Henry Olsen
Senior Fellow
Henry Olsen, a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, is a globally recognized expert on American elections and policy as well as global populism.
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Henry Olsen, a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Polic Center, is a globally recognized expert on American elections and policy as well as global populism. His 20-year record of highly accurate U.S. Presidential and Congressional election predictions includes calling the 2024 U.S. Presidential race for Donald Trump while noting Trump could win the popular vote – an outcome that shocked most analysts. He also follows and regularly comments on elections around the world, especially in Europe and the Americas.
He writes a weekly column on the U.S. midterms for the Washington Post, and biweekly articles on American domestic and foreign policy for National Review Online and the Washington Examiner. He writes biweekly about the U.S.-European relationship and European politics for Brussels Signal. Mr. Olsen’s work has also been published in the New York Times, POLITICO, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, the Guardian, the Telegraph, and many other leading publications.
Mr. Olsen is a frequently requested speaker on U.S. politics and the rise of global populism both within the United States and in many countries in Europe and Asia. He hosts two regular podcasts – Beyond the Polls, which examines U.S. politics every week, and Conservative Crossroads, which explores policy differences among American conservatives every other week. He also teaches in the D.C. Graduate Program at Hillsdale College, and has previously taught at Villanova University, Arizona State University, and the Catholic University of America.
Mr. Olsen is the author of The Working-Class Republican: Ronald Reagan and the Return of Blue-Collar Conservatism and the co-author, with University of New Hampshire Professor Dante J. Scala, of The Four Faces of the Republican Party.
He holds a B.A. from Claremont McKenna College and a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School.
Republican Reliance on White Voters Holds Risks
Henry Olsen
This week’s historic Republican landslide is due to a massive swing among white working-class independents in rural and exurban areas, rather than an enthusiasm gap between Republican and Democratic supporters, as the party predicted.
Articles
Bloomberg News / November 3, 2010
Day of the Democratic Dead
Henry Olsen
The anger, disappointment, and disgust that the voters will shower on the Obama administration and the Democratic congressional leadership is unusually deep, offering today’s conservatives a rendezvous with destiny.
Articles
National Review Online / November 1, 2010
House Sleepers
Henry Olsen
In every wave year, the winning party ends up grabbing seats that just a short time before the election were on no one’s radar screen, and there are five such races where the GOP could spring a surprise this election.
Articles
National Review Online / October 15, 2010
The 70 Percent Rule
Henry Olsen
In wave years, such as this one, approximately 70 percent of the seats in play on Election Day are usually carried by the victorious party.
Articles
National Review Online / October 14, 2010
Employment Rate Remains Stagnant with Little Cause for Hope
Henry Olsen
The employment rate is a better reflection of the bleak future facing American workers than the unemployment rate, and a new report gives Americans little cause for hope.
Articles
AEI Online / October 8, 2010
GOP Heaven, West Virginia?
Henry Olsen
For all the talk about independents and tea parties, the defining characteristic of this election is the revolt of the white working class, which may determine the outcome of the Senate election in West Virginia.
Articles
National Review Online / October 1, 2010
The Fifty Years’ War
Henry Olsen
This fall’s election will be the most intense battle yet between conservatives and liberals for possession of America’s political soul and over what defines American freedom.
Articles
National Review Online / September 30, 2010
As Sweden Goes . . .
Henry Olsen
An unexpected Swedish victory is just the latest in an unprecedented run of success worldwide for fiscally conservative parties, beginning after the Greek debt crisis in April, which should sound both optimistic and cautionary notes for GOP leaders.
Articles
The Weekly Standard / September 27, 2010
The Big Drop: Employment Rate Cause for Concern
Henry Olsen
Friday’s labor report is the latest confirmation that our economy is sputtering, and a deeper look at the little-known civilian employment-population ratio, presents what may be a more revealing and troublesome picture.
Articles
AEI Online / September 3, 2010
Unemployment: What Would Reagan Do?
Henry Olsen
A look at the civilian employment-population ratio gives a better picture of how hard it is going to be for the United States to recover from financial crisis, and explains why Ronald Reagan’s approach to job creation would be better suited to spur recovery.
Articles
Wall Street Journal / August 10, 2010
Populism, American Style
Henry Olsen
The significance and potential of the Tea Party movement can only be understood by examining populism in its unique manifestation in the United States, where its history is both consoling and cautionary about this modern populist movement.
Articles
National Affairs / June 21, 2010
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Conservative Crossroads
Conservative Crossroads, a new podcast from Henry Olsen, gives a sharply honest and revealing look at the issues dividing the conservative movement.
Beyond the Polls
Each week, Senior Fellow Henry Olsen examines the facts and figures, twists and turns that shape the ongoing 2024 presidential and congressional races.
Conservative Crossroads
Conservative Crossroads, a new podcast from Henry Olsen, gives a sharply honest and revealing look at the issues dividing the conservative movement.
Beyond the Polls
Each week, Senior Fellow Henry Olsen examines the facts and figures, twists and turns that shape the ongoing 2024 presidential and congressional races.