The political landscape from middle America
It’s become a ritual to read every political moment through Washington, where so much power is now concentrated. We’ve all seen pundits point to a spot on a map and reduce voters to a set of partisan leanings and then translate that into what it means for national politics.
This issue takes a decentralized view of 2026, beginning with middle America, not as a backdrop to national power but as the seat of real accountability.
That’s why our interview with Kansas state Rep. Rebecca Schmoe is refreshing. As she puts it, when she talks about home, it’s never the sterile “District 59,” it’s a place full of real people with real responsibilities in America’s heartland.
We also hear from three state and local elected leaders from New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, focused on kitchen table issues that affect Americans.
Rep. James Thibault, one of the nation’s youngest state legislators, says New Hampshire’s next generation is being priced out by an affordability squeeze. While Washington’s endless spending plays a role in the cost of living, instead Thibault stresses the importance of state lawmakers focusing on what they can control.
What remains a growing issue for many Americans, Pennsylvania Rep. Natalie Mihalek is taking the lead in her state to tackle food safety and talks about the need for a civic reset during America’s 250th anniversary.
Mark Piotrowski, a Saginaw County Commissioner in Michigan, discusses local, state, and federal budget dynamics.
The insights from state and local lawmakers in this issue underscore contributor James Dickson’s message for Congressional Republicans, in what’s traditionally a brutal year for the party holding the White House and Congress. His advice: make politics local again.
The consequences of doing the opposite of Dickson’s advice — ceding state and local control to Washington — are evident in areas like public education, state budgets, and welfare programs.
Peter Reichard details the damage centralized control has done to K–12 education and reveals the predictable winners when local communities lose their voice. Thankfully, parent and citizen engagement continues to change the narrative to something better for kids. Nixing the U.S. Department of Education is a first step.
Drawing on Iowa’s experience, John Hendrickson describes the efforts that have empowered parents and made the state a leader in education freedom.
Andrew Dunn argues that “good intentions” have long shielded big federal programs from scrutiny, particularly when states administer them without appropriate guardrails. That insulation is cracking as federal policy shifts more financial risk to states just as budgets tighten. Still, this creates an opening for healthier federalism: states must prove results, prevent waste, and protect taxpayers. Without stronger oversight, local communities lose control, transparency, and trust as public money is misspent, and outcomes go unmeasured.
The scale of the fraud, especially in Minneapolis, makes further coverage warranted and Rev. Ben Johnson explains how misaligned incentives helped fuel a crisis that isn’t going away without significant reforms.
In an important topic related to how we govern ourselves and our collective ability to do that going forward, Kerri Toloczko looks at how AI is damaging public trust and what can be done about it. She puts the onus on more local powers to be problem solvers, suggesting tools that can increase transparency and trust.
In this busy election year, it’s important to have perspective on how we got to this moment. I write on five elections in the last 50 years that have changed our political landscape the most.
The most consequential debates and decisions happen at the state and local level, and accountability still matters there, a sharp contrast to so much of what passes for news in Washington.
