David Barker

Professor of Government, American University

Chapter Member: Maryland-Washington, D.C. SSN

Areas of Expertise:

Connect with David

About David

Barker studies American political behavior, psychology, and governance. He co-founded the Program on Legislative Negotiation at American University and previously served as Director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies (2017-2024). He has served as principal investigator on over 50 externally funded research projects (totaling more than $19 million), and he has authored/coauthored over 80 publications — including five books: Rushed to Judgment [2002; Columbia University Press], Representing Red and Blue [2012; Oxford University Press], One Nation, Two Realities [2019; Oxford University Press], The Politics of Truth in Polarized America [2021; Oxford University Press], and Dealmakers: The Psychology of Legislative Compromise (2025; Oxford University Press).

Contributions | No Jargon Podcast | Member Spotlight | In the News | Publications

Contributions

In American Politics Today, Even Fact-Checkers are Viewed through Partisan Lenses

Key Findings Brief, October 2017

In the News

Quoted by Michael Walsh in "Paul Ryan, Lame Duck: What Does the Future Hold for Him?," Yahoo News, April 11, 2018.

Quoted by in "Republican Governor Tells Republicans to 'Wake Up' after Democrats Win Big in Wisconsin," The Independent, January 17, 2018.

Quoted by Stephen Loiaconi in "One Year Later, Media Still Struggles with Challenges of Covering President Trump," WJLA Washington, November 9, 2017.

Opinion: "This is Why So Many Republicans are Ready to Ignore Public Opinion on Health Care," David Barker (with Christopher Jan Carman), The Washington Post, June 27, 2017.

Opinion: "Democrats Pander. Republicans Shirk. Both Should Worry Democratic Activists," David Barker, Mischiefs of Faction, Vox, March 7, 2017.

Opinion: "Progressive Protestors Face Longer Odds than the Tea Party Did," David Barker (with Kim Nalder and Jessica Newham ), Mischiefs of Faction, Vox, March 2, 2017.

Opinion: "The Twilight of Statewide Telephone Polling?," David Barker, Fox and Hounds, February 2, 2017.

Opinion: "Viewpoints: Californians' Knowledge about Civic Finances is Very Disappoting," David Barker (with Kim Nalder and Seve Boilard), The Sacramento Bee, November 10, 2013.

Publications

One Nation, Two Realities: Dueling Fact Perceptions in American Politics (with Morgan Marietta). (Oxford University Press, Forthcoming).

Examines the causes of polarized fact perceptions- the tendency for Democrats and Republicans to believe very different things when it comes to empirical reality- and the consequences associated with that phenomenon.

"End Times Theology, The Shadow of the Future, and American Exceptionalism Regarding Global Climate Change" (with David Bearce). Political Research Quarterly 66, no. 2 (2012): 267-269.

Documents and explains the role that evangelical Christian dogma- specifically, "End Times" theology- plays in shaping conservative opposition to addressing climate change.

Representing Red and Blue: How the Culture Wars Change the Way Citizens Speak and Politicians Listen (with Christopher Jan Carman). (Oxford University Press, 2012).

Demonstrates and explains how Republicans and Democrats want, and get, very different styles of political representation in the United State, with Democratic policymakers being much more inclined to take cues from constituents and Republicans are more likely to "stand on principle."

"Competing Visions of Parental Roles and Ideological Constraint" (with James D. Tinnick ). American Political Science Review 100, no. 2 (2006): 249-263.

Presents a simplified theory of moral understanding and political ideology, showing that the differences between liberals and conservatives can be boiled down to whether one defines morality primarily in terms of empathy or discipline.

Rushed to Judgment? Talk Radio, Persuasion and American Political Behavior (Columbia University Press, 2002).

Demonstrates the independent impact of partisan media- in this case, political talk radio- over public opinion, turnout, vote choice, and political knowledge.

"Of Crusades and Culture Wars: 'Messianic' Militarism and Political Conflict in the U.S." (with Jon Hurwitz and Traci L. Nelson). The Journal of Politics 70, no. 2 (2008): 307-322.

Documents and explains the relationship between traditionalistic Christian dogma, nationalism, and militaristic policy preferences in the United States.