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Ruy Teixeira is a nonresident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he focuses on the transformation of party coalitions and the future of American electoral politics. Before joining AEI, he was a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress from 2003 to 2022.
A political demographer and commentator, Dr. Teixeira is the author of numerous books, reports, and articles. He is the coauthor of The Emerging Democratic Majority (Scribner, 2002), one of his most influential books, which was selected as one of the best books of the year by the Economist. He is also the coauthor of a series of reports titled “States of Change,” which detail the impact of demographic changes on political parties, the electorate, and the nation as a whole. His 2023 book Where Have All the Democrats Gone? The Soul of the Party in the Age of Extremes (Henry Holt & Company) was selected as one of the best political books of the year by the Wall Street Journal and Foreign Affairs.
Dr. Teixeira’s broadcast appearances include CBS News, CNN, National Public Radio, MSNBC, and PBS, as well as hundreds of radio and podcast interviews. He is also often published in the popular press, including in the Atlantic, the American Prospect, National Review, the New Republic, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post. He coedits “The Liberal Patriot” blog on Substack. He is also a contributing writer at The Washington Post and The Free Press.
Dr. Teixeira holds a PhD and MS in sociology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. His dissertation on declining voter turnout was published as Why Americans Don’t Vote: Turnout Decline in the United States, 1960–1984 (Praeger, 1987). His BA is from the University of Michigan, though he attended Yale University during his freshman year before leaving to pursue political interests.
Experience
- Center for American Progress: Senior Fellow, 2003–22
- Brookings Institution: Guest Scholar, 2007–09; Visiting Fellow, 1991–93
- Century Foundation (DC): Senior Fellow, 1999–2008
- Economic Policy Institute: Director, Politics and Public Opinion Program, 1994–99
- Progressive Policy Institute: Director, Political Studies Program, 1993–94
- Economic Research Service, US Department of Agriculture: Sociologist, 1989–94
- Abt Associates: Senior Research Associate, 1987–89
- Penn + Schoen Associates: Vice President, 1985–86
Education
BA, University of Michigan
PhD and MS, sociology, University of Wisconsin–Madison