Academics - Political Science Faculty & Staff

David Hadley teaches courses in American politics, including ones that focus on political institutions and political behavior. He regularly teaches the Introduction to American politics, Congress and the Presidency, state and local politics, a course on political parties, elections, and interest groups, and methods and statistics for political science. He recently offered special topics courses on Women in American Politics and The American Voter: Can S/he Be Trusted. Professor Hadley is a regular contributor to the Freshman Tutorial program, in recent offering years tutorial courses on political cartoons, The New York Times, and Fly Fishing: The Liberal Art, a course that begins with an immersion trip to Bozeman, MT.

Professor Hadley’s research and scholarship focuses on political parties and interest groups in Indiana and on opinion polarization in American politics. In addition to research into Indiana politics and government, Prof. Hadley is actively involved in it. He was elected to two terms on a local school board, which he chaired for six years. While on sabbatical leave he worked on the legislative staff of Governor Evan Bayh. He served for seven years on the Indiana State Ethics Commission, five years as its chairman. He has chaired the Montgomery County Democratic Party, run and lost races for County Commissioner and County Council, and is a member of the Crawfordsville Plan Commission. 

Professor Hadley and his wife, Sheridan, make their home on seven acres five minutes from the Wabash campus. They have two horses, a donkey named Roosevelt, and a beagle named Truman. They travel frequently to the American southwest where he fly fishes, she rides, and they hike.