State & Local Government

Americans’ views of politics and elected officials are unrelentingly negative, with little hope of improvement on the horizon. 65% of Americans say they always or often feel exhausted when thinking about politics. By contrast, just 10% say they always or often feel hopeful about politics.

This year, at least 28 states and the District of Columbia will legally recognize Juneteenth as a public holiday.

21% of the roughly 1,000 candidates for U.S. Senate, House or state governor on the fall ballot claim some degree of military experience.

65% say most political candidates run for office “to serve their own personal interests.”

In Nebraska, 58% of all reporters covering the state capitol this year – 40 of 69 – are student reporters.

In the event that a Senate seat becomes vacant, governors in 46 states have the power to appoint a temporary replacement.

Nonprofit news reporters now account for 20% of the nation’s total statehouse press corps, up from 6% eight years ago.

The total number of journalists assigned to state capitol buildings is up 11% since 2014, though figures vary widely by state. And as newspapers employ fewer statehouse reporters, nonprofits are filling much of the void.

There are 245 newspaper reporters who cover the statehouse full time in 2022 in the United States, down from 374 in 2014.

Americans are increasingly critical of the response to COVID-19 from elected officeholders and public health officials. Positive ratings of public health officials, such as those at the CDC, have fallen 10 points since August. And 60% of U.S. adults say they’ve felt confused as a result of changes to recommendations on how to slow the spread of COVID-19.