A Defining Month in the States: CEO Update

One year ago this month, I wrote about Vice President J.D. Vance’s address to the Munich Security Conference, where he “exposed the fundamental flaws of European elites.” Two weeks ago, Secretary of State and ALEC alumni Marco Rubio delivered perhaps the defining speech of his career to-date. In this seminal address, Secretary Rubio called on Europe to join with the United States in “an alliance ready to defend our people, to safeguard our interests, and to preserve the freedom of action that allows us to shape our own destiny.” The speech was incredibly hopeful, with an eye towards the future where “the United States will once again take on the task of renewal and restoration, driven by a vision of a future as proud, as sovereign, and as vital as our civilization’s past.”

I also spoke of Vice President Vance’s remarks to the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris, where he “laid out a vision for the future—one where innovation is unleashed, not smothered by bureaucracy.” It is in that spirit that ALEC just released our 2026 State AI Policy Toolkit which lays out how states can help usher in a golden age of AI innovation. With over 1,000 AI bills introduced across all 50 states in the past year, we believe this report will serve as an important resource for ALEC state legislators.

I hope you caught President Trump’s State of the Union Address last week, as well. He laid out a positive vision for America’s future centered around affordability, security, and economic growth. He also took time to celebrate the kind of heroes that have made America the greatest nation on earth for the last 250 years—heroes like Navy Captain Royce Williams, who completed what experts called “one of the greatest feats in aviation history” during the Korean War, or Coast Guard Petty Officer Scott Ruskan, who saved 165 people during the 2025 Texas floods in his first ever recovery mission. It was refreshing to see the President use that time to honor such brave Americans!

Last weekend, I was honored to join a gathering of 450 top conservatives across the country in Dana Point, California. This group has done incredible work for the last 45 years advancing our shared values. ALEC is always proud to collaborate with our partners across the country in organizations big and small.

At the event, I interviewed New York Post reporter and host of the Pod Force Once podcast, Miranda Devine. We discussed Secretary Rubio’s remarks in Munich, the future of media with the new California Post, and the policies that are driving Americans out of New York and California. It was an incredible conversation from one of the best in the news business.

During my visit to the state capitol in Sacramento, I met with ALEC members, including State Senator Suzette Valladares and State Assemblyman David Tangipa, two young rising stars in the California legislature. ALEC is not giving up on California, and we are excited to work with our members there to reverse the years of mismanagement in state government.

This trip to California was part of a great swing through the Western United States that included Arizona and New Mexico, where we worked to recruit new members and share our Essential Policy Solutions. Visiting these beautiful states was a fantastic and productive experience. Since the start of 2026, our amazing ALEC team visited 19 states from coast to coast.

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Common Sense Comeback of the Month

While driving across the Golden State in February, I spotted an incredible sign at several Chevron gas stations: “California has the highest gas taxes and fees in America,” with a QR code encouraging drivers to take action. As I paid nearly $5 per gallon to fill up, I was thrilled to see Chevron pushing back on tax-loving California! Here’s hoping this is the start of a nationwide push by Chevron and its fellow fuel producers.

In last month’s Common-Sense Comeback, I wrote about J.P. Morgan Chase rightly abandoning proxy-advisor firms. I was pleased to see that Wells Fargo joined Chase by cutting ties with its proxy adviser and launching its own internal proxy service. Wells Fargo stated that it would direct proxy voting based on its clients’ long-term interest—exactly what businesses should be focused on!

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One of the best parts of ALEC’s location is that we can easily advocate for the states here in the Washington D.C. area. Last month, legislators from Michigan, led by Speaker Matt Hall, joined us at the White House to meet with Cabinet Secretaries Linda McMahon (Education), Howard Lutnick (Commerce), and Chris Wright (Energy). We’re always happy to see our members up this way, and we hope that, if you are a legislative member, you will let us know when you’re in D.C.!

February was truly a remarkable month for ALEC. From our new amicus brief filed in a critical Supreme Court election case to our press conference in Indianapolis on tackling the national debt with Gov. Mike Braun and State Comptroller Elise Nieshalla, we aren’t slowing down our work to empower the states any time soon. Additionally, West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey and ALEC members in the state have recently fought to defend the Hope Scholarship, West Virginia’s landmark, first-in-the-nation education freedom scholarship. The program is helping real families choose the best educational opportunities for their children.

As we continue to celebrate America’s 250th birthday, we are all thrilled with the exciting gold medal win by Team USA’s men’s and women’s hockey teams in the Winter Olympics—its first since the infamous Miracle on Ice in 1980! Star player and game-winner Jack Hughes’s post-game comments: “This is all about our country right now” were so inspiring. I love the USA…I’m so proud to be American today.” I hope more athletes and entertainers take a page from Hughes’s patriotism as we continue to observe America’s 250th year.

See you in the states!

PS – In commemoration of America’s Semiquincentennial, the social media team at ALEC has put out some great American history content—from Washington’s and Lincoln’s birthdays to our staff describing their favorite presidents on Presidents’ Day. If you aren’t following ALEC on social media, I highly encourage you to do so right away! You can find us on Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.