Symone Sanders-Townsend: Education, Career, and Rise to Political Prominence

Symone Sanders-Townsend is a prominent figure in American politics, known for her work as a political strategist, commentator, and television host. Her career has spanned various roles, from serving as national press secretary for Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign to becoming the chief spokesperson for Vice President Kamala Harris. Currently, she hosts “Symone,” an MSNBC weekend program, showcasing her diverse perspectives and opinions on pressing issues.

Early Life and Education

Symone Danielle Sanders-Townsend was born on December 10, 1989, and grew up in North Omaha, Nebraska. Her journey into politics began at a young age. One of her earliest political experiences came at age 16 when she introduced former President Bill Clinton at a fundraising event in Omaha in 2006. Clinton was impressed, stating, “Symone spoke so well, I really hate to follow her.” He even wrote about her introductory remarks in his book, Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World.

Sanders graduated with a business administration degree from Creighton University. After graduation from Creighton, she worked as a Democratic political consultant in Nebraska.

Early Career and Political Beginnings

After graduating from Creighton University with a business administration degree, Sanders worked as a Democratic political consultant in Nebraska. She moved to Washington in 2014 to work for Global Trade Watch, which is associated with the left-wing group Public Citizen. She previously was the national chair of the Coalition of Juvenile Justice Emerging Leaders Committee. She was also a member of the Federal Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice.

At age 25, Sanders said she didn’t view herself as a democratic socialist but had a “27-interview losing streak for potential jobs” before accepting a role with the Bernie Sanders 2016 presidential campaign. Sanders' career path took root in her hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, where she landed her first political internship through a connection at her local church. From there, she started saying yes to every opportunity - organizing, volunteering, and learning through experience. But breaking into national politics wasn’t easy.

Role in the Bernie Sanders 2016 Presidential Campaign

Sanders gained national attention as the national press secretary for Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign. At age 25, she was the youngest presidential candidate press secretary on record at the time. Sanders was on Rolling Stone’s list of 16 young Americans shaping the 2016 election.

According to The Washington Post, Sanders' hiring happened just as Bernie Sanders' campaign began to face sharp criticism from activist groups and protesters associated with the Black Lives Matter movement.

On June 26, 2016, Politico reported that Sanders had decided to leave the campaign. She told the site, "I believe my time at the campaign has come to an end. In a July 2016 interview with Lenny, Sanders explained why she asked to be the campaign's national press secretary. I believe that spokespeople are some of the most powerful people in politics, because during a campaign it's all about the message. I have always wanted to be in the communications space because I represent an important demographic all across the board, and I believe people like me should be involved in the process. … It's sad, but no one thinks to automatically make an African American woman or a Latino woman the spokesperson for general issues.

Transition to Political Commentary and Strategic Communications

After her role in the Bernie Sanders campaign, Sanders transitioned into political commentary and strategic communications. She became a strategist for communications and political outreach at Priorities USA, a Democratic super PAC. She was also a Spring 2018 resident fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics. She was also a principal at 360 Group LLC, where she did strategic communications work for organizations, businesses, individuals, campaigns, and candidates regarding political and social problems.

She became a CNN commentator and wrote her first book, No, You Shut Up: Speaking Truth to Power and Reclaiming America, published when she was 29 years old.

Read also: Shedeur Sanders: A Football Story

Senior Advisor for the Biden-Harris Administration

In March 2020, Sanders physically tackled a protester who rushed the stage during Biden’s speech on Super Tuesday. After Biden’s victory, at age 31, Sanders was named as Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor and Chief Spokesperson to Vice President Kamala Harris. While Sanders was on Harris’s staff, the vice president received significant coverage for poor message discipline and staff dysfunction. Upon her departure, Sanders asserted she was not leaving the White House because she was unhappy.

Move to MSNBC and Media Career

After leaving the White House, Sanders joined MSNBC in early 2022. After MSNBC hired Sanders in early 2022, the New York Times wrote, “Ms. First Lady Jill Biden was her first guest on “Symone,” a weekend talk show on the left-leaning news network. She said she wanted “Symone” to not just appeal to Beltway political junkies, but also to people that follow pop culture and reach more young people. She told the New York Times that success in cable news could be a dream fulfilled, noting that as a child she would play an imaginary TV reporter. “I picked up a spoon, a fork, a remote or whatever was there, and I would report on the kitchen,” she told the Times.

When leaving the White House, she told the Omaha World-Herald that she planned, “to continue to be a reliable voice for this White House on the outside, regardless of whatever I do next.” But after taking the MSNBC job, she said, “I’m not here to be a spokesperson for the Biden administration. She later raised the race and gender issue over questions of whether she could objectively cover the Biden administration. “I think about every white man who has worked in politics, who has worked for a president or a vice president, or gotten a president or vice president elected who has gone onto host a television show or have a successful media career,” she said.

Beyond her show on MSNBC, and commentary on CNN, she has also been interviewed on NPR, Fox News, NBC, BET and TV One. She was also profiled in the Washington Post, the New Yorker, ESSENCE Magazine, and ELLE.

On November 30, 2023, MSNBC announced that Sanders would move to weekend mornings to anchor a new program, The Weekend, along with Alicia Menendez and Michael Steele.

Personal Life

In July 2022, Sanders married Shawn Townsend in a surprise ceremony in front of about 100 guests, most of whom thought they were attending a casual gathering.

Advocacy and Public Speaking

Sanders is an advocate for juvenile justice reform. She sat on the executive board of the Coalition for Juvenile Justice as the national youth chair, and she is also a member of the Nebraska Coalition on Juvenile Justice. She told Omaha Magazine, "The system isn’t set up well for minority communities. … My brother was incarcerated when he was young. I’ve been arrested myself-I told Bernie all about that right upfront-and this is an epidemic. Black and brown kids are being locked up at a disproportionate rate. It’s a school-to-prison pipeline.

Symone Sanders Townsend is a powerhouse communicator and thought leader whose TED Talk Stop asking permission! challenges audiences to lead with courage, authenticity, and conviction.

Published Work

Sanders is the author of No, You Shut Up: Speaking Truth to Power and Reclaiming America. In this book, Sanders offers practical advice for engaging in meaningful policy reforms. Drawing on her experience on the national stage to provide analysis on political and social issues, she challenges the conventional wisdom that strong communities are only defined by what we have in common.

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