Christopher S. Warshaw

Christopher S. Warshaw is a professor at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University. His research focuses on American politics, particularly political representation, public opinion, and elections. Much of his work examines how well elections and policy outcomes reflect the preferences of ordinary citizens, with implications for debates over redistricting, polarization, and democratic accountability. He is a leading scholar on political representation in state and local governments. He coauthored the award-winning book Dynamic Democracy: Public Opinion, Elections, and Policymaking in the American States (University of Chicago Press, 2022). Warshaw has received major grants from the Russell Sage Foundation and the Democracy Fund. His research has been widely covered in the media, and his non-academic writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Philadelphia Inquirer. He holds a PhD in political science from Stanford University, a JD from Stanford Law School, and a BA in economics and political science from Williams College. 

Warshaw’s project, “Polarization in Local Governments,” will offer a holistic examination of political polarization in local governments in the United States. This project will provide insights into the factors that drive polarization at the local level and may provide clues about how polarization could be reduced at other levels of government in the United States.

May 2026