Her research specializes in media, the presidency and systems of power (race, class, gender). She has edited and authored numerous books and papers, and has been active in “real-world” politics as a professional pollster, campaign manager and political commentator. Heldman co-founded the New Orleans Women’s Shelter and the Lower Ninth Ward Living Museum. She also co-founded End Rape on Campus (EROC), Faculty Against Rape (FAR) and End Rape Statute of Limitations (ERSOL).