Dr. Mandi Bailey is Incoming Chair and Professor in the Department of Politics and Global Studies (8/1/2026). She is also currently Co-Editor-in-Chief of The Social Science Journal. Prior to arriving at MTSU, she held appointments at American University in Washington, DC and Valdosta State University. She was Professor of Political Science with courtesy appointments in Africana Studies and Women and Gender Studies at VSU where she was one of four professors nationally to win Pi Sigma Alpha’s Advisor of the Year award in 2023. She received a PhD in Political Science from the University of Kentucky, an MA in Political Science from the University of Tennessee, and a BA in Communications from Morehead State University. She has been selected to serve on panels and committees for the National Science Foundation, American Political Science Association, Midwest Political Science Association, Southern Political Science Association, and Pi Sigma Alpha. Her teaching and research foci are in political psychology, American Political Institutions, and methodology. She has twenty published or forthcoming books, articles, and book chapters relating to political scandals, social media use, stereotyping, and music and politics in journals such as New Political Science, The Social Science Journal, Social Science Computer Review, the American Review of Politics, Journal of Popular Music Studies, and the National Political Science Review (now the National Review of Black Politics) and presses including the University of Michigan, New York University, and Louisiana State University. As author of The Downhome Sound: Diversity and Politics in Americana Music, she and her family are thrilled to make Tennessee home.

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PUBLICATIONS (not comprehensive)

Books

Bailey, Mandi Bates. 2023. The Downhome Sound: Diversity & Politics in Americana Music. Louisiana State University Press.

LGBTQ+ Public Opinion: The United States in Global Context. Co-edited book with Steven Nawara and Andrew Flores. (Forthcoming with the University of Michigan Press) 

Refereed Journal Articles

Bailey, Mandi Bates. “From ‘That Great Speckled Bird’ to ‘White Man’s World’: Americana Music Impact on Christians’ Attitudes toward Minorities.” Forthcoming with the Journal Popular Music Studies.

Karazsia, Zachary A. and Mandi Bates Bailey. “Challenging Sh**hole Rhetoric: The Impact of Facts on Attitudes toward Africa.” Forthcoming with The Social Science Journal.

Bailey, Mandi Bates, Kiana Johnson, and Steven P. Nawara. 2025. “Assessing the Impact of Racially-Coded Language on College Students.” The Social Science Journal. 62 (3): 908-918. (Published online 2/15/2022).

Nawara, Steven P. and Mandi Bates Bailey. 2025. “Scandal-Ridden Campaigns: The Relationship between Cognitive Load and Candidate Evaluation.” The Social Science Journal. 62 (1): 57-74. (Published online 5/5/2021).

Petty, Griffin, Dustin Magilligan, and Mandi Bates Bailey. 2022. “You Voted for Who? Explaining Support for Trump among Women and Minorities.” New Political Science. 44 (2): 195-209.                 

Bailey, Mandi Bates and Steven P. Nawara. 2020. “Racial Animosity, Homophobia, and Nativism in Predicting Trump’s Support among College Students in the 2016 Primaries.” National Political Science Review. 20 (3): 95-115.              

Bailey, Mandi Bates, and Steven P. Nawara. 2019. “Addressing Women and Minorities on Social Media by the 2016 Presidential Candidates.” Social Science Computer Review. 37 (4).              

Bailey, Mandi Bates, Steven P. Nawara, and Taylor Thomas. 2018. “Social Media and Minority Interests: A Content Analysis of U.S. Senator Twitter Activity.” National Political Science Review.19 (2).             

Bailey, Mandi Bates, and Lee R. Williams. 2016. “Are College Students Really Liberal? An Exploration of Student Political Ideology and Attitudes toward Policies Impacting Minorities.” The Social Science Journal. 53: 309-317.              

Refereed Book Chapters

Ryan, Jacob C., Brooklyn Beasley, and Mandi Bates Bailey. Forthcoming. “What about the Children? Distinguishing between Policies Impacting the LGBTQ+ Community.” In Mandi Bailey, Steven Nawara, and Andrew Flores (Eds.) LGBTQ+ Public Opinion: The United States in Global Context. (See above)

Nawara, Steven P. and Mandi Bates Bailey. 2017. “Negativity and Social Media Use by Presidential Candidates: A Content Analysis.” In Jody Baumgartner, and Terri Towner (Eds.) The Internet and the 2016 Presidential Campaign. Rowman & Littlefield/Lexington.    

Bailey, Mandi Bates, and Steven P. Nawara. 2017. “Gay Candidates, Group Stereotypes, and the News Media: An Experimental Design.” In Susan Burgess, Marla Brettschneider,  and Cricket Keating (Eds.) LGBTQ Politics: A Critical Reader. New York University.              

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