Brunell studied political science and earned a Ph.D. in 1997 from theUniversity of California, Irvine.[3] His research and teaching mainly focus on American politics - elections, Congress, political parties, and redistricting. In 2008, he published a book titledRethinking Redistricting: Why Competitive Elections are Bad for America.[4]
In 2017, he was mentioned as a possible nominee to direct theU.S. Census Bureau[5] but withdrew his nomination after controversy[6] over government experience.[7][8][9]
^Crespin, Michael H. (March 2009). "Redistricting and Representation: Why Competitive Elections Are Bad for America. By Thomas L. Brunell. New York: Routledge, 2008. 160p. $130.00 cloth, $29.95 paper".Perspectives on Politics.7 (1):187–188.doi:10.1017/S1537592709090422.S2CID145689981.
^McKee, Seth C. (April 2009). "Redistricting and Representation: Why Competitive Elections are Bad for America. By Thomas L. Brunell. (Routledge, 2008.)".The Journal of Politics.71 (2):782–763.doi:10.1017/S0022381609090665.