meet sam

Samuel Chen is a television host and commentator, author, and award-winning political scientist, analyst, and strategist. He hosts the news journal Face the Issues and regularly provides political commentary for a variety of media outlets.

EARLY LIFE

Chen was born Pennsylvania and grew up in the Lehigh Valley region of the state. He is an alumnus of Emmaus High School in Emmaus, Pennsylvania.

EDUCATION

Chen completed his undergraduate studies in philosophy and political science at Baylor University in 2009 and went on to earn his graduate degree in church-state studies in 2011 from the J.M. Dawson Institute of Church-State Studies at Baylor. While at Baylor, he was active in university life, serving in student government and on university committees for athletics, recruitment, and strategic planning. He remains involved with his alma mater today through their Baylor in Washington program and the Baylor Honors College. Chen also completed coursework in Homeland Security and Emergency Management from the Valley Forge Military College.

POLITICS

Throughout the past decade and a half, Chen has had a front-row seat to American democracy. He has served as an aide to U.S. Senator Pat Toomey (PA) and U.S. Congressman Charlie Dent (PA-15), managed Dent's congressional campaign, and served as political director to Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett and Lt. Governor Jim Cawley.

In 2015, Chen founded The Liddell Group – an innovative and interdisciplinary strategy firm that has reinvented the approach to politics, public policy, and communications. He and his team have led a number of policy initiatives and represented numerous leaders, including Ohio Governor John Kasich, Pennsylvania Deputy Auditor General Gordon Denlinger, and award-winning special victims prosecutor Pearl Kim.

Chen's success in politics has earned him various accolades, including being named one of Pennsylvania's top 50 political consultants and being named to City & State Pennsylvania's 40-under-40 list for government (2021, 2017) and Politics PA's 30-under-30 list for politics (2014). In 2016, The Liddell Group was named a finalized for the Business Innovation Award by the Greater Lehigh Valley (PA) Chamber of Commerce for their leadership in innovation and strategy. Chen has also served as a judge for the prestigious Pollie Awards, hosted by the American Association of Political Consultants and dubbed by Esquire magazine as the "Oscars of political advertising" and was named their 2019 Outstanding Judge of the Year.

MEDIA

In 2017, Chen was tapped to host the new television show Face the Issues. A talk show news journal, Face the Issues retains the long-form interview style and replaces talking points with robust conversations and debates on the ideas and their practical implications. The show launched in March 2018 in the Philadelphia market, expanded to the Central and Western Pennsylvania market in 2020, was picked up in Ohio in 2023, and is broadcast today in a five-state region and streamed online to a national audience.

In 2023, Chen joined Alhurra TV as a political contributor and is a frequent guest on a variety of other media outlets, having appeared on or in NPR, NBC News, Politico, Newsweek, Politico, Wall Street Journal, New Yorker, Philadelphia Inquirer, Christian Science Monitor, Business Insider, Bloomberg, Algemeen Dagblad, and others. He has served on the advisory board for City & State Pennsylvania since 2021.

ACADEMIA

A political scientist by training, Chen directs the political science program Northampton Community College (NCC) in Pennsylvania. He founded and directs the college's George S. McElwee Forum for Excellence in Public Service and has served as an advisor to Baylor in Washington. He is a member of the American Enterprise Institute's Leadership Network (LN) and Conservative Education Reform Network (CERN). A frequent speaker on college campuses and at various conferences, Chen has authored numerous articles and academic papers and has provided testimony to various legislative committees.

AUTHOR

In March 2020, Chen released his first book, Thirteen Minutes: Winning, Losing, and Living as Taught by the 2016 Election (Opus Publishing). Written specifically for the next generation of political operatives, Chen reflects on the 2016 presidential campaign, sharing never-before heard stories and illustrating five life lessons for politics and for life. Later that year, he released his second book, E Pluribus Unum: The Scope of Church and State in American Liberal Democracy (Kendall Hunt), which details the roles of religion and government in America.

PERSONAL LIFE

Chen is active in his home church and is a past Gotham Fellow with the Center for Faith and Work. He is a member of the Pennsylvania State Society of Washington, D.C., the Texas State Society, and the National Academy for Television Arts and Sciences.

fast facts

SCHOOL?

Baylor born and Baylor bred and when I die, I'll be Baylor dead. Sic 'em, Bears.

SPORTS TEAM?

College: Baylor (#SicEm) and Penn State (#WeAre)

Pro: Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Guardians, Detroit Lions, Philadelphia Flyers, San Antonio Spurs, Chelsea FC

HAVING LIVED IN TEXAS; WHAT'S SOMETHING TEXAS HAS THAT THE REST OF THE WORLD NEEDS?

Buc-ee's. Risk it for the brisket.

TEXAN HABIT THAT YOUR OTHER FRIENDS JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND?

There are a few, but I get the most grief for putting salsa on my eggs. I get the most grief in Pennsylvania Dutch country where everyone is obsessed with putting *ketchup* on their eggs and, well, on everything.

POLITICAL PET PEEVE?

I have two: 1) the mind-boggling level of important put on yard signs and 2) the incessant cry that "this is the most important election of our lifetime." Both are grossly overstated.

ADVICE FOR A YOUNG PERSON LOOKING TO ONE DAY GET INTO POLITICS?

Work in food service. It's not glamorous, but success isn't built in the spotlight. Your experience will teach you life lessons that no Hill internship could teach; lessons that will ground you in politics and in life. My best hires have come out food service.

ADVICE FOR VISITING WASHINGTON DC?

Stand on the right, walk on the left.

BEST POLITICAL TELEVISION DRAMA?

Politicos see their jobs as The West Wing or Madame Secretary, outsiders see it as Scandal, but it's really House of Cards...with some days more reflective of VEEP.