Professor
PGH 393
713-743-3925
bjrottinghaus@uh.edu

Research Interests

Presidency (leadership, nominations)
Texas politics
Public opinion
Political communication
Executive-legislative relations
Political scandal

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Biographical Summary

Brandon Rottinghaus holds a Ph.D. in political science from Northwestern University.  His teaching and research interests include the presidency and Texas politics.  His work on these subjects has appeared in several books and dozens of academic journals and edited volumes.  Most recently he is author of the book Inside Texas Politics (Oxford University Press).  He is also the co-founding designer of the Presidential Proclamations Project at the University of Houston, an online resource documenting presidential use of unilateral powers through executive proclamation.  He has provided commentary on national (New York Times, Washington Post, Politico) and Texas politics (Houston Chronicle, Dallas Morning News, Texas Tribune, Tyler Morning Telegraph, El Paso Times, San Antonio News Express, Lubbock Avalanche Journal) in hundreds of media outlets and is the co-host of Political Perspectives, a digital series on Houston Public Media and Monday Morning Politics on Houston’s Fox 26.

Education

Ph.D., Northwestern University
M.A., Northwestern University
B.A., Purdue University

Selected Publications

Inside Texas Politics: Politics, Policy and Personality in the Lone Star State (2015). Oxford University Press.

The Institutional Effects of Executive Scandal (2015). New York: Cambridge University Press.

The Provisional Pulpit: Modern Presidential Leadership of Public Opinion (2010). (Joseph V. Hughes Jr. and Holly O. Hughes Series in the Presidency and Leadership). College Station: Texas A&M University Press.

“Assessing the Unilateral Presidency: Constraints and Contingencies.” Congress & The Presidency, Fall 2015.  Edited from a conference hosted at UH.

“Skeletons in the White House Closets: An Empirical Investigation into Modern Presidential Scandals.” (2012).  Political Science Quarterly 127 (2): 213-239.  With Scott Basinger.

“Stonewalling: Explaining Presidential Behavior During Scandal.” (2012).  Political Research Quarterly 65(2): 290-302. With Scott Basinger.

"The Politics of Requesting Appointments: Congressional Requests in the Appointment and Nomination Process." (2011).  Political Research Quarterly 64 (1): 31-44.  With Dan Bergan