Grant Kalen (FEC nominee, party‑backed fundraiser)

Grant Kalen is a party‑backed expected nominee to the Federal Election Commission positioned by leadership as a practical bulwark against campaign‑finance reform. The episode reinforces his role as an emblem of institutional continuity and identifies him specifically as a fundraising figure who helped elect Democrats in Indiana. Named offstage by Hill aides, Kalen functions narratively as a political instrument: his anticipated confirmation signals the party’s resistance to restricting soft money and constrains the administration’s ability to advance regulatory change.