The Charles F. Kettering Foundation today announced the appointment of Sarah Longwell as a Kettering Foundation senior fellow. Kettering’s senior fellows represent the nation’s leading democracy thinkers and practitioners, drawn from both major parties and new emerging parties, the academy, government, public service, civil society, business, and journalism. She joins a roster of senior fellows chosen for their thought leadership and stalwart defense of democracy.

A longtime political strategist, Longwell has been a leading conservative voice in defending democratic institutions and principles. She is the publisher of The Bulwark, which she helped found in 2018. She regularly conducts focus groups with voters across the political spectrum and hosts the podcast The Focus Group, which is in its fifth season. Longwell has spearheaded initiatives aimed at preserving the integrity of American democracy within the conservative movement.

An expert in qualitative research, Longwell has talked to thousands of voters from across the country and the political spectrum to understand what motivates them and how they think about the major issues driving our politics. She brought her considerable insight to an event in Washington DC last year, where she was a speaker at the Kettering Conversation on Democracy, “Democracy Is Not Partisan.”

“Sarah Longwell brings a deep understanding of the voices of everyday Americans and a steadfast commitment to democratic principles,” said Sharon L. Davies, president and CEO of the Kettering Foundation. “Her work at the intersection of conservativism, media, and citizen engagement offers invaluable insights into the challenges facing our democracy. We are honored to have her join as a senior fellow.”

For more than 40 years, the Kettering Foundation has worked to strengthen citizen engagement in democratic societies around the globe and seek ways to defend democracy. Foundation senior fellows enhance that work by contributing to Kettering’s blog series, From Many, We; engaging in our podcast, The Context; participating in our video series, The Stakes; and as speakers in our public conversations as panelists, keynotes or moderators.