Erin O’Brien is a North Weymouth resident with Buckeye flair. She is an Associate Professor of Political Science at UMass Boston. Her research and teaching interests focus on the politics of poverty and social welfare policy, voting access in the United States, and gender in political participation/representation. She is the author of three books – most recently, The Politics of Massachusetts Exceptionalism: Reputation Meets Reality (co-edited with Jerold Duquette). Her research appears in top peer-reviewed journals in the field. O’Brien is a sought-after political voice, having had her commentary run in outlets including All Thing Considered (NPR), The Atlantic, The Associated Press (AP), Christian Science Monitor, The Daily Beast, The Economist, The New York Times, Newsweek, Time, The Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post. Locally she is a regular commentator for Boston25, GBH, and NBC10 Boston.