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.
New Mexico’s governor seems to think it’s okay to ignore the Supreme Court
Henry Olsen
Time will tell whether Lujan Grisham’s order is just another failed effort at political signaling or the start of a much more serious challenge to the Supreme Court’s authority.
The Washington Post / September 12, 2023
How McCarthy can break the logjam with the Freedom Caucus for good
Henry Olsen
Republican leaders should broker a comprehensive governing agenda with all party factions, treating each as though they were separate parties.
Washington Post / September 7, 2023
Trump might have the lead in Iowa, but he has one big weakness
Henry Olsen
It would be easy to conclude from the polls that Donald Trump will cruise to victory in Iowa’s caucuses in January.
Washington Post / August 30, 2023
GOP Candidates Are Glossing Over Two Big Illegal-Immigration Solutions
Henry Olsen
A supply-side-heavy immigration policy is bound to disappoint.
Articles
National Review / August 25, 2023
Biden’s involvement in his son’s dealings deserves a serious investigation
Henry Olsen
But only a complete investigation can ensure that it’s nothing worse.
Washington Post / August 22, 2023
Republicans defend Trump at their own risk
Henry Olsen
A jury might be swayed to overlook legal deficiencies and convict Trump. Appellate courts would likely not be so forgiving.
Washington Post / August 15, 2023
New Zealand is showing what a viable libertarianism looks like
Henry Olsen
In New Zealand, many conservatives are beginning to embrace an old ideology: libertarianism.
Washington Post / August 10, 2023
Republicans saved democracy in 2020
Henry Olsen
If you love our democracy, thank Republicans for the fact we still have it.
The Washington Post / August 4, 2023
Admit it, GOP. Trump’s legal woes make him an unviable candidate.
Henry Olsen
The revelation that Donald Trump’s political action committee spent more than $40 million on legal fees in the first half of 2023 does more than cast doubt on the former president’s ability to run a competitive primary campaign.
Articles
The Washington Post / August 1, 2023
Backlash to climate policies is growing
Henry Olsen
Around the world, nations are choosing to prioritize economic growth and national interest over climate policy
Articles
The Washington Post / July 24, 2023
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