State Politics & News
Coverage of state politics, elections, and conservative policy battles across all 50 states shaping America’s future.
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opinion
Pennsylvania Agency Goes Around Legislature to Impose Gender Ideology
A Pennsylvania agency has made an end run around citizens to impose gender ideology. Last month, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission released new guidance reinterpreting the category of “sex” in state anti-discrimination law to include “sex assigned at birth, sexual orientation, transgender identity, gender transition, and/or gender expression.” The commission circumvented the state Legislature, which… -
news
California on Cusp of Banning Short-Term Health Coverage
State lawmakers in California are close to banning inexpensive, short-term health insurance plans backed by the Trump administration as a cheaper alternative to Obamacare. State Sen. Ed Hernandez, D-Azusa, has urged California Gov. Jerry Brown, also a Democrat, to sign his legislation to ban the short-term health plans, which passed both houses of the Legislature…. -
news
This Ohio County Swung From Obama to Trump. Here’s What 8 Fair Attendees Think, 2 Years Later.
CANTON, Ohio—Attendees of the 169-year-old Stark County Fair in Ohio don’t come out to see politicians, and politics aren’t on the forefront of their minds, but a large portion of the folks here had strong opinions on both when asked. The political climate of Stark County, known for its rural, farming areas and also home… -
opinion
School Discipline Policy Belongs at the Local Level, Not Washington
Teacher unions and progressive special-interest groups cried foul earlier this year when the White House suggested that federal directives on school safety could be rescinded. But if a recent hearing held by the Federal Commission on School Safety is any indication, state and local policymakers don’t need Washington to micromanage student discipline policies. These state… -
news
Fact Check: Trump Administration Challenges Washington Post Hispanic Passport Story
The Trump administration is pushing back against the accuracy of a Washington Post story that suggests Hispanics applying for passports are facing discrimination from the federal government. Writing that “a growing number of people whose official birth records show they were born in the United States … are now being denied passports—their citizenship suddenly thrown… -
opinion
California Shows Why Congress Needs to Eliminate Food Stamp Work Requirement Loophole
Despite a booming economy and a record-low unemployment rate nationally, at least one state has been working overtime to ensure its work-capable food stamp recipients don’t have to work. Current law requires non-elderly, able-bodied adults without dependent children to work or participate in work-related activities, such as education and job training programs, for at least… -
opinion
How Louisiana Stood Up to the Anti-Gun Corporate Elite
The state of Louisiana recently held some members of the corporate social police accountable for discriminating against law-abiding Americans. By a vote of 7-6, the State Bond Commission excluded Citigroup and Bank of America from the running for a lucrative state contract. Our reason for doing so: these corporations had introduced bank policies that restrict… -
opinion
Christian Cake Baker Turns the Tables, Sues Colorado for Anti-Religious Bias
Jack Phillips owns Masterpiece Cakeshop in Lakewood, Colorado, and is himself a master baker. He’s in trouble with the state of Colorado for declining to create a custom cake for an event because doing so would violate his religious beliefs. If that sounds familiar, it’s because Phillips has already taken a similar case all the… -
opinion
Chicago’s Risky Bid to Dig Itself Out From Massive Pension Debts
Imagine if Congress wanted to issue $4 trillion in new debt in hopes of leveraging it to help pay down its existing $16 trillion in public debt. That’s essentially the city of Chicago’s latest last-ditch effort to address its massive—and still growing—unfunded pension obligations. Chicago has $36 billion in total unfunded pension obligations across its… -
news
What These 6 University of Iowa Students Say About Mollie Tibbetts’ Death
