Join us for CCPS Fall 2026 Programming

On September 21 at 6:30 pm, Democratic Lawyer Marc Elias will join CCPS Director Tom Kahn to discuss the upcoming mid-term elections and to explore the concept of safe and fair elections. Watch this space for registration and more details.   

On September 29 at 3:00 pm, Congresswoman Stephanie Bice (R-OK-5) will join CCPS Director Tom Kahn for the lastest installment of the Thurber Dialogues on Democracy, an ongoing series of conversations with prominent thought leaders about how to strengthen democracy in the US and abroad. Watch this space for registration and more details. 

ZTMF Volume 1 is out today - and just in time!

With the imminent publication of the first volume of the Correspondence of Zachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore, lessons from its contents—including Texas annexation, the Mexican-American War, and a key presidential election—are surprisingly relevant today. History may not repeat itself but it certainly rhymes.
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Hill Veteran Kahn Named Director of CCPS

On August 5, 2026 Tom Kahn was named Director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies (CCPS), effective July 1. The appointment follows a successful year in which Kahn served as Acting Director, during which he began mapping a strategic direction for the Center and provided extensive support to CCPS's three flagship institutes: the Campaign Management Institute (CMI), the Public Affairs and Advocacy Institute (PAAI), and the European Public Affairs and Advocacy Institute (EPAAI).

Kahn brings three decades of congressional experience to the role, having worked in and across Capitol Hill during several of its most consequential legislative eras. Before joining SPA as an adjunct professor in the Department of Government and as a Distinguished CCPS Fellow, Kahn spent two decades as Democratic Staff Director for the House Budget Committee, serving in both the minority and majority. As the longest serving Staff Director in history, Kahn helped shape major budgetary and legislative wins, including the 1997 bipartisan budget agreement that led to a federal budget surplus, and contributed to the passage of the Affordable Care Act.

“It is a great privilege to be appointed Director of CCPS,” said Kahn. “I am excited to continue the Center’s outstanding work promoting outstanding academic research, sponsoring educational programs and fostering a greater appreciation for the proper constitutional balance between the Presidency and Congress. By bringing together scholarship and practice, we help strengthen the institutions that are essential to effective democratic governance.”

Since leaving the House Budget Committee, Kahn, who is also a partner at the Cormac Group, has held a range of leadership and advisory roles in Washington. He was appointed by President Biden to the Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad, is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations and continues to consult for both the National Democratic Institute and the International Republican Institute.

At American University, Kahn has also distinguished himself as an educator, earning AU's Outstanding Teaching Award in 2023. He holds a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center.

"Tom's depth of experience on Capitol Hill, combined with his commitment to our students, makes him exactly the right leader to carry CCPS forward," said SPA Dean Alison Jacknowitz. "Over the past year, he has already shown what that leadership looks like in practice and I am excited to see what he will do in the coming years."

CCPS prepares students for careers in congressional, campaign, and public affairs work through its three institutes, offering hands-on training grounded in real-world political and legislative experience.

Congress On Demand Engages Voters with Balance of Senate in Play

Key primary elections in August may determine the balance of the U.S. Senate, and there is no better place to get up-to-date than the Congress On Demand 2026 Senate Election Edition. COD was conceived so that what is public can finally reach voters in a familiar and engaging way. Though sessions in Congress are filmed, COD delivers videos in the short, single-click on-demand format to which we've all grown accustomed. The 2026 Senate Election Edition features floor speeches made by all Senators and Representatives running for Senate seats in the mid-terms. The Congress On Demand 2026 Senate Election Edition is proud to be recognized by 250+ at American University, a year-long initiative marking our nation’s 250th anniversary through dialogue, learning, and civic engagement. Questions? Email COD founder and CCPS Fellow Eve Silberberg.

May Institutes Deliver Hands-On Learning

CCPS ran two intensive institutes in May: Quentin Fulks, Campaign Manager of Harris-Walz 2024, led the Campaign Management Institute and Laura Uttley, VP of Policy and Government Relations at Woodwell Climate Research Center, led the Public Affairs & Advocacy Institute. Pictured are Fulks and expert practitioners Megan Clasen and AU Alum Monica Patel. Clasen and Patel, from Gambit Strategies in Chicago, shared best practices and real-world examples in effective digital campaigns. 

Scholarship Awarded to Amini for 'Three Essays on AI and Political Behavior'

The Center for Congressional & Presidential Studies recently selected Ali Amini as the 2026 recipient of the Gill Foundation of Texas scholarship to support his dissertation on AI and Political Behavior. The award recognizes a PhD student working on a dissertation in the areas of American Politics, Comparative Politics, Public Administration, or Policy Analysis at American University using quantitative methods.

Amini is a doctoral candidate and adjunct faculty in Political Science at the School of Public Affairs and an MS candidate in Data Science at the College of Arts and Sciences at American University. He teaches modules on the statistical foundations and social science applications of large language models and nonlinear modeling in the Winter Institute for Data Science’s Big Data program, and courses in Introduction to Political Science Research and Political Conflict for undergraduate students in the School of Public Affairs. Throughout his doctoral training, he has contributed to computational research projects funded by NASA, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Science Foundation, with findings published in Nature Scientific Reports and other peer-reviewed journals.

Seeking submissions for Congress & the Presidency Journal

Congress & the Presidency journal is actively seeking new research article submissions that aim to broaden perspectives on the executive and legislative branches. We're committed to broadly studying American governance and want your input to help shape a more inclusive future of research. Visit Congress & the Presidency for more information and to submit research articles for potential peer review.