Author Archives: Christian Braunlich

About Christian Braunlich

Chris Braunlich is Co-President and CEO of the Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy, Virginia’s non-partisan public policy foundation. He was appointed by Governor Bob McDonnell to the Virginia State Board of Education, where his colleagues elected him president of the Board.

Business Needs Certainty. So Do Voters

Posted on April 17, 2025 by Christian Braunlich

Asked nearly 40 years ago what he needed most, less regulation or lower taxes, a small manufacturer of machine tools replied: “We need both,” he said, “but the thing we need most is certainty.” “Businesses have to plan out months … Continue reading →

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Giving Thanks for What Makes America Great

Posted on November 29, 2024 by Christian Braunlich

Alexis de Tocqueville never met Nancy Slater White, but he would have liked her. Tocqueville, of course, is the observational author whose 1835 book, Democracy in America, is considered by many to be a seminal work in defining what made America and … Continue reading →

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It Doesn’t End With Electing ‘The Right Candidate’

Posted on October 24, 2024 by Christian Braunlich

It’s all too easy to conflate the roles of political parties with those of public policy “think tanks.”  Both gravitate around policy ideas falling along conservative or progressive lines, and their supporters tend to divide along those same lines, as … Continue reading →

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Education Funding Reform Needs to Build Accountability to Help Those Who Need It

Posted on October 16, 2024 by Christian Braunlich

When the Virginia State Board of Education approved a new state accountability system, it predictably drew attacks from the usual sources. The new system places greater emphasis on student mastery of subject information (50-65%) over student growth (20-25%).  But while growth is critical and should be recognized, … Continue reading →

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Will Virginia’s Vote for President Disappear?

Posted on September 23, 2024 by Christian Braunlich

As anyone with an email address or cell phone knows, Republicans and Democrats have ramped up their November battle. The near-term focus has meant Democrats concentrating on Getting Out the Vote and Republicans placing a new emphasis on Election Integrity. What conservatives are … Continue reading →

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