Professional Summary
David Niven (Ph.D., Ohio State University) teaches American politics and conducts research on political campaigns, gerrymandering, political communication and death penalty policy. David is the author of several books including The Politics of Injustice: The Kennedys, The Freedom Rides and the Electoral Consequences of a Moral Compromise (University of Tennessee Press) and has published research in numerous journals including the Journal of Politics, Political Research Quarterly, Polity, Social Science Quarterly, Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, and the Journal of Black Studies. David has testified as an expert witness and consulted on gerrymandering cases in state and federal courts and wrote an amicus brief submitted to the Ohio Supreme Court in Preterm Cleveland v. Yost. David's political analysis has been quoted widely including in the New York Times, Washington Post, and The New Yorker. David has worked as a speechwriter for political and academic leaders including Ohio Governor Ted Strickland, Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, and Ohio State University President Gordon Gee.
Education
Ph.D.: Ohio State University
Research Support
Grant: #R40228 Investigators:Niven, David 07-01-2020 -12-31-2021 UC's Collaborative Research Advancement Grant Program - Track 1: Pilot Teams Rethinking How Our Political World Takes Shape: The Individual-Level Origins of Gerrymandering Role:PI $10,000.00 Active Level:Internal UC
2025 Andrew Carnegie Fellow
Grant: #Fellowship Award Investigators:Niven, David 07-01-2025 -06-30-2026 Carnegie Corporation of New York Polling Place Obstacles and the Voting Rights Divide Role:PI 0.00 Hold Level:Non Profit
Publications
Peer Reviewed Publications
Niven, David. (2017). Can Republican African Americans Win African American Votes? A Field Experiment. Journal of Black Studies, 48 (5) , 465-483.More Information
Niven, David, and Aliza Cover (2018). The Arbiters of Decency: A Study of Legislators' Eighth Amendment Role. Washington Law Review, 93, 1397
Niven, David (2019). The Effect of Economic Vulnerability on Protest Participation in the National Football League. Social Science Quarterly, 100 (4) , 997More Information
Niven, David, Alexis Straka, and Anwar Mhajne (2020). Who Reveals, Who Conceals? Candidate Gender and Policy Transparency. Political Research QuarterlyMore Information
Niven, David (2020). Stifling Workplace Activism: The Consequences of Anthem Protests for NFL Players. Social Science QuarterlyMore Information
Niven, David, and Ellen Donnelly. (2020). Who challenges disparities in capital punishment? An analysis of state legislative floor debate on death penalty reform. Journal of Ethnicity in Criminal JusticeMore Information
Niven, David, Benjamin Plener Cover, and Michael Solimine (2021). Are Individuals Harmed by Gerrymandering? Examining Access to Congressional District Offices. Social Science Quarterly, 102 (1) , 29More Information
Niven, David (2021). Aversive Racism at the Ballot Box: A Field Experiment on the Effects of Race and Negative Information in Local Elections. Social Science JournalMore Information
Cover, Benjamin Plener and David Niven (2021). Geographic Gerrymandering. Harvard Law & Policy Review
Exum, Jelani Jefferson and David Niven (2021). Where Black Lives Matter Less: Understanding the Impact of Black Victims on Sentencing Outcomes in Texas Capital Murder Cases from 1973 to 2018. Saint Louis University Law Journal
Niven, David (2021). Who Says Shut Up and Dribble? Race and the Response to Athletes' Political Activism . Journal of African American StudiesMore Information
Niven, David (2022). Policing Polling Places in the United States: The Negative Effect of Police Presence on African American Turnout in an Alabama Election. Democracy and SecurityMore Information
Niven, David, and Michael Solimine. (2022). Representing People and Places: Castaway Voters and the Racial Disparity in Redistricting. Election Law JournalMore Information
Niven, David (2022). Stereotypes versus Self-Interest: Race and the NFL Draft . SN Social SciencesMore Information
Niven, David, Barbara Harris Combs, Carolette Norwood, Kalyn Rossiter, Michael E. Solimine (2022). The Boundaries of Confusion: Gerrymandering and Racial Disparities in State House and Congressional District Line Congruity. Social Science QuarterlyMore Information
Niven, David, Stephen Bryant, Francesca Gottardi, Yorkow Oppon-Acquah, and Mustafa Sagir. (2023). Personal Belief Versus Universal Truth: Religion Rhetoric in Death Penalty Policy Debates in the United States. Social Science Journal
Niven, David. (2023). The Racial Disparity in the Major League Baseball Draft, 1965-2001. SN Social Sciences
Niven, David. (2023). The influence of gerrymandering on abortion policy in the United States. Routledge Open
Niven, David (2021). Watergate and Vietnam Shift a News Paradigm: Documenting the Evolution of Magazine Coverage of Presidential Popularity. The journal of magazine media, 21 (1) , 80
NIven, David (2025). The Power of Party to Help Voters Overcome a Participation Obstacle in the United States. Party Politics
Niven, David and Mallory Rock (2024). The prosecutor gender gap in Texas death penalty cases. Social Science QuarterlyMore Information
Courses Taught
American Political Thought
Elections in America
American Congress
Government and Politics of Ohio
Sports and Politics