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.”
Education
Defunding Cyber Charters Threatens Special Education
Originally published by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Diagnosed with Level 2 Autism, Hope has been nonverbal most of her life, making traditional learning a challenge. And like…
Media Hit
Read More: Defunding Cyber Charters Threatens Special EducationRegulation
Pennsylvania Is Losing Businesses and Workers. These Commonsense Solutions Will Bring Them Back.
Originally published by RealClearPennsylvania. Sadly, one of the nation’s biggest employers is closing in Pennsylvania. Saks & Company recently announced plans to shut down…
Media Hit
Read More: Pennsylvania Is Losing Businesses and Workers. These Commonsense Solutions Will Bring Them Back.State Budget
Deficit Watch: March 2026
Background Pennsylvania continues to face serious fiscal challenges. The enacted 2025–26 General Fund budget created a $4.6 billion structural deficit. Gov. Josh…
Deficit Watch
Read More: Deficit Watch: March 2026Education
Governor Shapiro, Give PA Kids Access to a New Scholarship Program
Originally published by The Philadelphia Citizen. Last Thursday, educators, advocates, lawmakers, and students gathered to deliver a simple yet profound message: Gov. Josh Shapiro must opt…
Media Hit
Read More: Governor Shapiro, Give PA Kids Access to a New Scholarship ProgramTaxes & Economy
Affordable Childcare Begins with Cutting Red Tape
Originally published by TribLive. Child care in Pennsylvania is expensive. Just one child in day care costs about 40% of the median household income of single-parent households…
Media Hit
Read More: Affordable Childcare Begins with Cutting Red TapeState Budget
Childcare Affordability Continues To Plague Pennsylvanians
Harrisburg, Pa., March 11, 2026 — Pennsylvania is one of the most overregulated states for childcare. And despite more than $50 million in additional state funding since 2023, too many families continue to find childcare…
Press Release
Read More: Childcare Affordability Continues To Plague PennsylvaniansRegulation
Fixing the Childcare Affordability Crisis in Pennsylvania
Key Points Statewide numbers for 2024 show the average annual cost of center-based infant care in Pennsylvania at $14,910, or 11.5 percent of the median married…
Backgrounder
Read More: Fixing the Childcare Affordability Crisis in Pennsylvania
Southern States Shatter the Myth of “Underfunded” Public Schools
Originally published by Broad + Liberty. Pennsylvania has a lot to learn about public education. And states like Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana offer this important lesson:…
Media Hit
Read More: Southern States Shatter the Myth of “Underfunded” Public SchoolsEducation
[MEDIA] Andrew Lewis on ‘Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words’
Pennsylvania’s Policy Battles: Energy Independence, School Choice, and America 250 Andrew Lewis, President & CEO of the Commonwealth Foundation, joins “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words,” to discuss why…
Media Hit
Read More: [MEDIA] Andrew Lewis on ‘Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words’Education
School Closures Demonstrate the Urgency of Educational Choice
Originally published by The Philadelphia Inquirer. Nearly 5,000 Philadelphia students face a tough decision after the recent announcement of school closures in…
Media Hit
Read More: School Closures Demonstrate the Urgency of Educational ChoicePublic Union Democracy
Workers Say ‘I Like Unions, I Just Don’t Like My Union’
Originally published by Fox News. “I like unions. I just don’t like my union.” Time and time again, I hear this sentiment from employees nationwide. Most will express…
Media Hit
Read More: Workers Say ‘I Like Unions, I Just Don’t Like My Union’Energy
Shapiro Blames Everybody but Himself for Rising Electricity Prices
Originally published by Broad + Liberty. When it comes to energy policy, Gov. Josh Shapiro wants to blame everybody but himself for rising electricity costs. The…
Media Hit
Read More: Shapiro Blames Everybody but Himself for Rising Electricity PricesEnergy
Blue-State Energy Mandates and Deficit Spending Undermine Democrats’ Affordability Claims
Originally published by The Washington Times. Democrats have a new buzzword: “affordability.” Democratic strategists say “moderates” will lead the way to a more affordable cost of…
Media Hit
Read More: Blue-State Energy Mandates and Deficit Spending Undermine Democrats’ Affordability ClaimsEducation
Federal Scholarship Tax Credit
Tens of thousands of kids wait-listed for Pennsylvania’s tax credit scholarship programs could receive scholarships under the new federal program. First-Ever Federal Tax Credit Scholarship Program Last July, Congress passed…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Federal Scholarship Tax CreditRegulation
Pennsylvania’s Economy Will Grow When Harrisburg Gets Out of the Way
Originally published by The Mercury. Gov. Josh Shapiro often brags about “moving at the speed of business.” But his efforts to draw private investment to Pennsylvania rely heavily on corporate…
Media Hit
Read More: Pennsylvania’s Economy Will Grow When Harrisburg Gets Out of the WayState Budget
Yes, Gov. Shapiro’s Budget Raises Taxes
Originally published by PennLive. In his campaign-style budget address, Gov. Josh Shapiro claimed his budget neither enacts any new taxes nor requires future tax…
Media Hit
Read More: Yes, Gov. Shapiro’s Budget Raises TaxesEducation
[MEDIA] Nathan Benefield Talks Education Spending on ‘Erie News Now’
Gov. Josh Shapiro proposed record-high education funding in his 2026 budget address. The entire proposal, totaling $53.26 billion, would force a $2,100 tax hike on families of four. Nathan…
Media
Read More: [MEDIA] Nathan Benefield Talks Education Spending on ‘Erie News Now’Health Care
Obamacare Did Not Lower Costs. It Is Time for a Better Approach.
Originally published in RealClearPennsylvania. After more than a decade dealing with the so-called Affordable Care Act (aka “Obamacare”), Americans are still struggling with rising health care…
Media Hit
Read More: Obamacare Did Not Lower Costs. It Is Time for a Better Approach.State Budget
Commonwealth Foundation Releases Analysis on Governor Shapiro’s 2026 Budget Plan
Harrisburg, Pa., February 4, 2026 —Governor Josh Shapiro’s 2026 budget proposal, totaling $53.26 billion, is “completely unaffordable and will cost $2,100 per family of four in looming tax hikes” according to …
Press Release
Read More: Commonwealth Foundation Releases Analysis on Governor Shapiro’s 2026 Budget PlanState Budget
Pennsylvania is Shrinking. We Need More Workers
Originally published by The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. New migration reports show that last year more people moved out of Pennsylvania than moved in, marking the commonwealth’s…
Media Hit
Read More: Pennsylvania is Shrinking. We Need More WorkersEducation
Governor Shapiro’s Reckless 2026–27 Budget Proposal
Overview Gov. Josh Shapiro’s unaffordable budget worsens Pennsylvania’s structural deficit. The governor proposes nearly $53.26 billion in general fund spending, a 6.3 percent increase over the 2025–26 enacted budget. He…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Governor Shapiro’s Reckless 2026–27 Budget Proposal