Feature
Reimagining Democracy 2026 Summer Reading List
Tova Wang, director of research projects in democratic practice at the Ash Center, shares her top picks for summer reads focused on making democracy more resilient, responsive, and inclusive.
Podcast
Terms of Engagement – The Battle for the Democratic Party
What does the rise of Democratic Socialists and other progessives mean for the future of American politics? Henry Olsen, a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and a conservative commentator, joins Terms of Engagement hosts Archon Fung and Stephen Richer to discuss.
The Democratic Party is navigating a period of change as progressive candidates continue to gain national attention, from Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s victory in New York City to Melat Kiros’s upset of 15-term incumbent Rep. Diana DeGette in Colorado’s 1st Congressional District. But are recent successes by Democratic Socialists and other progressive candidates evidence of a lasting political realignment, or are they receiving more attention than their electoral influence warrants? In this episode of Terms of Engagement, hosts Archon Fung and Stephen Richer examine the evolving dynamics within the Democratic Party and what they could mean for the future American politics.
Joining the conversation is Henry Olsen, a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. This episode will explore whether the Democratic Party is moving left, the rise of populist movements across the political spectrum, the influence of the Democratic Socialists of America, and whether today’s political trends represent a fundamental shift or a temporary moment.
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About our Guest
Henry Olsen is a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and a columnist for The Washington Post, National Review, and The Washington Examiner. A leading commentator on American politics and elections, he specializes in voting behavior, political coalitions, populism, and the future of the Republican and Democratic parties. Olsen is the author of several books on American politics, including “The Working Class Republican: Ronald Reagan and the Return of Blue-Collar Conservatism.” His writing and analysis have appeared in numerous national publications, and he is a frequent commentator on television and radio discussing elections, public opinion, and political realignment. He also hosts “Beyond the Polls,” a podcast about elections.
About the Hosts
Archon Fung is the Winthrop Laflin McCormack Professor of Citizenship and Self-Government at the Harvard Kennedy School and the Director of the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation. His research explores policies, practices, and institutional designs that deepen the quality of democratic governance with a focus on public participation, deliberation, and transparency. He has authored five books, four edited collections, and over fifty articles appearing in professional journals. He received two S.B.s — in philosophy and physics — and his Ph.D. in political science from MIT.
Stephen Richer is the former elected Maricopa County Recorder, responsible for voter registration, early voting administration, and public recordings in Maricopa County, Arizona, the fourth largest county in the United States. Prior to being an elected official, Stephen worked at several public policy think tanks and as a business transactions attorney. Stephen received his J.D. and M.A. from The University of Chicago and his B.A. from Tulane University. Stephen has been broadly recognized for his work in elections and American Democracy. In 2021, the Arizona Republic named Stephen “Arizonan of the Year.” In 2022, the Maricopa Bar Association awarded Stephen “Public Law Attorney of the Year.” In 2023, Stephen won “Leader of the Year” from the Arizona Capitol Times. And in 2024, Time Magazine named Stephen a “Defender of Democracy.”
The views expressed on this show are those of the hosts alone and do not necessarily represent the positions of the Ash Center or its affiliates.
Episode Transcript
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