New Statecraft

Introducing the Transformative Leadership Initiative: every candidate for Congress should back reforms for competitive elections, sound finances, a functional legislature, an accountable presidency, and a trusted Supreme Court. Reformers, not performers. transformativeleaders.us

In "Reclaiming the Politics of the Possible" (The Fulcrum, October 15), our Chief Operating Officer explains that for our federal government to actually solve problems we must choose leaders who prioritize coordination over combat and country over party. thefulcrum.us/governance-leg…

The test for any fight — rates, courts, AI: does the rule survive the other party winning? If not, it is theater.

Public approval of Congress collapsed to a record low of 10 percent (Gallup, April 2026). This is the price for brinkmanship. Sooner or later, voters will punish officials who refuse to work together.

Every US citizen should have the right to vote in a primary election. These disenfranchised moderate citizens can help get Washington working again.

It must become unacceptable that 90% of US elections are uncompetitive (FairVote, 2026). More districts should be redrawn to be 50-50, not one-party blowouts for incumbent re-election.

Most Americans want a third party (Gallup, 2025) or better chances to select some independents in Congress to help break the partisan gridlock.

Almost a third of American voters say fighting for their values matters more than actually finding a solution. (Georgetown Institute of Politics, 2023.) Open or blanket primaries and competitive congressional districts would curtail the influence of these hyper-partisans.

In a pluralistic country of nearly 350 million people, durable solutions require broad and stable alliances. This November, we must choose consensus-builders instead of bomb-throwers. Enough with the drama – let's get to work.

The framers created a system that forces negotiation through federalism, bicameralism, staggered terms, and checks and balances. When extremists denounce compromise as weakness, they disparage an overarching objective of our Constitution.

Large majorities of both Democrats and Republicans say it’s important for the other party to compromise, but fewer than half said the same about their own party. (Pew, 2025.) It’s time to end the hypocrisy: we must elect pragmatic consensus-builders this November.

Senate nominee Graham Platner's withdrawal highlights the need for more sensible policy. Maine law requires a nominee to withdraw by July 13 and be substituted by July 27 in order to change November ballots. Congress should mandate that a federal nominee can withdraw until August 1 if there is an inability to serve, and give the party until late August to name a final replacement. We should provide a more thorough democratic process in federal elections.

On this Tax Day, New Statecraft is calling on Congress to immediately reduce the size of the tax code by at least 20% and commit to further simplifying the code over the next two years. Please consider forwarding this message to your U.S. Senator and Representative, and feel free to share your own experience with America’s extraordinarily complex tax laws.

Our Elections Reality Project contains an indisputably impressive array of testimonials which compellingly refute President Trump’s destructive disinformation campaign purporting that American elections are fraudulent. newstatecraft.org/elections-…

President Trump recently stated on the Dan Bongino show: “I won that [2020] election by so much. Everybody knows it.” Even at the National Prayer Breakfast (4 Feb. 26) he alleged that Democrats “do something to win. Do you know what it is? They cheat!" Regardless of how one judges Trump’s job performance, the assertion that the American presidency was awarded to Joe Biden via fraud is such a monstrous lie that research disproving it must be forever vindicated. Between 2020 and 2024 New Statecraft Institute assembled a definitive compendium of public statements from widely respected elected officials, academics, journalists, and third-party verifiers across a broad ideological spectrum to establish definitively that the outcome of the 2020 American Presidential election was not determined by fraud. This list deliberately includes many past and present Republican leaders and top officials from Trump’s own administration. Amazingly Trump continues to peddle this dis-information into the 2026 U.S. elections cycle, so the Elections Realty Project remains a pivotal tool to set the world straight on the integrity of American elections. newstatecraft.org/elections-…

Our Elections Reality Project contains an indisputably impressive array of testimonials which compellingly refute President Trump’s destructive disinformation campaign purporting that American elections are fraudulent. newstatecraft.org/elections-…

The president has ordered huge numbers of unidentified masked federal enforcement units into a tiny handful of U.S. cities rather than offering agents more widely to cities who might request extra resources. Citizen resentment to this massive presence is the inevitable result. Threats against federal agents have exploded, but hiding their identities makes them unaccountable.  Officers have no badges, names or faces visible to citizens. The federal government should require temporary badge numbers, to provide anonymity and accountability simultaneously. Easy-to-read temporary badge numbers could identify an officer retroactively in fatal events, for example, and need not even be recorded electronically, but retained in the FBI's D.C. office. American democracy need not forfeit accountability in the service of officer anonymity.

In American cities surging with federal enforcement units, relationships between many citizens and law enforcement have been stretched beyond the breaking point. It's unwise to throw gasoline on the fire. Nearly instantaneous prejudicial statements by VP Vance and DHS Secretary Noem that the recent shootings were indisputably justified are objectionable. All police officers will bear the brunt of any increasing resentment by many Americans against perceived excessive force from the federal government in their communities. It's essential that federal law enforcement establish trust that all investigations into violent enforcement actions in our communities will uphold impartiality and judiciousness.

Happy Holidays from New Statecraft Institute. Our mission is to empower a new generation of leaders who reject toxic tribalism and who harness voters’ revulsion to business as usual in Washington. Your support helps us equip these transformative leaders with unique policy insights and bold prescriptions for achievable reforms. Please consider a tax-deductible year-end contribution to New Statecraft Institute by using the Donate portal at newstatecraft.com.