The Birth of the Jefferson Forum: Fighting for Freedom and Prosperity
Major think tank merger aims to restore limited government and free market principles in Democrat-controlled Richmond, Virginia.
With Virginia Democrats in full control of all branches of government, the conservative principles of limited government, individual liberty, and free market capitalism are under attack statewide. Yet hope is not lost. Two powerhouse Virginia think tanks are merging to become Jefferson Forum with a goal of shaping key policy decisions in the commonwealth.
The Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy and the Yorktown Foundation for Public Policy have joined forces to become the Jefferson Forum. Interim CEO and Executive Chair of Jefferson Forum Peter Lipsett said, “Decisions being made in Richmond right now on energy, taxes, and labor policy will shape the Commonwealth’s future for decades. Jefferson Forum intends to make sure the case for economic freedom and limited government is clearly heard.”
Launched on Thomas Jefferson’s birthday, Jefferson Forum plans to become a leading voice on important policy decisions impacting the commonwealth. Important policy areas at the center of their work will be:
- Energy abundance and grid reliability
- Education freedom and school choice
- Reducing taxes and regulatory burdens
- Worker freedom and labor policy
Under Democrat Gov. Abigail Spanberger, the Democrat-controlled 2026 Virginia legislative session has passed bills expanding government and increasing regulatory burdens.
Mandatory collective bargaining for government workers will create a new state-level department requiring over 300 employees just to manage the bureaucracy. Democrats also reinstated Virginia in the costly Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which will cause energy costs to soar.
Peter Lipsett, Jefferson Forum Interim CEO
At a recent press conference, Jefferson Forum leaders highlighted how the current legislature and Spanberger are disenfranchising rural voters by gerrymandering districts to eliminate their voice.
These are the issues the Jefferson Forum will tackle with in-depth research and analysis to help inform Virginians and elected officials. Lipsett points out that current political leadership “is moving Virginia away from policies that foster broad prosperity.” He added that the “Jefferson Forum will work to bring the conversation back to the principles that have long driven Virginia’s economic success and people’s pursuit of happiness.”
Thomas Jefferson, the Forum’s namesake, would be appalled at the current state of his native and beloved Virginia. Jefferson believed in limited government to protect the natural rights—and hard-earned income—of citizens. In his 1801 presidential inaugural address, Jefferson said, “A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned.”
At a time when Virginia’s founding principles are under assault, the Jefferson Forum will be a powerful voice for limited government. They will provide in depth research and analysis to advocate for policies that protect hard-earned prosperity rather than punish it. As Virginia stands at a crossroads, the Jefferson Forum will remind both lawmakers and citizens that the path toward prosperity doesn’t lie in big government. The commonwealth must return to the wisdom of limited government that guided it for generations.
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