IOWA CITY, IOWA—For students who attend the University of Iowa, the beginning of the school year brought the tragic news of their classmate Mollie Tibbetts’ death. Tibbetts’ body was found Tuesday in a corn field in Poweshiek County, Iowa. Tibbetts, a 20-year-old psychology major who would have begun her junior year this fall, was last… -
opinion
California’s ‘Must Stay Gay’ Bill Would Cause Severe Harm
A groundswell of opposition from churches, pastors, and ordinary citizens in California may have delayed but ultimately could not prevent the passage of AB 2943 by the California Senate on Aug. 16. The bill itself, dubbed by some as the “Must Stay Gay” bill, is a perfect storm of leftist political correctness that attacks free… -
opinion
Colorado Officials Want to Crush Jack Phillips for Not Creating Some Cakes
For over six years now, Colorado has been on a crusade to crush Jack Phillips because state officials despise what he believes and how he practices his faith. After Phillips defended himself all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and won, he thought Colorado’s hostility toward his faith was over. He was wrong. Colorado… -
news
Colorado Targets Christian Baker Again Despite Supreme Court’s Cake Ruling
The Colorado Civil Rights Commission is going after Christian baker Jack Phillips again, although the Masterpiece Cakeshop owner won a resounding 7-2 decision in June before the U.S. Supreme Court. The state commission moved against Phillips after a lawyer asked him to design and bake a custom cake celebrating a gender transition, pink on the… -
opinion
Chicago’s Violence More Proof of How Liberal-Controlled Cities Have Let Down Black Americans
During the weekend of Aug. 4-5 (and the preceding Friday night), 12 Chicagoans were shot dead, and 62 others were shot and wounded, the Chicago Tribune reported. Before last week’s mayhem, 1,718 Chicagoans had been shot since the beginning of the year, and 306 had been murdered. Adding to this tragedy is the fact that… -
opinion
Potential Terrorist Case in New Mexico Draws Attention to Growing Use of Children in Terrorist Plots
Last week, authorities in New Mexico discovered 11 children living in a dilapidated compound. Most were the sons and daughters of a Georgian resident called Siraj Ibn Wahhaj who, along with his wife and sisters, was charged with child cruelty offenses. Human remains found on the site are feared to be those of his disabled… -
opinion
Problematic Women: The Forgotten Voices of Santa Fe, Texas
On today’s “Problematic Women,” we cover our mini-documentary about the May school shooting in Santa Fe, Texas, produced by our very own Kelsey Harkness and Lauren Evans. Unlike the shooting in Parkland, Florida, this community was not given a voice and largely has been forgotten. Two students now bravely tell their story. We also discuss… -
news
Republican Balderson Declares Victory in Close Ohio Special Congressional Election
Republican state Sen. Troy Balderson appeared to have a slight edge in the Ohio special House election Tuesday, marking what could be a disappointment for Democrats, but a potential warning sign for the GOP. With 100 percent of precincts in, Balderson, 56, led Democrat Franklin County Recorder Danny O’Connor, 31, by 101,574 votes to 99,820… -
news
Chicago Democrat Pleads for Trump’s Help Despite Mayor After Weekend Bloodbath
Chicago Democrats ought to put aside their partisan agenda and seek President Donald Trump’s help to decrease shootings, urges a state lawmaker who represents the city’s West Side. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is showing the wrong kind of leadership by continuing to declare the city a “Trump-Free Zone,” state Rep. La Shawn Ford said… -
news
New Jersey Budgets $5M to Prop Up ‘Community’ Newspapers
The New Jersey state Legislature set aside $5 million in the annual budget to help fund what it calls “community journalism,” which critics say raises serious ethical questions regarding the influence it gives government over news coverage. As local newspapers have seen circulation and advertising steadily decline in the digital age, the traditional business model… -
opinion
Podcast: California Not Happy With Trump’s Regulation Rollbacks
On today’s edition of The Daily Signal podcast, Ginny Montalbano and Daniel Davis interview Heritage Foundation economist Nick Loris, who focuses on energy, environmental, and regulatory issues, about proposed regulation rollbacks in California. Loris discusses the Trump administration’s move to try to loosen fuel-efficiency and emissions regulations for cars and light trucks put into place…