About

I am the Alexander P. Lamis Associate Professor in American Politics in the Department of Political Science at Case Western Reserve University. My research and teaching interests are in American politics and engage with a range of topics, including interest groups and parties; gun politics; political identity, ideology, and behavior; inequality and representation; and American political development.

I am the author of Firepower: How the NRA Turned Gun Owners into a Political Force, which uses the case of the National Rifle Association to identify and explain how interest groups can shape their members’ behavior in ways that help them advance their policy agendas and gain influence within political parties. My research has appeared (or will appear) in the American Political Science Review, Journal of Politics, Perspectives on Politics, Policy Studies Journal, PS: Political Science and Politics, Social Science Quarterly, and the Journal of Political Science Education. It has also been discussed in a wide range of media outlets, including the New York Times, New Yorker, NBC News, NPR, Guardian, Washington Post, Vox, FiveThirtyEight, and Time. It was also featured in The Price of Freedom, a documentary that premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.

I was an Assistant Professor at Barnard College, Columbia University from 2019 to 2022 and a National Fellow at the University of Virginia’s Jefferson Scholars Foundation during the 2018-2019 academic year. I received my PhD from Northwestern University and BA from Allegheny College.

More information can be found on Matt’s personal website: www.matthewlacombe.com

Download / View CV