The Center for the Political Future is a non-partisan center housed in the University of Southern California's Dornsife College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The center was established in order to combat uncivil political discourse and promote bipartisan, fact-based dialogue on national issues. The Center for the Political Future hosts conferences, offers a Fellows program, hosts an ongoing dialogue series called Political Conversations as well as other speaker events, and provides a neutral ground for political discourse in "off-the-record policy workshops" with top experts from relevant disciplines, among other programs.
Through its dialogue series, conferences, fellows program, and workshops, the center has expressed that some of its goals are to "understand and contextualize causes of the political divide" in the United States, "work toward a common fact base," "renew civil discourse to find common ground," and assess the possible "domestic and global implications of different policy approaches" through civil discourse between experts across the ideological spectrum.
About the center
Leadership The center's director is Robert Shrum and its co-director is Mike Murphy. Shrum is a longtime Democratic strategist and speechwriter for politicians, including Ted Kennedy, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, and John Kerry. Murphy is a veteran Republican campaign strategist and has worked for candidates Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jeb Bush, John McCain, and Mitt Romney. The center's Executive Director is Kamy Akhavan, former CEO of ProCon.org.
Mission The Center for the Political Future brings political professionals together from both sides of the aisle and models bipartisan discussions for students and the national political stage.
The center's stated mission is to “combine intellectual inquiry, teaching, and practical politics to advance civil dialogue that transcends partisan divisions and explores solutions to our most pressing national and global challenges.”
Objectives The Center for the Political Future outlines several objectives, including:
"Develop a deep understanding of pressing national and global issues and how policy is made at the national and global levels. Study and understand the psychological and intellectual scaffold on which conservatives and liberals operate in order to develop more inclusive frameworks for debate and decision making. Model and advance civil dialogue demonstrating that individuals with different political perspectives can speak respectfully with each other and find ways to work together. Prepare students to become effective citizens by teaching and practicing the skills of practical political leadership."
History In 1978, before it was called the Center for the Political Future, USC founded the USC Institute of Politics and Government. A little more than a decade later, in 1987, it was renamed the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics after the late California state politician, Jesse M. Unruh. In 2018, long-time political strategists and friends Robert Shrum (D) and Mike Murphy (R) expanded the Unruh Institute of Politics by creating the Center for the Political Future.
Programs and initiatives The center has several departments and initiatives that further its mission: the Unruh Institute of Politics, the USC Dornsife Poll, programming through their Political Conversations series as well as other speaker events, a Fellows Program, and large-scale conferences.
Unruh Institute of Politics The Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics, named after long-time California politician Jesse M. Unruh, is a component of the Center for the Political Future. Its focus is on engaging students at USC in politics and public service. It achieves this goal by providing students with internships and practical experiences in politics.
Student programs include immersive professional experiences at the Iowa Caucuses, in California state politics in Sacramento, a leadership conference for LA-based high school women, and related coursework in these areas. The Center also provides scholarships to make these experiences more accessible to students.
The Unruh Institute has two affiliated student groups, VoteSC, and USC Political Union. Both organizations promote student engagement in voting and politics.
USC Dornsife poll The USC Dornsife poll is maintained by USC’s Center for Economic and Social Research and conducted in partnership with the Center for the Political Future. The purpose of the probability-based online panel is to track respondents changing attitudes and preferences for political candidates over time.
Political Conversations The Center for the Political Future hosts a conversation series called Political Conversations. The Center brings in guests from the world of politics, journalism, and other related fields to expose students to practitioners in journalism, politics, and public policy. The Center also hosts other speakers for book talks and professional development events.
Past guests include:
Shannon Watts - Founder of Moms Demand Action Karen Bass - Mayor of Los Angeles. Ron Klain - Former White House Chief of Staff under President Biden. Joe Manchin - Former United States Senator Nancy Pelosi – Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives David Axelrod – Senior Advisor to President Obama, CNN Contributor Donna Brazile – Former Chairperson of the Democratic National Committee, former Campaign Manager for Al Gore Gray Davis – Former Governor of California Pedro Sanchez – Prime Minister of Spain Joe Kennedy III – Congressman (D-MA) Ron Brownstein – Senior Editor at The Atlantic, Senior Political Analyst at CNN Dee Dee Myers – Former White House Press Secretary Antonio Villaraigosa – Former Mayor of Los Angeles Anthony Scaramucci – Former White House Communications Director Rosa DeLauro – Congresswoman (D-CT) David Keene – Former President of the NRA and Opinion Editor at the Washington Times
Conferences The Center for the Political Future conducts several annual conferences. The two main conferences hosted by the center are the Warschaw Conference on Practical Politics and the Climate Forward Conference.The conference themes range from climate change and political tribalism to immigration and elections.
