Civility, Federalism, and the Future of American Politics 

In a week that could easily have been defined by division, the penultimate session of the 2026 NGA Winter Meeting offered something increasingly rare in American public life: two politicians, from opposite ends of the political spectrum speaking candidly about friendship, shared purpose, and the urgent need to rebuild trust in democratic institutions. 

Moderated by Laura Collins, Director of the Bush Institute-SMU Economic Growth Initiative, the conversation ranged across issues, but arrived, repeatedly, at the same conclusion: that the people closest to the problems are usually closest to the solutions. 

“We’re Americans First” 

Governor Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma and Governor Wes Moore of Maryland opened with a simple but striking premise – that knowing each other as human beings has changed how they think about political opposition. 

“I would describe him as a great father and a great husband. I would describe him as a governor and a chief executive who’s focusing on getting things done for the people of Oklahoma. Maybe somewhere around the 80th or 90th thing it would be like, ‘Oh, and that’s right. He’s a Republican’ – because we actually know each other.” 

Governor Wes Moore

NGA Vice Chair

Governor Stitt echoed the sentiment, pointing to what he sees as vast, underreported common ground: 

“I think Americans need to see that we probably agree on 90% of the things – educating the next generation, infrastructure, health care, making our economies the best. We’ve been too divided for too long, and it’s just fun to help bring us back together.” 

Governor Kevin Stitt

NGA Chair

The Stakes of Dehumanization 

Tim Shriver, co-creator of the Dignity Index–a framework for measuring civility in public discourse, joined the Governors offered a sobering frame for why this conversation matters beyond good manners. 

“This is now an existential issue in our country. For the first time, a majority of Americans said, ‘I do not believe our country can solve its problems.’ Never before has that number been over 50%. You know who’s responsible for making it that way? The political media class. You know who’s responsible for changing that number? Us.

Tim Shriver

Founder, Dignity Index

Shriver argued that contemptuous rhetoric isn’t just uncivil – it’s strategically counterproductive, and its costs fall hardest on the next generation of potential civic participants. 

Federalism as a Path Forward 

The panel found strong bipartisan alignment on federalism – the idea that decentralizing power to states can reduce the “winner-take-all” tension driving national polarization. 

“When you try to have a super strong federal government that says we want everybody to be like California or Oklahoma or Maryland – that’s a turnoff to half the country. Half the country loves it, and then half the country doesn’t, and four years later we flip. That is creating this uncertainty.” 

Governor Kevin Stitt

State of Oklahoma

Governor Moore drew on his military background to articulate why proximity to problems matters: 

“The people who are closest to the challenge oftentimes are the ones who are closest to the solutions. They’re just hardly ever at the table.”

Governor Wes Moore

NGA Vice Chair

A Message to the American People 

As the session concluded, both governors spoke to what they hoped the country would take away. 

“The thing that I want Americans to know is that that we respect each other as governors across the aisle. doesn’t mean we always agree and we’re not giving up our values, but we’re just simply acknowledging that there are there are difference of opinions and that’s okay and that’s good…when you spend time with someone, when you break bread with them, when you know them, it’s just hard to hate somebody you spend time with.” 

Governor Kevin Stitt

State of Oklahoma

“I hope that we are showing not just by words but by deeds that this country is worth fighting for, and our soul is worth protecting. [Partisanship] hasn’t won before, and it’s not going to win now.”

Governor Wes Moore

NGA Vice Chair

Watch the full session below, or on YouTube.