iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by rachel funk fordham

Ernesto Tiburcio @ernestotiburcio.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Political differences matter for relationship duration. In a new study, @rfunkfordham.bsky.social and I identify 60 million couples in the US and find that, even after considering variables like income, those formed by partners registered to different parties are ~14% less likely to stay together

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Jake Grumbach @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social · 02/10/2025

New @rfunkfordham.bsky.social report on the 15th anniversary of Citizens United. The evidence is now clear, in part through Rachel's research, that CitUtd has: -increased the influence of billionaires -reduced state democratic performance -made state governments more rightwing -increased corruption

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 02/10/2025

The result of this ruling was outsized influence on legislators in passing policies that favor wealth. Reviving campaign-finance reform isn’t optional—it’s a prerequisite for a government that answers to people, not billionaires. 3/3 Read our new report ➡️ rooseveltinstitute.org/publications...

Quote Graphic from report “Citizens United and the Decline of US Democracy: Assessing the Decision’s Impact 15 Years Later“ by Rachel Funk Fordham, with quote "The Citizens United ruling enabled concentrated economic power to bend politics to its will, amplifying the preferences of a small, ultra-wealthy minority at the expense of the vast majority of the American people. The decision was part of a coordinated effort to shift the balance of power in the US toward the wealthy."

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 02/10/2025

One hundred billionaire donors poured a record $2.6 billion into the 2024 elections—1 of every 6 dollars spent. New analysis from @rfunkfordham.bsky.social on the last 15 years of #CitizensUnited’s impact on democracy. 2/3 rooseveltinstitute.org/publications...

Graph showing breakdown of top 100 billionaire donor spending on outside political spending groups.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 02/10/2025

NEW📝: A flood of billionaire money in elections started after the SCOTUS #CitizensUnited decision. Since 2010, billionaire 💰💰 in elections has grown 160x, giving the wealthy huge power over policy while regular voters lose influence. 🧵1/3

Graph showing billionaire spending in Presidential elections before and after Citizen's United.

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Bilal Baydoun @bilalb.bsky.social · 02/10/2025

Where are we 15 years after SCOTUS sanctioned virtually unlimited campaign contributions from billionaires and large corporations? @rfunkfordham.bsky.social's new report analyzes how the Citizens United decision is corroding democracy on multiple fronts, and calls for renewed urgency for reforms.

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Jake Grumbach @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social · 26/07/2025

@rfunkfordham.bsky.social in her NYT debut! Let's go! www.nytimes.com/2025/07/25/n...

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rachel funk fordham @rfunkfordham.bsky.social · 26/07/2025

generational differences in political power, participation, & priorities can make it difficult to form future-oriented winning coalitions. that’s why I loved talking about intergenerational political learning in NYC for this @nytimes.com piece - it’s an incredibly hopeful story ⬇️

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Adam Bonica @adambonica.bsky.social · 24/06/2025

NYC's mayoral race just broke records with $25M in SuperPAC cash backing Cuomo—a poster child for corruption. Bad for democracy and the Dem brand. @rfunkfordham.bsky.social's study shows how corrosive big $ is—states forced to allow unlimited money saw democracy scores plummet post-Citizens United.

Figure 2: Pre- and Post-Treatment Trends showing Citizens United's impact on state democratic performance. Graph shows average State Democracy Index from 2001-2018. Two lines: "Treatment" (blue, states with former spending bans) and "No Treatment" (gray, states without bans). Before 2010, treated states had higher democracy scores. After Citizens United in 2010, treated states' scores dropped sharply while control states declined gradually. By 2018, treated states scored significantly lower than control states, demonstrating Citizens United's negative impact on democracy.

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rachel funk fordham @rfunkfordham.bsky.social · 03/04/2025

1/n as someone who loves democracy & loves my country, it’s hard to grapple w the fact that an anti-democratic candidate won a national popular election. one thing keeping me equal parts hopeful & frustrated is that there are more people in the US who do not support trump than people who do.

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Adam Bonica @adambonica.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

7/🧵 Our analysis of voter file data suggests the real story isn't about "more voters help Republicans" — it's about DIFFERENTIAL turnout. Republicans have been better at converting their registered voters into actual voters.

A table titled “The Partisan Turnout Gap” shows the difference in turnout rates between registered Republicans and registered Democrats across recent U.S. election cycles. The table includes three columns: “Full Sample,” “No Party Modeling,” and “Consistent Sample (41 states w/ 2024).” Each row corresponds to an election year (2016, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2024). The values represent the Republican turnout advantage (e.g., R+5.60 means Republicans turned out at a 5.60 percentage point higher rate than Democrats).
• 2016:
• Full Sample: R+5.60
• No Party Modeling: R+3.60
• Consistent Sample: R+5.10
• 2018:
• Full Sample: R+4.20
• No Party Modeling: R+1.80
• Consistent Sample: R+3.80
• 2020:
• Full Sample: R+6.30
• No Party Modeling: R+3.90
• Consistent Sample: R+5.90
• 2022:
• Full Sample: R+12.30
• No Party Modeling: R+9.70
• Consistent Sample: R+12.10
• 2024:
• Full Sample: R+7.30
• No Party Modeling: R+6.40
• Consistent Sample: R+7.30

A note at the bottom explains that the values are based on L2 voter file analysis and represent percentage point differences in turnout rates.

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Adam Bonica @adambonica.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

1/🧵 "More voters help Republicans" is reshaping Dem strategy after 2024. We put this claim to the test with a deep dive into voter files and survey data. Results? Non-voters remain disproportionately Democratic while GOP simply turns out their base better.

open.substack.com

Does Higher Turnout Now Help Republicans? A Data-Driven Analysis of Partisan Turnout Dynamics (Part 1)

Data analysis reveals Democrats' problem isn't high turnout—it's losing the mobilization battle

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Adam Bonica @adambonica.bsky.social · 14/11/2024

Even as small donors flooded in, campaign finance inequality hit record highs in 2024. For the first time, the top 0.01% (1 in 10K voters) share exceeds 50% of $s. The top 400 donors now exceed 25%. Citizens United opened the door, but soaring wealth inequality is what's driving these extremes.

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Jake Grumbach @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social · 26/01/2024

Important new paper on the effect of Citizens United on democratic institutions in the US. tl;dr Citizens United meaningfully contributed to voter suppression & gerrymandering. design: diff-in-diff & synthetic control gated: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....

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