Co-Winner (with Jesse Rhodes and Brian Schaffner) of the  Best Paper Award, from the Class and Inequality Section of the American Political Science Association. "Understanding Inequality and Representation in Local Politics."

Best Paper Award

Co-Winner (with Brian Schaffner) of the 2016 Virginia Gray Best Book Award for the best political science book published on the subject of U.S. state politics or policy in the preceding three calendar years. Campaign Finance and Political Polarization: When Purists Prevail (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press: 2015).

Virginia Gray Best Book Award

UMass Amherst Department of Political Science

UMass Poll

The perils of choosing a nominee at the Democratic convention

Americans just elected two lesbian governors. Have attitudes changed that much?

MAGA was the real winner of the Ohio Republican primary

How ranked-choice voting saved the Virginia GOP from itself

Too Much Democracy Is Bad for Democracy

Located in western Massachusetts, UMass Amherst is the flagship campus of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' five-campus University of Massachusetts system. UMass Amherst is a nationally recognized teaching and research institution with a current enrollment of about 28,500 students.

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Ray La Raja's areas of expertise include political parties, interest groups, campaign finance, elections, political participation, American state and local politics, public policy and political reform.  He is co-founder and associate director of the UMass Poll, which conducts public opinion research in Massachusetts and the United States to inform policymaking.

Public Policy and Organizations

Elections and Polling

Political Science

Campaign Finance

American Politics

UMass Amherst Faculty Profile

Profile in The Conversation

ray la raja on BBC

BBC News: Business Today

Breaking down the 2024 US presidential election campaign funds

Here are the five statewide questions likely to appear on November’s ballot

"You're gonna see just millions being poured in": After Bowman defeat, AIPAC targets Cori Bush

Will State GOPs Run Out of Money?

Ron DeSantis' Poop Map During Gavin Newsom Debate Brutally Mocked

For Some Key Voters, Trump Has Become Toxic

Matt Gaetz brought in record political donations as he opposed Kevin McCarthy for speaker

More than half of Mass. Republicans considered leaving the state in the past year, poll finds

Trump committee raised millions to fight election fraud before Jan. 6. Here's how that money was spent.

Professor of Political Science / Associate  Director of UMass Poll

Ray La Raja is associate professor of political science and associate director of UMass Poll. His research focuses on the democratic process, specifically how elected leaders are chosen in the US; campaign finance; and political parties and interest groups. With UMass Poll, he helps conduct public opinion surveys, both statewide and nationally, using internet polling technology.

Social Science Matters: Ray la Raja, Associate Professor of Political Science

Ray La Raja - Director of Program Innovation, College of Social and Behavioural Sciences, The University of Massachusetts Amherst

Ray La Raja

Ray La Raja - About LSEF - UMass Scholarship for Indian students

The novel coronavirus has dominated our thoughts and news headlines. It’s strange to think three weeks ago, the race for the 2020 Democratic nomination was the biggest story here in the United States. Now, many are wondering how the election process should be adjusted to keep people safe from COVID-19. For perspective on this and more Carrie Saldo spoke with UMass Amherst Professor of Political Science Ray La Raja.

Ray La Raja discusses political impact of COVID-19

Political Impact of COVID-19 with Prof. Ray La Raja | Connecting Point | March 27, 2020

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