David L. Leal

Interests

Biography

My primary academic interest is Latino politics.  My goal is to understand how Latino individuals and communities shape – and are shaped by – politics in the United States.  Because these are complex and multifaceted dynamics, my research spans the fields of political behavior, public opinion, and public policy. 

Activities
• Member, Editorial Board, American Politics Research, Social Science Quarterly, and State Politics & Policy Quarterly
• 2006-2008: Member, American Political Science Association (APSA) Task Force on Religion and Democracy in the United States
• 2004-2006: Co-Chair, APSA Committee on the Status of Latinos y Latinas in the Profession
• 2002-2004: National Academy of Education/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellow
• 1998-99: APSA Congressional Fellow

Recent Publications
• Forthcoming. “Religion in Latino Political and Civic Lives.” In Ira Katznelson and Alan Wolfe (Eds.), Religion and Democracy in the United States: Danger or Opportunity? Princeton and New York: Princeton University Press and Russell Sage Foundation.
• Forthcoming. Rodolfo O. de la Garza, Louis DeSipio, and David L. Leal (Eds.). Beyond the Barrio: Latinos and the 2004 Elections. South Bend: University of Notre Dame Press.
• 2009. James A. McCann, Wayne A. Cornelius, and David L. Leal. “Absentee Voting and Transnational Civic Engagement among Mexican Expatriates.” In Jorge I. Domínguez, Chappell Lawson, and Alejandro Moreno (Eds.), Consolidating Mexico's Democracy: The 2006 Presidential Campaign in Comparative Perspective. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. 
• 2008. David L. Leal. Stephen A. Nuño, Jongho Lee, and Rodolfo O. de la Garza. “Latinos, Immigration, and the 2006 Midterm Elections.” PS: Political Science & Politics, v41: 309-317.
• 2008. Terri E. Givens, Gary P. Freeman, and David L. Leal (Eds.). Immigration Policy and Security: US, European, and Commonwealth Perspectives. New York: Routledge.

Recent Presentations and Talks
• “Deporting Social Capital: The Removal of Salvadoran Migrants from the United States,” with Jacqueline Hagan and Nestor Rodriguez. Paper presented at the conference “Deportation and the Development of Citizenship.” Sponsored by the Department of International Development, Refugee Studies Centre, and Centre on Migration, Policy, and Society, Oxford University. December 11-12, 2009.
• “The Latino Vote in U.S. Presidential Elections: Past, Present, and Future.” Munk Centre for International Studies, University of Toronto, October 29, 2009; Rothermere American Institute, Oxford University, March 4, 2009.
• “Veterans and Income: Is there a Penalty for Military Service?" with Curt Nichols and Jeremy Teigen. Paper presented at the 2009 Biennial International Conference of the Inter-University Seminar on Armed Forces & Society. Chicago, IL, October 23-25.
• “Latino Public Opinion: Does It Exist? Evidence from the 2008 NES.” Paper presented at the annual meeting of the America Political Science Association. Toronto, ON, Canada, September 3-6, 2009.
• “Transnational Political Engagement and the Civic Incorporation of Mexican Immigrants in the United States,” with James McCann and Wayne Cornelius. Paper presented at Mexico Week, London School of Economics, March 3, 2009.

NIH Biosketch