At a time of political division and civil discord in the United States, President Carter stands as a shining example to both Democrats and Republicans of how a leader should lead by example.

Kennedy Institute CEO Adam Hinds and senior advisor Tammy Patrick spoke at the Bipartisan Policy Center’s 2024 Elections Summit on our Bolstering Elections initiative in partnership with the Dole Institute. Their lightning talk previewed our forthcoming report for practitioners and policymakers on the need for resources for elections administrators.

Former Senators Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), shared their perspectives on what’s ahead for the Senate in 2025. In conversation with Sirius XM’s Steve Scully, they discussed the challenges facing the Senate, the evolving political landscape, and major legislative hurdles facing the 119th Congress.

What can experiential learning reveal about students’ capacity to engage with complex policy issues? Kennedy Institute’s Adam Hinds, Will Foster-Nolan, and Michael Champigny join AEI’s Explain to Shane podcast on how incorporating emerging topics like AI regulation into civic education helps students conceptualize real-world policy challenges.

The Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate congratulates Senator John Thune (R-SD) who was elected as the new Majority Leader for the Senate.

Over 850 students from nine states participated in a virtual civic education program exploring the Electoral College’s role in American democracy through hands-on engagement.

The Edward M. Kennedy Institute is pleased to announce the addition of Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr., co-chairman of the Commission on Presidential Debates, to an expanding bipartisan board of directors which includes eight former U.S. Senators and two former U.S. Congressmen.

Mike Madrid, political consultant, Co-founder of The Lincoln Project, and expert on Latino voting trends, discussed his latest book, “The Latino Century: How America’s Largest Minority Is Transforming Democracy,” in conversation with acclaimed journalist, Ray Suarez. This Hispanic Heritage celebration event is brought to you in partnership with Conexión and the Massachusetts Business Roundtable.

The Edward M. Kennedy Institute and the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics have recently been awarded funding from the Election Trust Initiative for their Bolstering Elections initiative to promote investment in America’s critical elections infrastructure.

Read Kennedy Institute CEO Adam Hinds three tips to help companies communicate their values effectively and appropriately during this election season.

All of us at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate mourn the passing of Ethel Kennedy. As the widow of the late Senator Robert Kennedy, she not only was a tireless champion of the causes that defined his legacy, but she also showed, through the example of her own life, how one person, driven by purpose and public service, can make better the life of the world.

In a virtual conversation hosted by the Kennedy and Dole Institutes, David Janka and Thomas Both of the Stanford Design School discussed their new exhibit on how local election officials tirelessly design fair, free, and safe elections moderated by Tammy Patrick, Former Commissioner on the Presidential Commission on Election Administration.

“For all my years in public life, I have believed that America must sail toward the shores of liberty and justice for all. There is no end to that journey, only the next great voyage. We know the future will outlast all of us, but I believe that all of us will live on in the future we make.”

Read the Newsweek op-ed from Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) inspired by the Kennedy Institute’s Senate Project Debate series in partnership with BPC and the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation.

The co-founder of the Edward M. Kennedy Institute, Ambassador Victoria Reggie Kennedy, said today, “We mourn the loss of a giant, a friend, and one of the most generous and decent human beings any of us has ever known.

Today in response to Saturday’s tragedy in Butler, Pennsylvania, the Kennedy Institute issued the following statement with our Senate Project partner.

Chuck Todd moderates special discussion hosted by the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the US Senate, the Bipartisan Policy Center, and the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation; event will be recorded at the Kennedy Institute in Boston and broadcast on C-SPAN Networks.

What happens when the Senate, a tradition-bound institution, encounters a nonconformist president intent on changing how the government operates? In a virtual conversation hosted by the Kennedy Institute, Prof. Sean Theriault, University of Texas at Austin, Prof. Frances Lee, Princeton University, and Prof. Christina Bellantoni, University of Southern California, discussed their new book, “Disruption? The Senate During the Trump Era.”

Read our latest newsletter.

Could restoring the talking filibuster fix the gridlock in the US Senate? The Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate hosted a conversation with Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and his longtime Chief of Staff, Mike Zamore, on their recent book, “Filibustered! How to Fix the Broken Senate and Save America” moderated by Vox Policy Correspondent, Abdallah Fayyad.

On Tuesday, March 26, 2024, the Kennedy Institute’s annual dinner honored Governor Wes Moore and Governor Chris Sununu with the Edward M. Kennedy Award for Inspired Leadership. We were joined by honored guest, Gov. Maura Healey.  Moderator of NBC News’ Meet the Press, Kristen Welker, joined this year’s celebration as special guest and master of ceremonies.

Read our Winter 2024 newsletter.

The two institutes have assembled a team of policy experts and practitioners to examine why the study of funding our election systems is so difficult as compared to other government services and to highlight models of success at the local level.

The Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate hosted Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) for a conversation on the current state of Senate procedure and the challenges facing effective policy making in the country’s most deliberative body.

The Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate and the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation hosted award-winning educator Dr. Carey Wright, for the 2024 Stone Social Impact Forum. The conversation was moderated by NBC News’ Education Correspondent, Rehema Ellis.

Rapp brings wide range of public policy and government relations experience to growing Kennedy Institute team

The Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate appointed four former U.S. Senators as the newest members of its Board of Directors. Their addition brings the total number of Senators on the Kennedy Institute’s 21-member Board to eight, with equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans.

Read our Fall 2023 newsletter.

Co-hosted by the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the Senate and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, this event hosted Akhil Amar, Charles Fried, Kimberly Atkins Stohr, Gabe Roth, and Judge Patti Saris in a discussion about the new American Academy publication, The Case for Supreme Court Term Limits, which lays out why Supreme Court reform is needed, how term limits would positively impact growing polarization and partisanship on the court, and presents a possible path forward.

Read our statement on the passing of Senator Feinstein.

The Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the U.S. Senate and the Pew Research Center hosted a candid conversation about Americans’ deepening dissatisfaction with their elected officials and government and what that means for the future of American politics.

On September 26, 2023 the Edward M. Kennedy Institute hosted a special event marking the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement and its profound impact on finding a path to peace in Northern Ireland. Read the recap, watch the recording, and view photos from this iconic event.

The Kennedy Institute welcomed more than 30 foreign ambassadors – who represent countries across 5 continents – to Boston as part of the Experience America event. Led by the U.S. Department of State, Experience America connects foreign ambassadors with academic, business, and cultural leaders in hopes of strengthening relationships to promote economic investment, commerce, and dialogue.

The Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate presented Anthony S. Fauci, MD and Bill Russell (posthumously) with the Edward M. Kennedy Award for Inspired Leadership on December 13th, 2022.

The third installment of The Senate Project series, featuring Senators Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) was hosted inside the Edward M. Kennedy Institute’s one-of-a-kind full-scale replica of the Senate chambers. In a conversation moderated by FOX News Channel’s Bret Baier and streamed live on FOX Nation, the two Senators discussed a wide range of foreign policy topics, including the war in Ukraine, the Middle East and Iran sanctions, and the fentanyl crisis. Ernst and Shaheen both sit on the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.

A bipartisan group of 10 former United States senators – five Democrats and five Republicans – gathered at the historic Kennedy Family home in Hyannis Port, Mass. for three days of conversation about how the nation’s current political climate is negatively impacting today’s Senate. They also discussed ways to expand bipartisan cooperation on legislative solutions to major issues facing the country.