Sarada Peri

Speechwriter, formerly for @barackobama. Lazy musician. Avid Sherlockian.

[Ro Khanna @RoKhanna]

Senator Schumer is no longer effective and should be replaced. If you can’t lead the fight to stop healthcare premiums from skyrocketing for Americans, what will you fight for?

[Sarada Peri @SaradaPeri]

Spoke with @NYMag for this piece and came away feeling genuinely optimistic. The Democratic bench is strong—we've got talent across the map with different approaches and ideas. Now if the gerontocracy can get out of the way (see Rebecca Traister's terrific piece)...

[New York Magazine @NYMag]

Who, beyond the well-known and much-profiled Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Zohran Mamdani, and Jon Ossoff, are the young people most likely to rebuild the Democratic Party?

The bright lights of the next generation don’t fit into easy classifications. They include a seminarian, a waitress, an oysterman, and a semiconductor heiress. There are Bernie-endorsed socialists and iconoclastic centrists. Some are eyeing a national stage, others are staying adamantly local. Some already have a decade of experience; others are fresh upstarts proving themselves.

We spent months talking with professionals who recruit and support young candidates to identify the party’s next generation, and we called dozens of political operatives, consultants, and strategists—and granted them all anonymity so they could dish about the nominees candidly. The nominators didn’t all agree, and, of course, had their own perspectives and agendas, but through those conversations, we found the 25 most promising rising Democratic leaders who have yet to become household names.

Armed with our list of politicians under 40, photographer Elinor Kry hit the road in a minivan to meet and photograph a dozen or so of the next generation of Democrats. Kry shot her portfolio over a month, hauling a tufted armchair onto boats, truck beds, football fields, construction sites, and suburban cul-de-sacs to capture these officials and candidates on their home turf. Not all of these hopefuls will win their elections this month or next year, but all are worth watching.

Although they don’t run the country yet, the visions of these young politicians speak to the problems the party is grappling with: how to deliver on working-class issues, expand the party’s tent while holding onto its values, and stand up to the current administration: https://t.co/mQiil8RS71

[Sarada Peri @SaradaPeri]

Wrote some initial thoughts about where we go in @politico

[POLITICO @politico]

After facing a crushing defeat, Democratic thinkers offer solutions for the party to correct course. https://t.co/ohjFSoOIrz

[The New York Times @nytimes]

"It is like living in a recurring nightmare." Survivors of an Israeli strike at a hospital complex in central Gaza described flames jumping from tent to tent, shrieks of agony and people fleeing past bodies charred and unrecognizable in the night. https://t.co/u42y7ZWDxN

[Tommy Vietor @TVietor08]

Haven't been able to stop thinking about this clip since I saw it. Forget the government euphemisms you hear about a "limited ground incursion" or "restoring deterrence" -- this is the reality of the war and why it has to end.

[Leila Molana-Allen @Leila_MA]

Thousands of families who’ve fled the conflict in south #Lebanon are living like this on the streets. They have next to nothing, and nowhere to go.

[Leila Molana-Allen @Leila_MA]

Incredibly intense #Israel’i bombing in south #Beirut suburbs.
📽️ @ALJADEEDNEWS

[Hamdah Salhut @hamdahsalhut]

Body parts of Palestinians killed in Tulkarem were collected in a box and taken to a morgue.

739 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in the Occupied West Bank since October 7.

[Ben Rhodes @brhodes]

Be wary of the credulous takes about a new Middle East being forged through war.

[Sarada Peri @SaradaPeri]

@BBCRosAtkins very graciously had me on his podcast "Communicating with Ros Atkins," where we chatted all things speeches. Our conversation is linked below -- but the whole series, with far more fascinating guests, is worth a listen. https://t.co/L2dyFTOh01

[BBC Radio 4 @BBCRadio4]

“What can I uniquely add that other people can’t?”

@BBCRosAtkins 's guest @SaradaPeri , Obama’s former speechwriter, tells us why it’s important to communicate authentically, trusting our uniqueness.

Communicating with Ros Atkins | Listen on @BBCSounds

[Julia Ioffe @juliaioffe]

The obsession with Kamala's childlessness is fucking infuriating—and tells you everything you need to know.

[Sarada Peri @SaradaPeri]

Thinking of the extraordinary team of Biden staffers and civil servants who have worked their asses off and brought about a stunning amount of progress for the American people. We owe them — and President @JoeBiden — our gratitude.

[Ben Rhodes @brhodes]

Just like that, Americans see something transformational: a leader putting his country ahead of any personal interest or ambition. A seismic jolt of energy that raises the bar on all of us to get out there and do whatever it takes to win this election.

[Dan Cluchey @dancluchey]

As speeches go, it seems like there's much more time being devoted to Dana White's vacation than to, say, his horrifying plans for the country or the concerns of the American people.

[Jessica Valenti @JessicaValenti]

I don't know how to raise my daughter in a country where the Supreme Court is debating how many organs are ok for women to lose before providing healthcare

[Sarada Peri @SaradaPeri]

Such a great conversation with @braedencaley at @Canada2020 — thank you and @daisTMU for having me in unseasonably warm-ish Ottawa!

[Braeden Caley @braedencaley]

Ahead of @POTUS’ #SOTU2024 tonight, enjoyed welcoming @SaradaPeri (former @BarackObama Sr. Speechwriter & @daisTMU Sr. Fellow) to @Canada2020 for a conversation on the 2024 US election, what’s at stake for democracy worldwide, & how we can best shape the case for progress 🇨🇦🇺🇸

[Sarada Peri @SaradaPeri]

Looking forward to returning to the Empire Club with @reggcohn!

[Martin Regg Cohn @reggcohn]

Ahead of Super Tuesday, looking forward to a fireside chat with my fellow TMU Senior Fellow -- and Obama speechwriter -- @SaradaPeri on democratic disruption and discourse: Empire Club, March 5, tkts here... https://t.co/EFd7a9OGWA

[Sarada Peri @SaradaPeri]

Thrilled to be back with @canada2020 next week!

[Canada 2020 @Canada2020]

The 2024 US election's effects will be felt strongly here in Canada.

On March 7, join @Canada2020, @daisTMU Senior Fellow @SaradaPeri (former Special Assistant & Senior Speechwriter for President Obama), & others for a conversation about what's at stake: https://t.co/Rwbf7Hpcqd

[Sarada Peri @SaradaPeri]

As I wrote last week in @Slate, in trying to be all things to all people, Haley has boxed herself in on race: https://t.co/dytQXo21Io

[The Washington Post @washingtonpost]

With one answer in a TV interview, Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley again ignited a campaign trail debate about racism and its role in America. https://t.co/BGEWLGf2V0

[Sarada Peri @SaradaPeri]

Some fear that criticizing Haley boosts Trump. But her hollowness as a candidate and unreliability as a leader means she cannot be trusted as a bulwark against her former boss.

[Sarada Peri @SaradaPeri]

Why Nikki Haley can't have it all. My take in @Slate.

[Slate @Slate]

Nikki Haley's Civil War gaffe—and attempt at cleaning it up—perfectly illustrates her biggest problem as a presidential candidate. https://t.co/CBpnLqYy74