One of Handan-Nader's dissertation projects proposes a new method to measure attributes beyond left-right ideology among candidates for legislative and judicial office, with an emphasis on anti-democratic campaigning. The project focuses on candidates for state-level office, an understudied yet crucial group of political actors that are instrumental in the peaceful transition of presidential power. With this new measure, researchers will be able to study whether anti-democratic forces have gained a foothold in state institutions, how elections play a role in selecting anti-democratic candidates, and investigate connections between the state judiciary and anti-democratic politics.
