In 2018, Neal Simon was an independent candidate for a U.S. Senate seat in Maryland, polling as high as 18 percent in the three-way race. Simon, who campaigned upon uniting the country and bringing pragmatism back to Washington, witnessed firsthand the perverse incentives that push candidates and lawmakers to ideological extremes. Simon is the author of Contract to Unite America: Ten Reforms to Reclaim Our Republic, which recounts stories from campaigns around the country including his own, and provides specific, practical solutions for an improved government. Simon was CEO of multiple businesses, including Highline Wealth Management which he started in 2002 and sold in 2015 and Bronfman Rothschild, an investment advisor with assets under management of over $6.5 billion. In his community, he has served as board chair for both the Greater Washington Community Foundation and the Montgomery County Community Foundation. In 2016, his family was recognized by Interfaith Works, a leading non-profit that helps low income families, as Humanitarians of the Year. Simon also serves on the boards of BPC Action (Bipartisan Policy Center) and Stand Up Republic. Simon holds a bachelor of arts from Brown University and a master’s in business from the University of Chicago.