Sean Norton is a Comparative Politics and Quantitative Methods Ph.D. student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. A North Carolina native, he received his B.A. in Political Science and Russian Studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. His research centers on subnational politics in electoral authoritarian regimes, in particular the implications of subnational elections for higher-level competition. When not doing research, he enjoys running, rock climbing, hiking, and generally being outside.