Sean McElwee

McElwee began his journalistic career as an intern at CBS News and at Salon, and has since contributed to a variety of publications. Articles by McElwee include pieces where advocated in favor of the Abolish ICE movement in The New York Times,[3] ending predatory lending in The Atlantic,[4] and worker cooperatives in The New Republic.[5]

McElwee gained national attention in 2018 for his support for the Abolish ICE movement.[6][7] McElwee is an advocate of left-wing primary challenges to moderate Democrats. In 2020, McElwee reportedly published the Justice Democrats to spend money on Cori Bush's campaign against Lacy Clay.[8]

In 2018, McElwee became the founding executive director Data for Progress (DFP), a progressive think tank and polling firm.[9] The firm was credited by The Atlantic for releasing one of the first reports on the Green New Deal,[10] and one independent analysis found that Data for Progress was the most accurate pollster in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary.[11] Polling and analysis from Data for Progress has been regularly cited by the Biden Administration, and McElwee’s tweets were noted for being frequently retweeted by White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain.[12]