
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 a full archive of Mr. Olsen’s writings.
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.
From 2019–2023, Mr. Olsen was an opinion columnist for The Washington Post, where he wrote 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 taught as the Thomas W. Smith Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence at Arizona State University for the Winter/Spring 2023 semester. He has taught at Villanova University, the Catholic University of America, and the Hillsdale College D.C. Graduate Studies Program.
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.
Here’s the key to reading the tight polls and predicting a Trump win
Henry Olsen
Readers of my Post piece predicting Donald Trump will win and Republicans will have a good night in congressional contests may wonder…
Articles
New York Post / November 3, 2024
This race is close but I’m predicting Donald Trump wins the Electoral College — and…
Henry Olsen
Legendary Ohio State football coach Woody Hayes used to say there are three things that can happen with a forward…
Articles
New York Post / November 3, 2024
Trump’s Tricky Math
Henry Olsen
His campaign’s snapshot of swing-state polling points to warning signs beneath the surface.
Articles
National Review Online / October 29, 2024
Forget the popular vote, how America’s Electoral College will choose the winner
Henry Olsen
It is looking increasingly likely that Donald Trump will win America’s presidential election. There are two uniquely American reasons for…
Articles
Brussels Signal / October 28, 2024
Where Trump and Harris are campaigning in the final stretch — and why it shows…
Henry Olsen
The most important resource a candidate has is his or her time. Where they go, who they’re with, and what they…
Articles
New York Post / October 24, 2024
How America’s ‘double haters’ could send Trump back to the White House
Henry Olsen
Pundits and analysts are looking at head-to-head polling numbers to read the presidential race’s tea leaves. But to understand where the contest…
Articles
New York Post / October 21, 2024
How Hurricanes Milton and Helene could impact Election 2024
Henry Olsen
Poll-watchers always wonder what might be the “October Surprise” of any presidential election cycle. The pair of massive hurricanes that…
Articles
New York Post / October 12, 2024
Early voting is down significantly compared to 2020 — and the data hold bad news…
Henry Olsen
The dramatic rise in early voting has led many to think the election might be effectively over days or weeks…
Articles
New York Post / October 11, 2024
Why Hispanics are abandoning Democrats — and could put Trump back in the White House
Henry Olsen
Hispanic Americans have long been a bedrock of support for the Democratic Party. There are signs that’s changing — and it…
Articles
New York Post / September 24, 2024
How Lincoln Can Help Trump
Henry Olsen
Trump’s challenge is to force Kamala Harris out of her self-imposed bubble, and he could apply lessons from history to do so.
Articles
National Review Online / September 5, 2024
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