Erik Telford
Senior Vice President of Public Affairs
Erik Telford is the Senior Vice President of Public Affairs at the Commonwealth Foundation.
Erik is a senior public affairs and communications executive with more than 15 years of diverse experience across public policy, advocacy, and public affairs institutions. Before joining the Commonwealth Foundation, Erik served as the senior vice president at Stand Together Communications, the Koch network’s marketing and communications capability. Erik has also served as the president of the Franklin Center for Government & Public Integrity, a state-based watchdog journalism organization. And at Americans for Prosperity, he was the executive director of RightOnline (an initiative he founded) and the director of membership and online strategy. He is currently on the board of the American Commitment Foundation.
In 2013, Campaigns & Elections Magazine honored Erik as an “Advocacy Innovator” and in 2011 as a “Rising Star in American Politics.” Politics Online named him one of the “Top 10 Who Are Changing the World of Internet and Politics.”
State Budget
Governor’s Proposed Budget Would Balloon Deficit to More Than $6 BILLION
Harrisburg, Pa., February 28, 2024 — Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposed $48.3 billion budget would expand Pennsylvania’s structural deficit to more than $6 billion by 2028 and lead to major tax increases,…
Press Release
Read More: Governor’s Proposed Budget Would Balloon Deficit to More Than $6 BILLIONEnergy
Some Pa. Democrats are pushing back against eco-fundamentalism
Originally published at The Hill In a sign of how far left the Democratic Party has veered, once-avowed progressives are now hesitant to embrace eco-fundamentalism — the dogmatic ideology that…
Media Hit
Read More: Some Pa. Democrats are pushing back against eco-fundamentalismState Budget
Shapiro’s Structural Deficit
Summary Gov. Josh Shapiro proposed a $48.3 billion 2024–25 General Fund budget, a $3 billion or 7.1 percent spending increase compared to last year’s ongoing general fund spending. The proposal…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Shapiro’s Structural DeficitGovernment Accountability
Stefano: Tired of politics? Stand by these values.
Philadelphia Inquirer columnist and Commonwealth Foundation Executive Vice President Jennifer Stefano, in her column this week, called on readers to resist politicians who “subvert democratic norms” for political purposes. Stefano writes:…
Media Hit
Read More: Stefano: Tired of politics? Stand by these values.Energy
Biden’s Electric Bus to Nowhere
Originally published at Delaware Valley Journal Pennsylvania lore talks of the fabled bus to nowhere—a mythical vehicle that provides rides to lost souls. And, by the looks of it,…
Media Hit
Read More: Biden’s Electric Bus to NowhereState Budget
Transit Bailout Could Derail Shapiro’s Budget
Originally published at RealClearPennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro thinks mass transit is too big to fail. In his recent budget address, Shapiro pitched sending roughly $300 million…
Media Hit
Read More: Transit Bailout Could Derail Shapiro’s BudgetGovernment Accountability
Tired of politics? Stand by these values.
