Andrew Gooch

Andrew Gooch, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science and Economics at Rowan University, part of the College of Humanities & Social Sciences. His research focuses on American public policy, political behavior, electoral politics, and policy repositioning (flip-flopping). He completed a Ph.D. in Political Science at UCLA and held a postdoctoral position at Yale University's Institution for Social and Policy Studies and Center for the Study of American Politics.

Before academia, he worked as a project manager at a Washington, D.C. political polling firm. His research has been published in journals like Political Communication and Political Behavior, and he is currently working on a book about policy repositioning strategies. His work employs experimental methods to analyze voter reactions to candidate behavior, media criticism, and policy justifications.

Key themes in his research include the effects of candidate repositioning on public perception, media backfire effects, and the interplay between policy positions and valence evaluations. His experimental studies often compare donor and mass public responses to political messaging.

He has conducted large-scale field experiments on voter turnout and ballot secrecy, as well as methodological research on survey modes and cognitive skill assessments. His work bridges empirical political science with practical insights from electoral campaigns and policy analysis.