Pete Ricketts

Building a 21st Century Economy: A Conversation With U.S. Governors

Ron Brownstein, John Hickenlooper, Terry McAuliffe, Pat McCrory, Pete Ricketts

Governors Hickenlooper, McAuliffe, McCrory, and Ricketts outlined divergent state strategies for economic resilience, ranging from Colorado's lifestyle-driven retention and Virginia's cyber-bioscience pivot to North Carolina's infrastructure bonds and Nebraska's agricultural trade missions. A critical consensus emerged on addressing a widespread skills gap through competency-based credentialing and early childhood education, alongside urgent calls for federal infrastructure funding and healthcare expansion reforms. While leaders coordinated on energy and social issues, significant policy divergence persisted regarding marijuana legalization, Medicaid implementation, and federal environmental regulations.