Featured speakers have included:
John Kerry – Former Secretary of State Mark Sanford – Former Governor and Congressman (R-SC) Ana Kasparian – Host of the Young Turks Eric Garcetti – Mayor of Los Angeles Gordon Brown – Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Barbara Boxer – Former U.S. Senator (D-CA) Symone Sanders – Senior Advisor to Joe Biden Joel Benenson – Pollster for Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Ron Klain – Chief of Staff to Vice Presidents Joe Biden and Al Gore Steven Schmidt – Senior Advisor to John McCain Ron Christie – Former Special Assistant to President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney
Other events Besides speaker events and conferences, the Center also hosts debates, both between USC groups and California candidates for public office. On January 22, 2024, the Center hosted the first debate between California senate candidates. On March 22, 2022, the Center for the Political Future partnered with Fox11 and the Los Angeles Times to sponsor the Los Angeles Mayoral debate, held at USC's Bovard Auditorium. The Center also hosts a debate every semester between the Trojan Democrats and the USC College Republicans.
Fellows program The Center for the Political Future hosts visiting Fellows each semester to lead study groups pertaining to politics, public policy, and journalism.
2026 Fellows
Semester Fellow Notability Sources Spring Mark Campbell Republican political strategists; CEO of Intellz Spring Yemisi Egbewole Former Chief of Staff and Advisor to the Biden White House Press Office; Founder of Podium Strategies Spring Garret Graves Former Congressman representing Louisiana; Former Chairman of the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority Spring Seema Mehta Veteran political journalist for the Los Angeles Times
2025 Fellows
Semester Fellow Notability Sources Spring Cameron Trimble Former White House Director of Digital Engagement; founder of Hip-Politics Spring Anthony Rendon Former Speaker of the California State Assembly; served multiple terms as a California Assemblymember Spring Jessica Millan Patterson Former Chair of the California Republican Party; first woman, Latina, and millennial to lead the party in the state Spring Jonathan Martin Senior political correspondent and analyst at Politico Spring Betsy Fischer Martin Executive Director of the Women & Politics Institute at American University; Emmy award winning journalist Spring Ed Goeas Founder and President/CEO of the Tarrance Group Fall Helen Torres CEO of Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE) Fall David Simas Former President of the Obama Foundation; senior executive at Emerson Collective Fall April Ryan White House Correspondent and political journalist Fall Frank Lavin Former U.S. Ambassador to Singapore and Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade of United States of America Fall Jim DeBoo Former Chief of Staff to California Governor Gavin Newsom; founder of DeBoo Strategic Affairs.
2024 Fellows
Semester Fellow Notability Sources Spring Shannon Watts Founder Emerita of Moms Demand Action, a leading U.S. gun violence prevention organization; author Spring Michael Tubbs Former Mayor of Stockton, California; Special Advisor to California Governor Gavin Newsom on Economic Mobility & Opportunity Spring Tim Miller Political strategist, writer, and media commentator Spring Ron Galperin Former Los Angeles City Controller Spring Douglas Brinkley Historian and professor of history at Rice University Fall Carissa Smith Former Senior Advisor in the White House Office of Public Engagement Fall Lea Endres Co-founder and CEO of NationBuilder Fall Mike Bonin Former member of the Los Angeles City Council (11th District) Fall Jeff Blattner Former Deputy Assistant Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice
2023 Fellows
Semester Fellow Notability Sources Spring Hank Plante Veteran television reporter and columnist; Emmy- and Peabody-award winner; longtime political correspondent for KPIX-TV in San Francisco Spring John McConnell Political communications consultant; former White House speechwriter and aide Spring Martha Escutia Former California State Senator and Assembly Member; served as Vice President for Government Relations at the University of Southern California Spring Bill Carrick Democratic political consultant and strategist; longtime advisor to Dick Gephardt and California leaders including Eric Garcetti Spring Michael D. Bishop Former U.S. Representative from Michigan; served on House Judiciary, Ways and Means, and Higher Education committees Fall Betty Yee Former California State Controller (2015–2023); also served on the California State Board of Equalization Fall Mike Schmuhl Former Chair of the Indiana Democratic Party; campaign manager for Pete Buttigieg’s 2020 presidential campaign Fall Reince Priebus Former White House Chief of Staff and longtime Republican strategist; also Chairman of the Republican National Committee Fall Arnon Mishkin Political analyst and pollster; Director of the Fox News Election Decision Desk Fall Addisu Demissie Founding Principal of 50+1 Strategies, political strategist; served as campaign manager for Cory Booker’s 2013 U.S. Senate race and senior advisor for Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign
2022 Fellows