Al From

Alvin "Al" From (born May 31, 1943) is an American political strategist best known for being the founder and former CEO of the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC). His ideas and political strategies during the late 20th century played a central role in the resurgence of the modern Democratic Party. From is the author of The New Democrats and the Return to Power, which was published by Palgrave MacMillan in December 2013. Since January 2018, he is an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University.

After graduating in journalism, From began his career working in the Democratic administrations of Lyndon B. Johnson and Jimmy Carter. It was during this years that From came to reject the legacy of the New Deal and grew disillusioned with the New Deal coalition. As a result, he worked for Democratic representatives or senators who were increasingly critical of New Deal liberalism, and supported the 1984 presidential campaign of Gary Hart, an Atari Democrat and forerunner to From's New Democrats.

After founding the DLC in 1985 and the Progressive Policy Institute in 1989, From and the New Democrats remained at the margins of the Democratic Party, and did not gain control of the party until 1992 when it greatly influenced the Clinton administration. Many of their ideas, initially considered fringe and rejected or resisted by the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, eventually became mainstream and found their application during the Clinton presidency. His takeover of the party, which From himself described as a bloodless revolution, was seen by critics and other commentators as a coup and intellectual leverage.

The Third Way, as it came to be known the DLC brand under From, significantly influenced like-minded center-left and social-democratic parties across the globe. Despite Democratic losses in the early 2000s, it continues to be influential in the 21st century, and New Democrats continue to be a dominant faction of the modern Democratic Party, of which From is considered to be its political father.