Capitol Conversations

Brent Leatherwood on what you should know about the presidential debates

August 3, 2019

The 2020 presidential election kicked off with double header debates this summer for the Democratic Party’s nomination. As Christians, we want to approach these debates and each election thoughtfully to engage as well-informed citizens. Longtime politico, Brent Leatherwood joins Jeff Pickering around the Capitol Conversations table to talk about his recent article about the history of presidential debates and what we need to know going into 2020.  

Guest Biography

Brent Leatherwood serves as the Director of Strategic Partnerships. Before coming to the ERLC, he served as the executive director of the Tennessee Republican Party from December 2012 to December 2016, where he managed the organization’s campaign apparatus at the federal, state and local levels. In addition, Brent has worked on Capitol Hill as a senior legislative aide to former Rep. Connie Mack (R-Fla). He and his wife Meredith have three children and are members of The Church at Avenue South, where Brent serves as a deacon.

Resources from the Conversation

Chelsea
Chelsea Sobolik

Chelsea Sobolik serves as Director of Government Relations for World Relief, a a global Christian humanitarian organization and the largest Evangelical refugee resettlement in the U.S. Previously, she worked for the leading evangelical child welfare organization in the country, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) and on Captiol Hill.. Chelsea has been published at

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Brent Leatherwood

Brent Leatherwood was elected as president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission in 2022, after a year of leading the organization as acting president. Previously, he served as chief of staff at the ERLC, as well as the entity’s director of strategic partnerships. He brings an expertise in public policy to his work, having

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Jeff Pickering

Jeff Pickering is the director of the Initiative on Faith & Public Life, a project of the American Enterprise Institute. AEI is a leading public policy think tank in Washington, DC and the initiative exists to equip Christian college students for faithful engagement in public life. Jeff moved to Washington to work for Russell Moore

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Steven Harris

Steven Harris holds a B.S. in Religion from Vanderbilt University, an M.Div. from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, an M.A. in Religion from Yale University, and is currently a PhD student in the Study of Religion at Harvard University. He previously served as a Policy Director for the ERLC. Steven lives in the D.C. metro

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Travis Wussow

Travis Wussow is the former Vice President for Public Policy and General Counsel. Travis led the ERLC’s first international office located in the Middle East prior to joining the Washington DC office. He received a B.B.A. in Finance from The University of Texas at Austin and a J.D. from The University of Texas School of

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