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.”
Taxes & Economy
New Pa. Unemployment Numbers Won’t Reassure Pa. Voters about ‘Bidenomics’
Harrisburg, Pa., October 20, 2023 — Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate for September was 3.4%, the 17th highest among all 50 states, according to federal government data released today. The data also shows 77,700 Pennsylvanians…
Press Release
Read More: New Pa. Unemployment Numbers Won’t Reassure Pa. Voters about ‘Bidenomics’Education
School Choice Report, Episode 19
From working to expand tax credit scholarships to educating everyone from elected officials to parents on the benefits of school choice, Stephen (Steve) Bloom is a leading voice on one…
Podcast
Read More: School Choice Report, Episode 19Education
Gov. Shapiro must become more productive in Pennsylvania before he can get to the White House
Originally published at The Patriot-News Gov. Josh Shapiro regularly dodges the question about his national ambitions. “I’m focused on doing this job and this job only, and…
Media Hit
Read More: Gov. Shapiro must become more productive in Pennsylvania before he can get to the White HousePublic Union Democracy
UAW Ain’t Nothin’ Compared to Public Sector Unions
Originally published at Townhall For the media and union executives, the United Auto Workers (UAW) strike against automotive plants in Missouri, Ohio, and Michigan is the gift that keeps…
Media Hit
Read More: UAW Ain’t Nothin’ Compared to Public Sector UnionsRegulation
PA Regs Shut Doors to Economic Opportunity
Originally published in Delaware Valley Journal Gov. Josh Shapiro recognizes how government regulations come between Pennsylvanians and job opportunities. In his first week, Shapiro acted on his campaign promise…
Media Hit
Read More: PA Regs Shut Doors to Economic OpportunityEducation
Poorer children need the same choices as richer children
Originally published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette One evening, a young man needed help with his Algebra 2 homework, so he called the helpline for my school’s credit-recovery program. The…
Media Hit
Read More: Poorer children need the same choices as richer childrenEducation
Jennifer Stefano: Conservative students can’t speak freely, and that’s bad for everyone
America’s colleges and universities foster a censorship culture that intimidates and silences students, professors, and university guest speakers, and the negative consequences go far beyond limiting the benefits of free…
Press Release
Read More: Jennifer Stefano: Conservative students can’t speak freely, and that’s bad for everyoneGovernment Accountability
Commonwealth Foundation Launches Website Exposing Governor Shapiro’s Shady Activities
Harrisburg, Pa., October 9, 2023 — Today, the Commonwealth Foundation launched a new webpage dedicated to exposing the myriad of shady actions that Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has engaged in…
Press Release
Read More: Commonwealth Foundation Launches Website Exposing Governor Shapiro’s Shady ActivitiesEducation
Conservative students can’t speak freely, and that’s bad for everyone
Originally published at The Philadelphia Inquirer At Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa., 162 miles from Philadelphia, alumni launched the Open Discourse Coalition in 2021. Their goal? To bring…
Media Hit
Read More: Conservative students can’t speak freely, and that’s bad for everyoneEducation
Commonwealth Foundation Vice President Stephen Bloom joined The Breakfast Show Oct. 6, 2023
Topics on this pageStephen G. Bloom…
Media Hit
Read More: Commonwealth Foundation Vice President Stephen Bloom joined The Breakfast Show Oct. 6, 2023Education
Empower students to vote with their feet
Originally published at Broad + Liberty Increasingly over the past three years, public schools and the students who attend them have become collateral damage to a culture war that…
Media Hit
Read More: Empower students to vote with their feetEducation
Democrats once again vote against helping vulnerable kids
Harrisburg, Pa., October 5, 2023 — Today,Commonwealth Foundation Senior Vice President Nathan Benefield issued the following statement in response to the Pennsylvania House Democrats’ decision to advance a fiscal code bill…
Press Release
Read More: Democrats once again vote against helping vulnerable kidsEducation
School Choice Report, Episode 18
What drives someone to take a stand for school choice when his or her peers pose fierce opposition? What are parents who want more educational choice saying to elected officials?…
Podcast
Read More: School Choice Report, Episode 18Government Accountability
Shapiro’s ‘Voter Registration’ Change Just Another Photo Op
Originally published in The American Spectator Earlier this month, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro announced, with great fanfare, that he is implementing “automatic voter registration” in the Keystone State.
Media Hit
Read More: Shapiro’s ‘Voter Registration’ Change Just Another Photo OpEducation
Gov. Shapiro Poised to Raid Rainy Day Fund, Unprecedented Move Violates Law and Undermines Legislature
Harrisburg, Pa., September 29, 2023 – The Commonwealth Foundation expresses strong concern that Gov. Shapiro is ignoring the law and usurping the constitutional role of the legislative branch in the state…
Press Release
Read More: Gov. Shapiro Poised to Raid Rainy Day Fund, Unprecedented Move Violates Law and Undermines LegislatureEducation
Gov. Shapiro’s New Hampshire Keynote Undermined by Legislative Failures, Incomplete Budget
Harrisburg, Pa., September 29, 2023 — Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro was recently announced as the keynote speaker at the 2023 New Hampshire Democratic Party Convention. His appearance in Bedford, New Hampshire—one of…
Press Release
Read More: Gov. Shapiro’s New Hampshire Keynote Undermined by Legislative Failures, Incomplete BudgetEducation
Commonwealth Foundation Survey Finds Voters Are Clear: “It’s the Economy, Stupid”
Harrisburg, Pa., September 28, 2023—Inflation continues to be the number one problem facing Pennsylvania voters, according to a poll released today by the Commonwealth Foundation. The Common Ground in the Commonwealth…
Press Release
Read More: Commonwealth Foundation Survey Finds Voters Are Clear: “It’s the Economy, Stupid”Education
Sen. Lindsey Williams supports school choice—But only for the wealthy
Originally published at The Philadelphia Tribune I don’t know what I did or said to inspire state Sen. Lindsey Williams to storm out of a recent Senate Education Committee…
Media Hit
Read More: Sen. Lindsey Williams supports school choice—But only for the wealthyRegulation
How Overregulated Is Pennsylvania?
Summary Pennsylvania has a major problem: it’s dangerously overregulated. According to a September 2023 Commonwealth Foundation study, “Cutting Red Tape in Pennsylvania,” the Keystone State enforces a whopping 166,219…
Fact Sheet
Read More: How Overregulated Is Pennsylvania?Energy
Electric vehicles are not without environmental consequences
Originally published at The Philadelphia Inquirer Pennsylvania is the country’s third-largest producer of electricity, behind only Texas and Florida. The bulk of our state’s energy…
Media Hit
Read More: Electric vehicles are not without environmental consequencesEducation
State House Democrats need to do their jobs
Originally published at LNP Lawmakers have one job: Work for the people they represent. This job requirement is as old as Pennsylvania when William Penn founded the Provincial Assembly…
Media Hit
Read More: State House Democrats need to do their jobs