A common trope trotted out in defense of the modern GOP is that, for all its shortcomings, electing Republicans to positions of power is better than electing Democrats. If that argument is true, then why are the institutions in so many so-called “red states” just as left-wing as their blue state counterparts?
A new report authored by the State Leadership Initiative (SLI) and obtained by The Federalist reveals how many Republican-run states “remain deeply entangled in the same bureaucratic bloat, cultural drift, and economic stagnation” that are features of those run by Democrats. While red and blue states often differ on major political issues (ex. gun rights and tax policy), the 2025 State Leadership Index shows how the implementation of these policies — specifically those in red states — “often operate within a [left-wing] framework that remains fundamentally unchanged.”
“State Leadership Initiative was founded to do the legwork to get Red States to live up to the campaign promises their elected officials made to their citizens when asking for their votes. This report shows that in huge aspects of governance — red states need to be more than blue states with lower taxes,” SLI Founder Noah Wall told The Federalist. “This report is a call to action to change that.”
The SLI index scores and ranks states based upon various metrics that are divided up into three primary sub-categories. These sub-categories include governance, which “measures the effectiveness and ideological alignment of a state’s bureaucracy;” economic vitality, which “measures whether a state is advancing material prosperity and building a sustainable foundation for long-term strength;” and cultural strength, which “evaluates the health and resilience of communities.”
When examining the governance of U.S. jurisdictions, SLI found an “alarming” level of federal dependency among red states. According to the analysis, “7 of the 10 most federally dependent states are red,” with federal dollars comprising “nearly 40% of [the] state budgets” of states such as Mississippi and West Virginia.
“This is not sovereignty; it is soft capture,” the index reads.
[Report: Left-Wing Bureaucracies Are Quietly Subverting Red State Governance]
Upon further analysis, the conservative group found other governance similarities shared by many red and blue states. Notably, the report shows that a significant number of red states boast a disproportionate amount of public school, university, and other government bureaucrats.
On the economic vitality front, the index found that overregulation continues to be a big problem in many red states, with SLI noting, “excluding outliers, there is hardly a difference between the average number of regulations in red states vs blue ones.” The report’s sub-category included additional discoveries, such as that “[s]tate budget growth (per capita) is comparable between Red and Blue states” and “[i]ndustrial strength in red states is fragmented and inadequate.”
SLI also flagged numerous concerning factors after examining the cultural strength of U.S. states. Notably, the organization highlighted that while “[r]ed states outperform blue ones on marriage rates and fertility … In most red states, fewer than half of teenagers are raised in intact families.”
“Family stability is disintegrating, and no amount of higher fertility can compensate for a culture where children grow up without both parents. A revival of family formation must be a deliberate priority of red state policy,” the index reads.
The index also cited high violent crime rates (driven by blue cities) and home ownership and affordability issues as persistent cultural problems in several red states.
SLI concludes its index with a list of action items Republican lawmakers can take to fix these outstanding issues in their respective states.
Among them are recommendations to downsize the bureaucracy (including in K-12 and higher education) and “[i]mplement mandatory sunset provisions” that force state lawmakers “to revisit and reauthorize programs rather than let them expand unchecked.” The group also advised GOP politicians to “[m]ake family policy a central economic agenda,” ensure law and order — “especially in blue cities,” and more.
“For years, conservatives kept their eyes on Washington, missing the quiet decay in their own state governments,” SLI Senior Economic Strategist Thomas Murray told The Federalist. “Red states are full of voters who believe in limited government — but the bureaucracies running those states often serve very different values. This index is the first to connect the dots.”
“The point here isn’t to score rhetoric —it’s to audit power,” he added.
SLI 2025 Index by The Federalist