Seven Lessons for Winning Elections Against Populists
Populists endanger democracy and must be defeated in elections,
but there is no one-size-fits-all recipe for winning against them –
country variations are too great for that. However, gathering
evidence from around the world can show what has (and has not)
worked in specific cases, and these can work again, when the
circumstances are similar.
Seven lessons are identified to help political parties in their
struggle.
Seven Learnings to Stem the Populist Tide
David Cowan and Sir Chris Powell – Autumn 2025
Recent electoral results across the globe demonstrate that the populist threat to democracy is not receding but intensifying, demanding an urgent reassessment of anti-populist strategy. The following summary distils seven critical learnings from an analysis of recent campaigns, offering practical and sometimes uncomfortable insights for mainstream political forces. These learnings cover the necessary mindset for the fight, the qualities of effective leadership, the prioritisation of key issues, proven campaign models for both
challengers and incumbents, the non-negotiable need to master the new media landscape and a plan to build relationships and trust through hyper-local action.
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Polaris Leadership Summit Speech
Speech given to the Polaris Leadership Summit in London, June 1 2023