By Gabriel Molina-Kong, 2026 CLA Intern
When you hear the words “American politics,” maybe your thoughts jump to a Congress that can’t get anything done or a team of corporate lobbyists funded by private interests. People’s first thoughts tend not to be about their state legislature. After all, most people probably don’t even know who their state rep is (I certainly didn’t until this trip up north) which is a shame because what I saw in the capitol was a governing body comprised of reps and staff that seemed capable of reaching consensus and of pursuing the interests of their constituents compared to those at the national level. In short: an effective government.
One of the staffers we spoke to talked about the courtesy votes that one member might give another for their bill so that it can pass through the system all the while having an understanding that the bill is not perfect and needs to be modified. The courtesy vote is given because there’s a level of faith and cooperation between members, and I found that to be incredibly inspiring when the majority of national attention focuses on a Congress full of vitriol. We had a lot of conversations with staffers, and I’d say that a main theme was that state reps don’t have the luxury of grandstanding and achieving nothing to boost their political profile. They have to be pragmatic and cooperative in a way that I think would give the electorate more faith in certain aspects of our political system if they were highlighted.
Another thing I noticed in our conversations with people in the capitol was a certain kind of humility in the way they were willing to admit that they didn’t have all the answers. You’d expect politicians (and those involved in their world) to be slick talkers that give off the air of unbridled confidence in themselves and their cause, but a lot of them didn’t have the answers we were always looking for. They tried to be as helpful as they could but were willing to admit that they had a messy career path or that their future career is still in question.
I think if this side of American politics could gain more visibility, people would be less cynical and more open to engaging in the political system, whether it be voting, contacting their representatives, or contributing to causes that interest them.