Our Writers & Contributors

Margaret Sullivan has spent 25 years in investigative journalism, with stints at the New York Times, Washington Post, and Columbia Journalism Review. A Pulitzer Prize finalist, she specializes in institutional accountability and democratic governance. She founded The Agonists in 2018 with a mission to deliver fearless, nonpartisan political analysis.

James Harrington has covered federal budgets and fiscal policy for 15 years. A former congressional staffer who worked on the Senate Budget Committee, he brings insider knowledge to his analysis of appropriations, tax policy, and government spending. His forensic approach to budget analysis has uncovered hundreds of hidden provisions and earmarks.

Dr. Sarah Chen specializes in East Asian security, U.S.-China relations, and Indo-Pacific strategy. She holds a Ph.D. in International Relations from Johns Hopkins SAIS and previously served as a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. She reads Mandarin, Japanese, and Korean and regularly travels to the region.

David Wasserman has tracked every congressional election for 18 years. Creator of the Redistricting Fairness Index, he combines deep knowledge of local politics with advanced data analytics to produce some of the most accurate election forecasts in the industry. He is a sought-after commentator on NBC, PBS, and NPR during election season.

Rachel Torres covers cybersecurity, intelligence, and election security for The Agonists. She previously reported for the Washington Post's national security desk and ProPublica. A recipient of the George Polk Award for national security reporting, she has broken stories on surveillance programs, cyber warfare, and intelligence community oversight failures.

Dr. Michael Park brings a unique combination of medical and policy expertise to his healthcare coverage. A former practicing physician who earned his MPP from Harvard Kennedy School, he served as a health policy advisor on the Senate HELP Committee before joining The Agonists. He specializes in pharmaceutical policy, Medicare reform, and health equity.

Professor Linda Chen teaches constitutional history at Georgetown University Law Center and is the author of three books on American political institutions, including the acclaimed "The Accidental Veto: How the Senate Broke American Democracy." Her historical context pieces for The Agonists connect today's political battles to their historical antecedents.

Dr. Elena Vasquez holds a J.D. from Yale Law School and a Ph.D. in Political Science from Stanford. A former Supreme Court clerk and appellate litigator, she brings unmatched legal expertise to her coverage of the federal judiciary. Her analysis of Supreme Court decisions is relied upon by lawyers, academics, and policymakers nationwide.