Dr. Travis N. Taylor earned his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Kentucky, with a focus on public opinion, state judicial elections, and criminal justice policy.

Dr. Taylor’s current research focuses on the policy implications of public opinion and judicial elections in the states. He is more specifically investigating how incarceration rates and racial disparities in state prisons differ based on the selection mechanism for trial court judges. His research in this area also explores the responsiveness of trial court judges in the states to public opinion on crime and punishment. More broadly, he is interested in research on political campaigns, especially in state and local campaigns, and in voter and elite behavior. He is also interested in researching the political consultancy, political psychology, and state elections policy.

Completing his identity as a teacher-scholar, Dr. Taylor is an innovative and successful teacher. He has held instructional positions at the George Washington University and New York University, where he taught graduate-level courses in applied politics, and at the University of Kentucky, were he taught undergraduate courses in American politics, with an emphasis on public law, courts, judicial politics, and state and local government. Dr. Taylor is also interested in teaching courses on American political institutions, political parties, campaigns and elections, public policy, and public administration.

In addition to the Ph.D., Dr. Taylor holds a Master’s Degree in Political Science from UK (August 2019), a Master’s Degree in Political Management from the George Washington University (May 2014), and a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from the University of Louisiana (December 2010), and had a successful career as a campaign consultant and legislative staffer.

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