Jarred Cuellar

Jarred Cuellar seeks to uncover the role identity plays in the political behavior of Latinos in the United States. His broad research agenda focuses on Latino political behavior and Latino public opinion. He has published on the role of religion in Latino voting behavior, examining how differences between Catholic and Evangelical Latinos shape political attitudes and participation, as well as on forecasting presidential nominations. His current research extends this work to explore how religious and cultural identities influence support for national candidates and policies.

In Fall 2025, Cuellar co-authored a Cal Poly Pomona/Caltech nonpartisan report analyzing the impact of California Proposition 50 on Latino communities. He served as Principal Investigator on the most accurate poll in California in 2024 — the California Elections Policy Poll — and previously contributed to the 2020 USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times Presidential Poll.

Beyond academic research, Cuellar played a key role in successfully lobbying the State of California against proposed cuts to the California State University budget, helping preserve critical funding for students and faculty. He also served on the Committee to Re-Envision the USC Public Safety Department in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd.

Cuellar teaches courses on race and ethnic politics; “Iowa Caucuses: Presidential Nomination Processes,” a special topics course offered during presidential election years; and a research methods class for public administrators focused on applying quantitative methodologies to solve organizational problems and promoting the ethical use of information in advancing the public policy interests of diverse communities.