Lydia N. Bean is an American sociologist. She authored an
ethnographic
Ethnography (from Greek ''ethnos'' "folk, people, nation" and ''grapho'' "I write") is a branch of anthropology and the systematic study of individual cultures. Ethnography explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject o ...
Evangelical
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...
communities on the
Canada–United States border
The border between Canada and the United States is the longest international border in the world. The terrestrial boundary (including boundaries in the Great Lakes, Atlantic, and Pacific coasts) is long. The land border has two sections: Can ...
research associate
Research associates are researchers (scholars and professionals) that usually have an advanced degree beyond a Master's degree.
In some universities/research institutes, such as Harvard/Harvard Medical School/Harvard School of Public Health, the ...
at the
University of Texas at Arlington
The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA or UT Arlington) is a public research university in Arlington, Texas. The university was founded in 1895 and was in the Texas A&M University System for several decades until joining the University of Te ...
. She was an assistant professor of sociology at
Baylor University
Baylor University is a private Baptist Christian research university in Waco, Texas. Baylor was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Texas and one of the fir ...
. Bean has been a Democratic candidate for the
Texas House of Representatives
The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. As of the 2010 United States census, each member represents abou ...
and was a candidate for the
2021 Texas's 6th congressional district special election
The 2021 Texas's 6th congressional district special election was held on May 1, 2021. The seat became vacant after incumbent Republican Ron Wright died on February 7 of COVID-19.
Ron Wright's widow, Susan Wright from Arlington, who was endo ...
.
Education
Bean completed a bachelor's degree in Spanish and music at
Austin College
Austin College is a private liberal arts college affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and located in Sherman, Texas. She earned a Ph.D. in
sociology
Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of Empirical ...
from
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
in June 2009. Bean's dissertation on the politics of
evangelical
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...
ethnographic
Ethnography (from Greek ''ethnos'' "folk, people, nation" and ''grapho'' "I write") is a branch of anthropology and the systematic study of individual cultures. Ethnography explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject o ...
research from her time in Evangelical communities on both sides of the
Canada–United States border
The border between Canada and the United States is the longest international border in the world. The terrestrial boundary (including boundaries in the Great Lakes, Atlantic, and Pacific coasts) is long. The land border has two sections: Can ...
. Her doctoral advisor was social scientist
Robert J. Sampson
Robert J. Sampson (born July 9, 1956, in Utica, New York) is the Henry Ford II Professor of the Social Sciences at Harvard University and Director of the Social Sciences Program at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. From 2005 through 2010 ...
.
Career
Bean was an
assistant professor
Assistant Professor is an academic rank just below the rank of an associate professor used in universities or colleges, mainly in the United States and Canada.
Overview
This position is generally taken after earning a doctoral degree and general ...
of sociology at
Baylor University
Baylor University is a private Baptist Christian research university in Waco, Texas. Baylor was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Texas and one of the fir ...
. She later became a fellow at New America and a faculty
research associate
Research associates are researchers (scholars and professionals) that usually have an advanced degree beyond a Master's degree.
In some universities/research institutes, such as Harvard/Harvard Medical School/Harvard School of Public Health, the ...
at the
University of Texas at Arlington
The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA or UT Arlington) is a public research university in Arlington, Texas. The university was founded in 1895 and was in the Texas A&M University System for several decades until joining the University of Te ...
.
2020 Texas House of Representatives election
Bean was a Democratic candidate campaigning against incumbent Republican
Matt Krause
Matthew Haston Krause (born August 19, 1980) is an American attorney and politician. A Republican, he is a member of the Texas House of Representatives from the 93rd district.
Early life and education
Krause was born in Tyler, Texas, and raise ...
for District 93 in the 2020 Texas House of Representatives election. Priorities of her campaign included Medicaid expansion and fully funding public schools. Bean has been endorsed by pro-LGBT rights group
Equality Texas
Equality Texas is a statewide political advocacy organization in Texas that advocates for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights, including same-sex marriage.
History
Equality Texas was founded in 1989 as a 501(c)(4) nonprofit cor ...
. She has also been endorsed by the advocacy group, the
National Democratic Redistricting Committee
The National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC) is a US organization that focuses on redistricting and is affiliated with the Democratic Party. The organization coordinates campaign strategy, directs fundraising, organizes ballot initia ...
.
A coalition that includes the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, the Texas House Democratic Campaign Committee, the Future Now Fund, The People PAC, and The Creative Resistance included Bean, along with 10 other Democratic candidates, in a $1.1 million digital advertising campaign. Two years prior, Bean's mother ran for the statehouse seat, spending $30,000 and receiving 46 percent of the vote.
2021 U.S. House special election
Bean was a Democratic candidate in the 2021 Texas's 6th congressional district special election. In the first round of voting, Bean finished in eighth place out of 23 candidates.