2024 Hindsight: Political commentator and new author Lindy Li on becoming ‘Unburdened’

Not too many thirtysomethings can claim to have been actively involved in politics for more than half their lives; Lindy Li can. 

Beginning with her time as a teenage volunteer on Democratic Congressman Joe Sestak’s campaigns in the aughts, through a successful run to become class president at Princeton and an unsuccessful candidacy for Congress, which led to a stint as one of the top fundraisers for national Democrats, Li was a firmly entrenched member of the party elite.

Until she chose not to be. In a contentious public split, the longtime Philadelphia resident (by way of Sheffield, England and Chengdu, China) burned bridges by extensively criticizing the Democrats’ 2024 presidential campaign efforts, calling it, among other things, a “$1 billion disaster” and calling nominee Kamala Harris “the weakest possible candidate.”

Li, who quickly became a regular fixture as a commentator on conservative media, including Fox News, and a podcast featuring her, Ana Kasparian and Jillian Michaels, has now joined the cavalcade of authors providing their own version of what happened when they were in the room where it happens during the 2024 election, “Unburdened: A Former Democrat Insider’s Shocking Account of Political Power, Betrayal, and Party Collapse.”

In an exclusive interview ahead of her book’s debut on Tuesday, Li spoke about her high-profile split with the Democratic Party, working with the GOP and her new book.

The following conversation has been edited and condensed for length and clarity. 

Editor’s note: Lindy Li is a member of City & State’s advisory board.

How did you discover your talent for fundraising?

I ran for Congress (in 2016 and 2018) and discovered that I could raise money. The Democratic Party recruited me after seeing what I could do. None of it was coordinated – I kind of just walked into every opportunity. 

I also want to be very abundantly clear about everything. I was not paid. I’m not a disgruntled employee. I did it because I wanted to. I wanted to make a difference. But you know, some people say, "Oh, she’s only speaking now because she got fired.” Give me a fucking break. You couldn’t fire me because you never hired me. They can’t just accept that I might be telling the truth. It just doesn’t compute for them.

When did you begin questioning your commitment to the Democratic Party?

In 2022, when (President Joe) Biden's decline became apparent. You know, I loved the man. I thought he was – and I still, to this day, think – he’s very kind. And frankly, I fault the people around him more than I fault him in terms of staying too long. I think he faced extraordinary familial pressure, especially from Jill (Biden, the president’s wife) and Hunter (Biden, the president’s son). Biden’s decline definitely precipitated my disillusionment with the party, but there were other things as well. In 2019 and 2020, I went against the antisemitic Democratic Socialists of America, and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez basically insinuated that I was a Nazi. So I guess that was the first major break. But I’m not exactly like MAGA either. I’m my own woman. I’m a conservative-leaning independent. 

I think the DSA is a very insidious force in American politics. Seven years ago they were pretty bad, but now I think they're worse. Like now, right now, I think they're an openly antisemitic party.

Was there a moment or event that made you realize you were more aligned with Republicans? 

I mean, all my life. I went into Princeton thinking I was conservative, but was told I was a bigot for holding conservative values. So I tried to unlearn it. It took me a while to come back. I feel like I’m kind of just reverting to the norm at this point. It’s like the Hemingway quote. It happens gradually, and then all at once. I think that's what happened.

It’s clear that your rupture with the Democratic Party was very painful. Why did you choose to write a book that would make yourself an even more inviting target? 

I didn’t plan any of this. It just happened. You can’t exactly control an entire media ecosystem. I just told the truth. I never foresaw the consequences. 

“Unburdened” is not a MAGA-coded book at all. This is for me. Readers will come for the politics – and that's how I’m marketing it. But in terms of personal muses and inspirations, this isn't political for me. I know exactly what people are coming for, though, which is why I gave it to them.

Are you fundraising for any candidates in the midterms and, if so, who and why? 

I have access to millions of dollars from donors who stick with me no matter what; I was talking last week with somebody asking me who they should support in the lead-up to 2028. And frankly, I just don’t know what to tell them. I have advised a certain donor to work with the Republican National Committee, but I'm not actively fundraising – I have a book coming out.

How do you respond to allegations that you have simply traded one corrupt and self-serving party propping up a cognitively impaired octogenarian for another? 

Well, how many people dare to say that they're not MAGA on Fox News? That's exactly what I did five days ago. I'm very unfiltered. I never prepare for interviews – if you're telling the truth, why do you even need to prepare? And so when (“Fox News Sunday” host) Shannon Bream asked me, "So have you embraced the GOP now?” I just said, "I’m an America-loving conservative, but I’m not MAGA.” And then I added something else that I was kicking myself over: I said I don’t do cults of personality. But MAGA was actually really forgiving about that. I thought they were going to slam me. I saw one angry tweet, and that was it. It just demonstrates again that I was right to come home, essentially, to be independent. This is who I am.

We’re now a month and a half from the latest iteration of the most consequential election of our lifetimes. Do you have any insight or predictions about what to expect? 

Oh, yeah. It’s going to be a bloodbath. Republicans are going to get shellacked, a la Obama. It’s going to be terrible for the Republicans, for sure. Not a single doubt in my mind. 

Why do you think it’s going to be a shellacking? 

Well, from a macroeconomic standpoint, (Federal Reserve Chair) Kevin Warsh just raised interest rates by a quarter point. He already telegraphed that he's going to do so again by the end of the year. Interest rates have topped six 6% and are nearing 7%. Diesel is at its highest price ever. So these geopolitical forces are hard to overcome. It's just hard. Not to mention the traditional midterm stuff – they’re always hard for the president's party.

People are very upset about rising prices and the war. Conservatives, for sure, are very upset. Independents – don’t even get me started. They’re just fuming. People are angry. It's my job to take the pulse of America – and I’m telling you, they are very upset. Even traditionally Republican strongholds are slipping away. Iowa should not be competitive. That’s crazy.