Originally published in The Philadelphia Inquirer Leading up to a likely Trump vs. Biden face-off for the presidency, a Pew Research Center report released in…
Media Hit
Read More: Tired of politics? Stand by these values.Regulation
State Law, Financial Experts, and the Governor Himself Condemn Budget Plan to Raid Rainy Day Fund
Harrisburg, Pa., February 19, 2024 — Pennsylvania significantly improved its fiscal standing over the last few years by making deposits into the Rainy Day Fund. Pennsylvania has gone from among the…
Press Release
Read More: State Law, Financial Experts, and the Governor Himself Condemn Budget Plan to Raid Rainy Day FundEducation
Gov. Shapiro’s budget shoves Pennsylvania in the wrong direction
Originally published at The Patriot-News Pennsylvania’s population is shrinking as working-age families move away to other states. State policymakers’ most important challenge is how to make our commonwealth…
Media Hit
Read More: Gov. Shapiro’s budget shoves Pennsylvania in the wrong directionEnergy
How states can lead the charge on energy affordability and reliability
Originally published at the Washington Examiner To challenge the Left’s environmental radicalism, we need a prudent vision for an environmentally friendly but reliable electric grid that delivers…
Media Hit
Read More: How states can lead the charge on energy affordability and reliabilityPublic Union Democracy
Lawsuits allege government union officers engaged in dubious financial schemes
Originally published at Broad + Liberty Union officers have knowingly undermined the financial well-being of their members through deliberate acts of misinformation and misappropriation, according to ongoing litigation in…
Media Hit
Read More: Lawsuits allege government union officers engaged in dubious financial schemesHealth Care
Health Care Myths and Facts
Summary Pennsylvanians want personalized, flexible, accessible, and cost-effective health care. Market-based reforms to make price information available, expand telemedicine, and modernize Pennsylvania’s Nursing Law can reduce health care costs and…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Health Care Myths and FactsEducation
If Josh Shapiro wants to compete with Ohio, he needs to imitate Ohio
Originally published at The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Gov. Josh Shapiro is right: Pennsylvania is losing to Ohio. In the last two years, Pennsylvania witnessed a net loss of 2,425 residents and…
Media Hit
Read More: If Josh Shapiro wants to compete with Ohio, he needs to imitate OhioEducation
Commonwealth Foundation’s Nathan Benefield Releases Analysis of the Governor’s 2024 Budget Proposal
Harrisburg, Pa., February 8, 2024 — The spending increases proposed by Gov. Josh Shapiro in his recently released 2024 budget proposal “would explode the budget deficit and invite massive tax hikes on…
Press Release
Read More: Commonwealth Foundation’s Nathan Benefield Releases Analysis of the Governor’s 2024 Budget ProposalEducation
Key Takeaways from Governor’s 2024 Budget Proposal
Key Points Gov. Josh Shapiro’s startling spending increases and myriad of new initiatives would explode the budget deficit and invite massive tax hikes on working families in the coming years.
Backgrounder
Read More: Key Takeaways from Governor’s 2024 Budget ProposalEducation
Gov. Shapiro’s Proposed Budget Demonstrates Startling Fiscal Irresponsibility
Harrisburg, Pa., February 6, 2024 — Today, Gov. Josh Shapiro delivered his 2024 Pennsylvania budget address in the Capitol rotunda. His speech, lasting approximately an hour and a half, included proposals…
Press Release
Read More: Gov. Shapiro’s Proposed Budget Demonstrates Startling Fiscal IrresponsibilityEducation
Before fixing college, Gov. Shapiro should fix Pennsylvania’s failing K–12 system
Originally published at The Patriot-News Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro finally revealed his 2024 New Year’s resolution: overhaul college in the commonwealth. However, here’s the big question: Can he…
Media Hit
Read More: Before fixing college, Gov. Shapiro should fix Pennsylvania’s failing K–12 systemEducation
Stefano: Do-nothing Dems in the Pa. House hold bipartisan reforms hostage
Pennsylvania is losing people and industries to other states as a result of the state’s “crippling economic policies,” writes Philadelphia Inquirer columnist and Commonwealth Foundation Executive Vice President Jennifer Stefano in her Monday Inquirer …
Press Release
Read More: Stefano: Do-nothing Dems in the Pa. House hold bipartisan reforms hostageEducation
Do-nothing Dems in the Pa. House hold bipartisan reforms hostage
Originally published in The Philadelphia Inquirer In the last two years, tens of thousands of Pennsylvanians have fled the state. This trend is not new. For 12…
Media Hit
Read More: Do-nothing Dems in the Pa. House hold bipartisan reforms hostageState Budget
Spice Up Gov. Shapiro’s 2024 Budget Speech with Budget Address BINGO
Harrisburg, Pa., February 5, 2024 — Ahead of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s second annual budget address, the Commonwealth Foundation invites you to spice up the governor’s upcoming speech with a game of Budget…
Press Release
Read More: Spice Up Gov. Shapiro’s 2024 Budget Speech with Budget Address BINGOEducation
How Gov. Shapiro Can Help ‘Every Child of God’
Originally published at RealClearPennsylvania “I believe every child of God deserves a shot here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” Gov. Josh Shapiro said last year, “and one of the…
Media Hit
Read More: How Gov. Shapiro Can Help ‘Every Child of God’