Ray La Raja
Professor of Political Science / Associate Director of UMass Poll | University of Massachusetts Amherst
Amherst, MA, UNITED STATES
Ray La Raja's research interests include political parties, interest groups, elections, campaign finance and political participation.
Expertise (5)
Public Policy and Organizations
Elections and Polling
Political Science
Campaign Finance
American Politics
Biography
Ray La Raja's areas of expertise include political parties, interest groups, campaign finance, elections, political participation, American state and local politics, public policy and political reform. He is co-founder and associate director of the UMass Poll, which conducts public opinion research in Massachusetts and the United States to inform policymaking.
Video
Publications:
Documents:
Photos:
Videos:
Audio/Podcasts:
Education (3)
University of California, Berkeley: Ph.D., Political Science
Harvard University: Master in Public Policy, Kennedy School of Government
Harvard University: A.B., History and Literature
Links (2)
Select Recent Media Coverage (10)
BBC News: Business Today
BBC tv
2024-07-22
In comments on the BBC, Ray La Raja, professor of political science, says it was inevitable that President Joe Biden would drop out of the 2024 presidential race after support from the Democratic Party dwindled. “The pressure brought to bear by the top Democratic leaders, including people like Nancy Pelosi, other members of the Senate who were leaders, once you start to lose the support of key figures in your party like that, game over,” La Raja said.
Breaking down the 2024 US presidential election campaign funds
VOA News online
2024-05-31
Ray La Raja is quoted in an article about 2024 campaign finance rules. “There’s no limits on political spending in the United States,” he said in a briefing with the State Department. “So, under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, as interpreted by the Supreme Court, you can’t tell any group, any individual for that matter, how much they could spend in politics. This means there’s no laws that limit political spending.”
Here are the five statewide questions likely to appear on November’s ballot
The Boston Globe print
2024-07-10
Raymond La Raja, c-director of the UMass Amherst Poll, comments on statewide ballot questions likely to be decided by Massachusetts voters in November. “It’s another way for corporations or unions to do end-runs around the system,” he says. “Groups have become much more comfortable running independent operations and throwing money at this stuff.”
"You're gonna see just millions being poured in": After Bowman defeat, AIPAC targets Cori Bush
Salon online
2024-07-04
UMass Amherst Professor of Political Science Raymond La Raja Ray discusses his recent Boston Globe op-ed about the prospect of Democrats selecting a presidential nominee other than President Joe Biden at their convention this summer.
Will State GOPs Run Out of Money?
Governing online
2023-12-07
Raymond La Raja, co-director of the UMass Amherst Poll, is quoted in an article examining whether state Republican parties could run out of money. “These state parties are not getting contributions because the traditional big donors do not trust them with their money,” La Raja says. “What you are seeing in some parties is a rejection of the MAGA brand by donors.”
Ron DeSantis' Poop Map During Gavin Newsom Debate Brutally Mocked
Newsweek online
2023-12-01
Ray La Raja, professor of political science and co-director of the UMass Poll, says California Governor Gavin Newsom could have an image problem if he runs for president. “Newsom embodies California in both his style and politics. How will that play with Midwestern voters who are suspicious of San Francisco politicians who hang out in wine country?” La Raja said.
For Some Key Voters, Trump Has Become Toxic
The New York Times print
2023-07-05
Asked what factors he would cite as crucial to determining the outcome of the 2024 presidential election, Ray La Raja said, "The economy is the source of the most uncertainty — it is doing well, although inflation is not fully tamed. Will things continue to improve, and will Biden start to get credit? This is especially important for white working-class voters in swing states."
Matt Gaetz brought in record political donations as he opposed Kevin McCarthy for speaker
USA Today online
2023-04-17
"The people who raise the most money, they’re not legislatively successful," said Ray La Raja, a political science professor at the University of Massachusetts. "They’re not the workhorses in Congress. So yeah, he can tap into people’s anger. … What he’s doing when he’s not raising money, I don’t know."
More than half of Mass. Republicans considered leaving the state in the past year, poll finds
The Boston Globe print
2023-04-11
“Massachusetts residents continue to contemplate moving from the state, with the top concern the high cost of living. Overall, 39 percent say they have considered moving in the past year, a small upward tick from six months ago when 35 percent said this," said Raymond La Raja, a UMass Amherst political science professor and co-director of the poll,.
Trump committee raised millions to fight election fraud before Jan. 6. Here's how that money was spent.
USA Today online
2022-06-17
Raymond La Raja is quoted in a news article examining the expenditures on which former President Donald Trump and his allies spent a quarter of a billion dollars in donations received based on their claims of fighting “widespread election fraud.”
Select Publications (5)
The perils of choosing a nominee at the Democratic convention
The Boston GlobeRaymond J. La Raja
2024-07-02
In an opinion piece, Raymond La Raja, co-director of the UMass Amherst Poll, writes about the prospect of Democrats selecting a presidential nominee other than President Biden at their convention this summer.
Americans just elected two lesbian governors. Have attitudes changed that much?
The Washington PostTatishe Nteta, Adam Eichen, Maddi Hertz, Ray La Raja, Jesse Rhodes and Alexander Theodoridis
2022-11-15
"The 2022 midterm elections delivered the most diverse slate of elected officials in the history of the nation, including breakthroughs by women and what’s being called a “rainbow wave” — a winning slate of lesbian, gay and bisexual candidates across the country"
MAGA was the real winner of the Ohio Republican primary
The Washington PostMia Costa, Zachary Albert and Raymond J. La Raja
2022-05-13
Raymond La Raja is co-author of an article analyzing last week’s Republican primary for an open U.S. Senate seat in Ohio, which was won by Trump-endorsed candidate J.D. Vance who earned less than a third of the votes in a crowded field.
How ranked-choice voting saved the Virginia GOP from itself
The Washington PostRaymond J. La Raja and Alexander Theodoridis
2021-11-05
Raymond La Raja and colleague Alex Theodoridis write that the implementation of ranked-choice voting by delegates to the Virginia Republican Party statewide delegation reduced the chances that a Trumpist candidate would run away with the party’s nomination for governor.
Too Much Democracy Is Bad for Democracy
The AtlanticJonathan Rauch and Ray La Raja
2019-12-01
The major American parties have ceded unprecedented power to primary voters. It’s a radical experiment—and it’s failing.
Social Media