the Washington Post, FiveThirtyEight, and the New York Times.

Tesler received his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2011. He has served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Politics and Political Behavior, and as a Contributing Editor for the Washington Post's Monkey Cage blog. He has been Principal Investigator on multiple NSF-funded survey projects examining racial attitudes and political behavior.

Education

• Ph.D. in Political Science, University of California, Los Angeles, 2011
• M.A. in Political Science, University of California, Los Angeles, 2009
• B.A. in Political Science, University of California, Los Angeles, 2005

Distinctions

• Richard E. Neustadt Book Prize for Identity Crisis, Presidents and Executive Politics Section of APSA, 2019
• Emerging Scholar Award, Elections, Public Opinion and Voting Behavior Section of APSA, 2018
• Politico 50 List of thinkers, doers and visionaries transforming American politics, Politico Magazine, 2016
• Most Ominous Book of 2018 for Identity Crisis, Washington Post, 2018
• Swarr Prize for Best Graduate Student Paper, UCLA Political Science Department, 2009
• Outstanding Academic Title of 2011 for Obama's Race, Choice, 2011
• Associate Dean's Commendations for Outstanding Teaching Evaluations, UCI Social Sciences, 2014-2020
• Salomon Research Award, Brown University, 2012