He specializes in American politics, with research and teaching interests in Latino politics, legislative politics, and state and local politics. He is the author of Latino Representation in State Houses and Congress (New York: Cambridge University Press.) He is the recipient of numerous fellowships and awards, including the Samuel DuBois Cook Postdoctoral Fellowship at Duke University, and a United States Studies Centre Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Sydney. His work has appeared in the Journal of Politics, Legislative Studies Quarterly, American Politics Research, Political Research Quarterly, and other peer-reviewed journals. He is a member of the Texas Advisory Committee of the United States Commission on Civil Rights and the Advanced Placement U.S. Government Development Committee.