“In the back and forth of a campaign, reporters, campaign press staff, and even the candidates can demand new policies in areas that have been well-trodden and don't typically make for exciting speeches. But a serious candidate has to put forward serious ideas to solve actual problems.”

American political consultant

Neera Tanden is an American political consultant and former government official. She is the president and CEO of the Center for American Progress, a Democratic think tank, and served in the Biden administration from 2021 to 2025. Tanden was director of the United States Domestic Policy Council from 2023 to 2025. Before that, she was a senior advisor and staff secretary to President Joe Biden from 2021 to 2023. She had already spent years with the Center for American Progress, including a previous tenure as its president, after working there in different roles since its founding in 2003.