Isaiah Johnson is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Politics, and a graduate affiliate with the Center for the Study of Democratic Politics at Princeton University. He is currently on the job market.

Isaiah studies American politics with a focus on the political economy of race. His research examines how members of Congress navigate uncertainty when making decisions, particularly in contexts where electoral incentives and racial dynamics intersect. Isaiah employs formal theory to model the strategic choices legislators face and use quantitative methods to test these predictions in empirical settings. By combining theoretical and empirical approaches, his research advances our understanding of how race structures institutional incentives and decision-making in American politics.

Isaiah received a B.S. and M.A. in Political Science from the University of Houston in 2019 and 2021.

Recent Publications

• Rottinghaus, Brandon and Isaiah Johnson. Forthcoming. “Presidential ‘Pitches’ and White House Pressure: Inter-Personal Presidential Persuasion and in a Shared Lawmaking Environment.” Presidential Studies Quarterly.
• Johnson, Isaiah and Guillermo Ortega. 2021. “Diversity and School Boards: An Analysis of Race, Geography, and Education Policy in Houston School Districts.” University of Houston Center for Mexican American Studies.