Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Tufts Daily (TD): First, welcome to campus! What does it mean to you to be returning to Tufts?
Louisa Terrell (LT): that It’s great to be here. For me, this is where I became who I am. This is where I got the opportunity to really start thinking about politics and policy in a different way.
TD: What inspired you to get into politics? Were there any classes or experiences you had at Tufts that inspired you to pursue this path?
LT: and Americaof the studyyou can weave together a lot of interesting topics and intellectually understand the interconnectedness between many threads of different academic thought. Politics is the same concept of weaving together many pieces, and I felt like I had learned some of that and come to recognize that it was for me.
TD: As Legislative Director for the Biden Administration, you helped pass landmark legislation including: the Inflation Control Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. What was your approach to passing legislation in a divided Congress and working across party lines?
LT: yesYou need to invest in the relationship from the beginning The beginning. One of the first things I did when I took this job was literally go door-to-door to every Republican in Congress. There were many with whom I would never see eye-to-eye, but it was a sign of respect to let them know that the President was here to advance an agenda for all Americans, and the door was open to see if there were ways we could work together.
I think that in order to have a really good bipartisan discussion that leads to a final outcome, you have to keep your promises, and in that environment, it was important that we, as a team, were always very clear about what we could and couldn’t deliver.
TD: You’re currently a senior adviser to the Harris campaign. What do you think is the most important element of running a successful presidential campaign?
LT: There is a theory behind successful campaigns “The incident” It’s a test of who the candidate is and how they present themselves, but they also need to be agile. Vice President Harris has a very clear message about who she is and what vision she wants for the country, and she’s been very clear about that, but the campaign itself has been very agile about how it communicates that message. So they’re agile about what platforms they use and how they reach out to voters, but they’re not constantly switching messages. They’re very clear and organized and they’re driving an anchor message.
TD: What has been the most rewarding part of your role as an adviser to the Harris campaign?
LT: of People are remarkable. We have people who have never worked on a campaign before, who are seemingly entry-level workers, but they are so enthusiastic and passionate. They are geniuses in ways I could never in a million years think about and strategize and analyze. It’s these moments of people coming together and thinking that motivate me. AboutTheir passion to make a difference. There’s something special about a campaign that goes on 24/7. People put everything else aside and are single-mindedly focused on this. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime privilege to be a part of it in any way.
TD: President Biden and many others have praised your leadership. leader?
LT: Bdo To really get comfortable with things that you don’t know and having people around you who are smarter than you. That’s hard sometimes. I was taught, “Try your best to be smart,” but I also find comfort in saying, “I don’t need to be the best at any of these things or prove anything.” What I really need is to create an environment where people are smarter than me, better than me, know things that I don’t know, and want to work with me, and come together and find places and ways where they feel valued and recognized, and come up with great solutions together. Part of being a good leader is really getting comfortable with that, and being humble, and admitting when you fail.
TD: What’s your favorite story from your time in the White House?
LT: when YeahWhen you deliver the State of the Union, it’s a very short motorcade, because you just drive down Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House. … You finish this drive, you park, and the front of the Capitol is so beautiful, and then you go into the Capitol. … It feels loud, almost profane, and yet everything feels so pure. You feel the history. I always come back, especially with Biden, and when the speech was over there were cheers and “hurrahs” and moments of jubilation afterwards. We understood that we were just a tiny speck in these large organizations.
TD: What advice would you give to students considering a career in government or public policy?
LT: do Because it’s really fun. That’s my first job. I think it’s good to have a broad perspective on where you can get involved in politics and policy. One of the things I noticed later in my career is I was really energized and motivated and inspired by some of the things that were happening at the state level. When you’re thinking about getting involved in politics and policy, take some time to look at what’s going on in your state legislature, your state representatives, the governor’s office, the up-and-coming lieutenant governor’s office.
You need continuity in this world because you move around a lot. Make sure you have a mentor. … Use your mentor as your continuity as you experience different things and try to understand politics and policy in different formats.
TD: And finally — If you could paint a message on the Tufts Cannon tonight, what would it be?
LT: DonDon’t stop.Don’t be too cool to go to school. Don’t quit. Stop this The process. Don’t abandon the people. Some politicians don’t inspire, others do. The system will feel bureaucratic and dishonest…don’t abandon us.