Sarah Longwell is the CEO and Publisher of The Bulwark and host of The Focus Group podcast. She will be at the Harvard Book Store for a discussion of her new book, "How to Eat an Elephant: One Voter at a Time." Joining her is William Kristol, editor-at-large of The Bulwark, where he’s lead author of the must-read daily newsletter, Morning Shots.
After Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential election, Sarah Longwell did what she's done nearly every week for the past eight years: She sat down with voters. She conducted hundreds of focus groups, listening to thousands of ordinary Americans—Republicans, Democrats, and the politically homeless—with the goal of understanding politics through the eyes of the people who will decide our country’s future.
American voters, and what they want for their country, are at the heart of her new book. Longwell lays out the playbook for building a coalition big enough, bold enough, and tough enough to defeat authoritarian populism for good by building something new: A modern pro-democracy movement that can create its own communications infrastructure—just like the right has done for decades—achieve narrative dominance, elevate more compelling leaders, and talk to voters like adults.
