Influential political consultant and strategist Sarah Longwell ’02 has made a career out of talking to ordinary voters of all stripes — Republicans, Democrats and, as she calls them, the “politically homeless.”
Now she’s taken all of that expertise — and the journey that led her to it — and funneled it into a new book, “How to Eat an Elephant: One Voter at a Time,” which lays out a roadmap that she argues can reverse the country’s slide into authoritarianism.
To discuss this and more, Longwell — founder and publisher of The Bulwark, one of the fastest-growing independent media companies in the country — is returning to Kenyon on Wednesday, Sept. 16, as part of her national book tour. The event will take place at 7:30 p.m. in Rosse Hall.
Longwell’s appearance as Kenyon’s Constitution Day speaker is co-sponsored by the Center for the Study of American Democracy (CSAD) and the Office of Alumni and Parent Engagement. The event will be moderated by one of her former teachers, Professor of Political Science Pamela Camerra-Rowe.
CSAD is offering free copies of the book and admission to the event to the first 200 Kenyon students, staff, and faculty who complete this form. (A promo code will then be sent to use for a free copy when registering.) The public is invited; registration is required and costs $29, which includes a copy of the book.
Camerra-Rowe described Longwell — who has spoken to her seminar classes in recent years — as thoughtful, smart, and articulate, qualities that were evident even when she was a student.
“She already had strong principles and views then, which she was not afraid to discuss,” Camerra-Rowe said. “What’s also important about Sarah is that she listens and she wants to understand the way things work and why they are the way they are.”
“I’m very excited that she’s coming back to Kenyon,” Camerra-Rowe continued. “She has an amazing amount of energy and optimism. … She can imagine a political world that looks different from today’s, and she is working to try to help people understand what that would look like and how we might achieve it.”
Longwell, who lives in Washington, D.C., studied political science at Kenyon. She is a nationally recognized leader in qualitative research who is known for conducting focus group sessions to better understand the Make America Great Again movement. Longwell has become a frequent guest on CNN, MSNBC, NPR and PBS and is the host of The Focus Group podcast.
A former national board chair of the Log Cabin Republicans, her work with The Bulwark, which has millions of subscribers across all platforms, was profiled this summer in The Wall Street Journal. The Bulwark’s stated mission is to provide expert analysis and reporting in defense of liberal democracy. Today, it is one of the largest publications on Substack for news and analysis on politics and culture.
Joseph L. Klesner, CSAD director and a professor of political science and international studies, said Longwell brings a mix of unique insight, national influence and irreverent humor.
“Sarah has a real insight about contemporary American politics,” he said. “Over the last 10 years or so, Sarah has done a tremendous amount of focus group research into what is motivating voters right now and especially why people have voted for (President Donald) Trump.”
The Sept. 16 visit to Gambier is one of eight stops on Longwell’s national book tour. The others are Boston, Chicago, New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.
In advance, she sent a note to the Bulwark community indicating that her appearance in Ohio would be a particularly special one: “Even if you listen to us all the time, or have been to our live shows before — I promise this conversation is going to go much deeper than we usually do,” she wrote. “The book is very personal, and it weaves together the journey of building The Bulwark, fighting Trumpism, and all the voters I listened to along the way.”
“How to Eat an Elephant” was published on Sept. 8 by St. Martin’s Press.
Annie Gordon, director of alumni engagement, called Longwell’s visit an exciting opportunity to showcase the power of the Kenyon alumni network through one of the College’s more notable graduates.
“We are thrilled that we can bring Sarah back to campus as an example of where a Kenyon education can take you. She is also what we mean when we talk about the power of the Kenyon network,“ Gordon said, noting that Longwell currently has three Kenyon alumni on her staff at Longwell Partners. “Our goal is to create more meaningful connections like these for our students, giving them the opportunity to learn from, connect with, and draw on the experience of our alumni as they consider their futures.”