Interests

My research lies at the intersection of two related subfields – American political development and the American presidency. My primary interest is examining whether presidents can serve as agents of institutional change, establishing new institutional resources and precedents for presidential action through strategic action and novel interpretations of their authority, even when faced with external constraints. I apply this framework to historical cases of insurrection, rebellion, and law-breaking to identify whether nineteenth-century presidents expanded the accepted notions of presidential power despite prevailing ideas of a limited executive during this era of American institutional development.

Publications

Fontaine, S. & Gomez, D. (2020). “Going Social: A Comparative Analysis of Presidents’ Official and Social Media Messages.” Presidential Studies Quarterly.

Working Papers

“Cleveland, Harrison, and the Law Enforcement Presidency.” Presented at the Southern Political Science Association Annual Meeting, 2025.

“Presidents, Persistent Leadership, and National Service.” Presented at the American Political Science Association Annual Meeting, 2022.

“Trumpism and the Revolving Door: Tracing the Changing Incentives and Post-Congressional Opportunities of Trump Republicans.” Presented at the Western Political Science Association Annual Meeting, 2022 (with Daniel Gomez).

Research Experience

I have conducted extensive archival research at the Library of Congress (digitized and physical collections), National Archives, and Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. My research experience also includes process tracing, case studies, qualitative and quantitative content analysis, and program assessment. Competence in R, Stata, and Nvivo.