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Davis, Blunt named to Harvard fellowship program

Group also includes former judge who lost Senate race last year

Former Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Ill., will be a fellow this fall at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics.
Former Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Ill., will be a fellow this fall at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics. (Caroline Brehman/CQ Roll Call file photo)

Former Sen. Roy Blunt and former Rep. Rodney Davis are part of a class of nine politicians, policymakers, diplomats and journalists named Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics fellows for the fall 2023 semester, the institute announced Wednesday. 

Blunt, a Republican from Missouri, will be a visiting fellow. Davis, a Republican from Illinois, will be a resident fellow. Blunt retired rather than run for reelection last year, while Davis was defeated in a June 2022 primary after redistricting.

 The institute was established in 1966 and encourages student interest in public service by engaging students with academics, politicians, activists and policymakers, according to a statement. 

“We are incredibly excited to welcome this remarkable cohort of Fellows to Harvard to engage and collaborate with our students,” IOP director Setti Warren said in a statement. “They embody the IOP’s mission of public service, and I am confident their diverse expertise and guidance will inspire this year’s students to pursue careers in public service and prepare the next generation for political leadership.”

Resident fellows, like Davis, reside on campus and mentor a cohort of undergraduate students. They hold office hours and lead study groups in their respective areas of expertise. 

Other resident fellows include Cheri Beasley, the former chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court who unsuccessfully challenged Republican Ted Budd for a seat in the Senate; Jonathan Martin, politics bureau chief and senior political columnist at Politico; and Jeff Rosen, the former acting attorney general of the U.S. who testified against former President Donald Trump at a Jan. 6 committee hearing last year.

Visiting fellows come to IOP for a shorter period and participate in discussions, events and programming, according to the statement.

Susan Rice, the former director of the U.S. Domestic Policy Council and former national security adviser, is the other visiting fellow.

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