From Trenton to D.C. and Back
The Flow of Information is Changing -- Both in Policy and in Media
When I first started working in the New Jersey State House, it was clear where the action was. The most innovative policies, the most passionate debates and the most effective governance were happening in the states. Washington often took its cues from us. If an idea worked in Trenton — or Sacramento or Tallahassee — chances were good that Congress would eventually try to scale it.
That’s part of why I made the move to D.C. I wanted to be where the ideas landed, where national change took root after being tested on the ground. For years, the current flowed in that direction — state-led innovation informed federal action.
But somewhere along the way, that current has changed course.
Today, Washington is often where big, ambitious ideas are floated—not always to be passed, but to shape the narrative. These federal proposals, while unlikely to become law, give state lawmakers a framework to act. It’s now the states that are picking up the baton, enacting legislation where Congress can’t or won’t. From data privacy and AI regulation to reproductive rights and environmental protections, the policy change is happening in statehouses, not on Capitol Hill.
It’s not just the flow of legislation that’s changed. It’s the people too. Many professionals once came to Washington to influence national policy before eventually returning home. But now, there’s a growing trend of people returning to their states not to retire — but to make things happen. Washington still sets the tone, but increasingly, the states are where the work gets done.
I’ve lived that shift. And it’s reshaping not just where policy is made—but how power, purpose and progress are defined in this moment.
Alternatively, t’s not just legislation that’s changing course. A similar shift is happening in media. Where news once shaped the narrative that influencers carried forward, today it’s the influencers driving the headlines.
More on that next time.
The laboratory of democracy and the vibrancy of the 4th estate are good health indicators for each other!
This is an inspiring insight. I'd like to think that more agreement can be found when implementing locally as well b/c that is where we see the impact of the policy directly.