Sean McElwee is the Founding Executive Director of Data for Progress, a progressive polling and think tank operation shaking up the way Democrats utilize data to better message and implement their priorities. Sean talks his roots as a military kid in an evangelical household, his circuitous path to working in progressive politics, the origin and evolution of Data for Progress, and how he thinks about some of the big questions facing those who work in politics.
IN THIS EPISODE….
Sean grows up in an evangelical military family in Connecticut…
What drew Sean toward libertarianism early and what made him move away from it…
The threads of evangelical Christianity that still endure in Sean’s politics…
Sean’s riff on whether candidates should use profanity…
Sean talks the importance of a candidate’s “vibes” and “juice”…
The famous broadcaster Sean is friendly with…
Sean talks the role think-tanks play in American politics…
Sean talks his time leading the “Abolish ICE” effort…
Sean tells the story behind the founding of Data for Progress…
Sean on his friendship with prominent data scient David Shor and where they disagree…
Sean’s theory on why people should gamble more on prediction markets…
Sean talks his big wins and some losses on the political prediction markets…
Sean’s take on the political appeal of John Fetterman…
How Sean thinks about the role of Independent Expenditures…
The Republican politicians whose communications impress Sean...
Sean’s advice on the campaigns Democrats should run in 2022…
What Sean looks for when he’s hiring at Data for Progress…
Sean’s strangest work habits…
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