
Henry Olsen
Senior Fellow
Henry Olsen, a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, studies and provides commentary on American politics. His work focuses on how America’s political order is being upended by populist challenges, from the left and the right. He also studies populism’s impact in other democracies in the developed world.
For media inquiries or to book Mr. Olsen for an interview, contact [email protected].
Click here to view the full archive of Mr. Olsen’s writings at The Washington Post.
Click here to view the full archive of Mr. Olsen’s writings at National Review Online.
Henry Olsen, a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, studies and provides commentary on American politics. His work focuses on how America’s political order is being upended by populist challenges, from the left and the right. He also studies populism’s impact in other democracies in the developed world.
Mr. Olsen is an opinion columnist for The Washington Post, where he writes daily pieces focusing on politics, populism, foreign affairs and American conservative thought. He is also the author of The Working Class Republican: Ronald Reagan and the Return of Blue-Collar Conservatism and The Four Faces of the Republican Party, co-authored with Dante Scala.
Mr. Olsen is teaching as the Thomas W. Smith Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence at Arizona State University for the Winter/Spring 2023 semester.
Mr. Olsen was previously an editor at UnHerd.com and a regular contributor to American Greatness, City Journal, and World Magazine. Mr. Olsen’s work has been featured in many prominent publications, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, National Review, The Guardian, and The Weekly Standard.
His predictions of the 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018 elections were particularly praised for their remarkable accuracy. In the 2016 campaign, he accurately identified the factors fueling the rise of Donald Trump early in the race, and his election-eve predictions were among the most accurate of any major analyst or commentator.
Mr. Olsen has worked in senior executive positions at many center-right think tanks. He most recently served from 2006 to 2013 as Vice President and Director, National Research Initiative, at the American Enterprise Institute. He previously worked as Vice President of Programs at the Manhattan Institute and President of the Commonwealth Foundation.
Mr. Olsen started his career as a political consultant at the California firm of Hoffenblum-Mollrich. He then worked with the California State Assembly Republican Caucus before attending law school. He served as a law clerk to the Honorable Danny J. Boggs on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and as an associate at Dechert, Price & Rhoads. He has a B.A. from Claremont McKenna College and a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School, where he served as Comment Editor for the University of Chicago Law Review.
The GOP is a Coalition. Republicans Had Better Start Acting Like It.
Henry Olsen

Republican elites and many officeholders remain starkly out of touch with their own voters.
FUSION / November 15, 2023
What a DeSantis Rebound Looks Like
Henry Olsen

Why Iowa governor Reynolds’s endorsement could be the first step in a recovery for the struggling presidential candidate.
National Review Online / November 10, 2023
The GOP’s silver linings after Virginia election losses
Henry Olsen

Tuesday’s off-year elections were clearly disappointing for Republicans.
Washington Post / November 9, 2023
Haley and DeSantis battle in the race for second place
Henry Olsen

The two politicians are miles ahead of their competitors – but that’s not enough to take down Trump.
The Telegraph / November 9, 2023
What Ron DeSantis doesn’t seem to understand about Ronald Reagan
Henry Olsen

Ron DeSantis is telling Republican voters that “the 2024 election is a time for choosing.”
Washington Post / November 6, 2023
Donald Trump Wants to Be Held in Contempt
Henry Olsen

Trump seems to have concluded that provoking the judges in the cases against him helps his reelection chances more than it hurts him in court.
National Review Online / November 2, 2023
Biden should take Dean Phillips’s 2024 campaign seriously, not literally
Henry Olsen

Phillips might not be a serious candidate, but he is a serious threat.
Washington Post / October 25, 2023
Neither Steve Scalise nor Jim Jordan is an ideal speaker candidate
Henry Olsen

The House speaker contest is shaping up to be a battle between two top Republicans: Majority Leader Steve Scalise (La.) and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (Ohio).
Washington Post / October 10, 2023
Matt Gaetz Should Be Careful What He Wishes For
Henry Olsen

Gaetz and his crew could be losers even if they unseat Kevin McCarthy.
Uncategorized
National Review Online / October 10, 2023
DeSantis Should Use the Reagan Playbook to Regain His Footing against Trump
Henry Olsen

The Florida governor must outline a clear set of differences with the former president on policy — emphasizing abortion policy in particular.
Uncategorized
National Review Online / October 4, 2023
Sign up here to receive updates from Henry Olsen.