Tara Setmayer facts for kids

Tara Olivia Setmayer was born on September 9, 1975. She is a well-known political commentator and a co-founder of The Seneca Project. She used to work as a political expert for news channels like CNN and ABC News. She also served as a communications director for the Republican Party in the U.S. Congress.

Tara has appeared on popular TV shows such as The View and Good Morning America. She was also a special guest on Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO. In 2020, she became a Resident Fellow at the Harvard Institute of Politics. She also joined The Lincoln Project, where she was a Senior Advisor and hosted a show called The Breakdown until June 2024.

Since 2020, Tara Setmayer has been a Resident Scholar at the University of Virginia Center for Politics. She narrated a three-part documentary called Dismantling Democracy. This show aired on PBS and is now available on Amazon Prime. After working with the Republican Party for 27 years, she became an independent voter in November 2020.

Who is Tara Setmayer?

Tara Setmayer is a respected voice in American politics. She is known for sharing her opinions clearly and directly. She often talks about important political issues that affect the future of the United States.

Early Life and School Days

Tara Setmayer was born in 1975 in Queens, New York. She grew up in Paramus, a town in northern New Jersey. She was an only child, raised by her single mom, Deborah. Her mother was a Broadway dancer who stopped her career to raise Tara.

Tara's family has lived in Paramus for a long time. Her grandfather, Emil Setmayer, worked for the Paramus Police Department for 40 years. He retired as a captain. He also volunteered with the Paramus Fire Department for 71 years.

Tara went to Paramus High School and graduated in 1993. After high school, she studied at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. There, she focused on political science, public policy, and journalism. Tara has a mixed background. Her mother's family is from Germany and Italy. Her father's family is from Guatemala.

Her Career Journey

In the early 2000s, Tara worked as a research fellow. She was also a communications specialist for an organization called CURE. This group looked at how social policies affected cities and people in need. She also helped train Republicans who wanted to run for public office.

For more than two years, Tara worked in South Florida. She helped people find affordable housing and services. She also co-founded a program to help people who were homeless.

Working in Congress

From 2006 to 2013, Tara worked in the United States House of Representatives. She was the Communications Director for a Republican Representative from California. In this role, she handled issues related to immigration and law enforcement. She also helped lead an effort to free two Border Patrol Agents.

Speaking Out on TV

Tara was a regular guest on the PBS show To the Contrary. She was also featured in many newspapers and magazines. These included The Wall Street Journal, The Hill, and Ebony. She appeared on radio shows like News & Notes and Tell Me More on NPR.

As a media commentator, she has appeared on many TV shows. These include programs on CNN, ABC, Fox News, MSNBC, and HBO.

In 2017, Tara joined the board of Stand Up Republic. This group works to protect democratic values in America. During the 2016 presidential election, she was known for speaking out against Donald Trump. She challenged claims made by his supporters. Vulture.com even named her one of the "Top 20 Election Coverage Stars" on TV in 2016.

Tara was a political commentator for CNN from 2014 to 2016. She appeared on shows like New Day and Anderson Cooper 360°. She rejoined CNN in 2018 and stayed until January 2021. Today, she often appears on MSNBC and other news channels.

She has also written articles for Cosmopolitan, Bloomberg Opinion, and The Daily Beast. She is a frequent guest host for The Michael Smerconish Program on SiriusXM.

Life Outside Work

In 2013, Tara Setmayer married Marcelle Love. He is a federal law enforcement officer. Both Tara and Marcelle are big fans of the New York Giants football team. They even named their cat after a famous Giants player, Tiki. They live in the suburbs near Washington, D.C..