John Geer
Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of Political Science | Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN, UNITED STATES
National expert in political campaigns, political advertising and public opinion. Co-directs the Vanderbilt Poll.
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Biography
John G. Geer, a Distinguished Professor of Political Science and who also holds the Gertrude Conway Vanderbilt Chair, leads the Vanderbilt Project on Unity & American Democracy and serves as a senior advisor to Chancellor Daniel Diermeier on key strategic initiatives promoting democracy, open dialogue, and diversity of perspective. Geer, who previously served as the Ginny and Conner Searcy Dean of the College of Arts and Science and Vice Provost for Academic and Strategic Affairs, is a founder of both the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions and the influential Vanderbilt Poll, which conducts surveys in Tennessee and Nashville to assess the public’s thinking on topics of interest to citizens, policymakers and elected officials. He earned his PhD from Princeton University, securing his BA from Franklin and Marshall College. Geer has published 5 books and more than 20 articles on presidential politics and elections and served as Editor of The Journal of Politics (2005-2009). His most recent book is Gateways to Democracy (2023), which is now it is 5th edition. He also published In Defense of Negativity: Attacks Ads in Presidential Campaigns (University of Chicago Press), which won the Goldsmith Book prize from Harvard University (2008). He has provided extensive commentary in the news media on politics and public affairs, including FOX, CNN, NBC, CBS, MSNBC, ABC, and NPR. Geer has also authored numerous op-ed pieces for national publications, including Politico, The Washington Post, LA Times, USA Today, and Chicago Tribune. His lecturing has earned him several awards at Vanderbilt, including the “Squirrel Award,” the 2004 Birkby Prize, the 2005 Jeffrey Nordhaus Award, and the 2009 Ellen Gregg Ingalls Award for teaching excellence. He currently co-teaches a series of courses that advance our understanding of leadership and democracy in America with Jon Meacham, noted presidential historian.
Areas of Expertise (7)
Opinion Poll
Campaign Advertising
Polls
Tennessee Politics
Polling
Political Campaigns
Political Advertising
Education (3)
Princeton University: Ph.D. 1986
Princeton University: M.A. 1982
Franklin and Marshall College: B.A. 1980
Affiliations (1)
- The Journal of Politics : Editorial/Advisors Board
Links (4)
Selected Media Appearances (10)
The awkward parallels between the Biden and Trump convictions
BBC online
2024-12-03
American faith in the criminal justice department is being undermined, said John Geer, a political science professor at Vanderbilt University and head of its Project on Unity and American Democracy. He adds, however, that claims of selective prosecution amount to a “pebble thrown in a very large lake”, compared to the broader issues at play.
After Harris' Concession Speech, Who Will Be America's First Woman President?
Newsweek online
2024-11-06
A last-minute call-up, Harris was forced to campaign against the backdrop of a tough economic and geopolitical situation, but was nevertheless able "to run a very effective campaign," according to John Geer, professor of political science at Vanderbilt.
US election: Donald Trump wins White House in stunning comeback
France 24 tv
2024-11-06
Donald Trump won a sweeping victory Wednesday in the US presidential election, defeating Kamala Harris to complete an astonishing political comeback that sent shock waves around the world. For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective on the 2024 US presidential election, FRANCE 24's Nadia Massih is joined by Dr. John G. Geer, Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Co-Director of Vanderbilt Poll at Vanderbilt University.
Most Americans think democracy is in danger, per new Vanderbilt poll
Axios online
2024-10-16
The Unity Poll is meant to offer "regular snapshots of Americans' sense of national political unity and their faith in the country's democratic institutions," Vanderbilt professor John Geer said in a statement.
Republican allies boost longshot candidate Jill Stein as Democrats try to remove her from ballots in battleground states
CBS News online
2024-09-17
"It's smart politics, on the Trump end, to try to siphon votes off from Harris," said John Geer, political science professor at Vanderbilt University. "Politics is not for the faint of heart, and you've got to be ready for a lot of 'unfair' things to happen because it's war, it's a winner takes all contest, and finishing second place is no consolation."
‘The Justins’ seem like civil rights-era throwbacks. But 2023 isn’t 1968.
The Washington Post online
2023-08-05
John Geer, a Vanderbilt University political scientist who founded a longtime poll that surveys Tennessee voters twice a year, said the men face a heavily gerrymandered state where the legislature is much more Republican and conservative than state voters.
Is Tennessee a democracy?
The Atlantic online
2023-07-18
Still others think the harder shift inside the Republican Party began more recently, after it gained full control. John Geer, a Vanderbilt political scientist, told me that whenever a supermajority controls a legislature for a long period of time, “those in the minority have no political ability to effect change, and so they stop acting like politicians and instead become activists,” a thesis that explains the actions of the Tennessee Three, as well as the feeling that politics has become a form of performance art, only distantly related to real life.
After 1st term, Gov. Lee unopposed in GOP primary election
AP News online
2022-07-13
“Bill Lee has been popular during his time as governor. He started out in the low 60s, but it’s kind of moved down now to mid the mid to high 50s ... which most governors would covet immediately,” said John Geer, a Vanderbilt University dean who co-directs the school’s public policy poll.
As right-wing violence spreads, Republicans duck responsibility
Los Angeles Times online
2022-05-20
And those people “show up in huge numbers in primaries,” said Vanderbilt University political scientist professor John Geer. Many lawmakers worry far more about angering primary voters than about the general election since the lion’s share of congressional districts aren’t competitive in general elections, Geer said.
A Deadly Political Divide
U.S. News & World Report online
2021-07-23
For many vaccine-reluctant or vaccine-hostile Republicans, "it's Big Brother meets 'Lord of the Flies,'" says John Geer, a Vanderbilt University professor and co-director of a recent Vanderbilt University poll showing a deep partisan divide on vaccines and the danger of the pandemic. That survey found that 74% of Republicans agreed with the statement that the pandemic "is largely over and things should go back to the way they were," while 14% of Democrats agreed.
Selected Articles (4)
Rethinking the Concept of Negativity: An Empirical Approach
Political Research QuarterlyKeena Lipsitz, John G. Geer
2017 Over the last twenty years, there has been a tremendous amount written on “negativity” in political campaigns. Yet, there is a conceptual disconnect between the definition of negativity used by researchers and how citizens define negativity. In this article, we show how large this disparity is and what its consequences are.
Negativity, Information, and Candidate Position-Taking
Political CommunicationJohn G. Geer & Lynn Vavreck
2016-04-14
2016 The purpose of this paper is to advance our understanding of how negativity affects voters’ assessments of the positions candidates take on issues. We argue that the inferences people make about candidates’ positions on issues differ depending on whether the information they encounter comes from attack or self-promotional statements.
Courting the Women’s Vote: The Emotional, Cognitive, and Persuasive Effects of Gender-Based Appeals in Campaign Advertisements
Political BehaviorCindy D. Kam, Allison M. N. Archer, John G. Geer
2016-06-01
2016 In this paper, we examine the ways in which citizens emotionally react to and cognitively process campaign advertisements that contain group-based appeals. Specifically, we focus on the emotional, cognitive, and persuasive effects of three campaign ads aired during the 2012 election campaign that contained explicit appeals to women voters.
The News Media and the Rise of Negativity in Presidential Campaigns
PS: Political Science & PoliticsJohn G. Geer
2012-06-12
2012 Negative ads have become increasingly common in presidential campaigns. Figure 1 well illustrates this point (see also West 2009). The upcoming 2012 elections will almost surely augment this upward trend of more and more negativity.
