BGR Group stands out among Washington, D.C.-based firms with its robust bipartisan state and local government relations offerings. Our State and Local Advocacy team designs, implements, and executes multi-state advocacy campaigns. Its activities include direct lobbying, recruiting local partners, and maximizing participation in state and local government associations, all calibrated to achieve a client’s goals.
As Democratic and Republican-led states take divergent approaches to policy priorities, BGR employs a bipartisan, team-oriented approach to advocate on complex issues at the state and local levels. These include decisions impacting economic development, transportation and infrastructure, artificial intelligence, health care and drug pricing, technology, education, workforce training, energy and environmental standards, cybersecurity, and public safety.
BGR’s bipartisan team directly engages governors, attorneys general, lieutenant governors, secretaries of state, mayors, state legislatures, county, tribal, and public safety officials throughout the country. BGR also works closely with its clients to build and deepen relationships with future candidates on both sides of the aisle. We help clients develop strategic relationships with state and local officials, key business and labor/workforce leaders, and trusted local partners. Our aim is to leverage each audience’s unique voice and political clout so that a coordinated campaign favorably advances the client’s priorities.
BGR Austin Office
Read more
BGR Atlanta Office
Read more
BGR Nashville Office
Read more
BGR Phoenix Office
Read more
Offerings / Capabilities
Governors
Attorneys General
Mayors
State Legislatures
AI Working Group
Medicaid Working Group
Governors
As CEOs of their states, governors set budget and policy priorities and appoint cabinet agency personnel who shape the state’s business climate and impact critical issues such as transportation, education and workforce, Medicaid, and public safety. Governors are eager to compete with each other, especially when it comes to driving policy innovations and recruiting business to their states. From a political standpoint, many governors are recognized as future national leaders, whether as president, cabinet officials, or members of Congress. BGR’s longstanding reputation provides our clients with direct opportunities to engage governors, senior staff, and executive agencies on legislation, regulations, executive actions, and other priority in-state business issues. BGR’s bipartisan team also helps clients maximize the benefits of membership in organizations such as the National Governors Association (NGA), Republican Governors Association (RGA), and Democratic Governors Association (DGA).
Attorneys General
State attorneys general have become some of the most influential and active regulators facing today’s businesses. Increasingly, they act through coordinated multistate investigations, high-profile enforcement actions, and public scrutiny that can reshape entire industries. For companies navigating antitrust, consumer protection, data privacy, environmental compliance, public health, and other complex regulatory issues, engagement with attorneys general is no longer optional. Waiting until a crisis emerges can be costly, disruptive, and reputationally damaging. Compounding this impact, many attorneys general are increasingly seeking higher office within their states or in Washington, D.C., further elevating the political and public attention surrounding attorneys general activity.
BGR Group’s bipartisan State Attorneys General Practice provides a critical strategic advantage in this environment. Our team brings deep institutional knowledge of attorneys general offices nationwide, strong bipartisan relationships, and extensive experience operating at the intersection of law, politics, and public scrutiny. Our attorneys bring policy and regulatory expertise and regularly partner with in-house legal teams and outside counsel to provide strategic insight and support on attorneys general matters before and alongside formal legal proceedings. We regularly engage with attorneys general, their senior staff, and leading national organizations, including the Republican Attorneys General Association, the Democratic Attorneys General Association, the National Association of Attorneys General, and the Attorney General Alliance, to provide clients with early insight into enforcement trends, policy priorities, and emerging multistate risk before matters escalate or become public.
Whether advising on emerging enforcement issues, navigating multistate activity, or building constructive, long-term relationships with key offices, BGR delivers strategic, results-driven engagement designed to reduce risk, influence enforcement trajectories, and protect long-term enterprise value.
Mayors
Mayors sit at the intersection of policy and politics. They influence local governing, the implementation of federal programs and funding, and the debates taking place in Washington and state capitals across the country. Mayors have also received an uptick in pass-through federal funding, which circumvents the state and sends funds directly to cities to expedite the deployment of broadband, infrastructure projects, and vital local priorities that are clearly seen by the public. Through individual relationships and association engagement, including the bipartisan U.S. Conference of Mayors and African American Mayors Association (AAMA), the BGR Team is well-positioned to support clients in building brand awareness, identifying market opportunities, and shaping policy.
State Legislatures
State legislatures are increasingly becoming the primary arenas for major policy decisions, consequently influencing economic, tax, health, workforce, technology, and infrastructure policies nationwide. Most states are under full Republican or Democratic control, giving lawmakers greater latitude to advance partisan priorities. At the same time, a range of pressing issues — from affordability and cost-of-living pressures, to economic development, to workforce needs and emerging technologies — are drawing bipartisan attention and collaboration. Successfully navigating this environment requires a deep understanding of state-specific processes, relationships, and political dynamics. BGR provides comprehensive state government affairs support, including direct lobbying, legislative monitoring and analysis, appropriations strategy, and preparation of legislative testimony. Our team brings extensive experience working across multiple states and chambers, allowing us to help clients identify opportunities, anticipate policy developments, engage effectively with decision-makers, and advance their priorities. To ensure our clients are heard where policy conversations are happening, BGR facilitates engagement with legislative leaders and key convening organizations such as the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), Republican State Legislative Committee (RSLC), Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC), New Democrat Coalition, American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), and Women in Government (WIG).
AI Working Group
The BGR State AI Working Group, led by Patrick Dolan, offers clients a dedicated bipartisan team focused on engaging state and local officials on artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies. In addition to implementing and employing these technologies, state and local officials are filling the policy and regulatory void created by inaction in Washington, D.C. BGR’s State AI Working Group is designed to help clients navigate this complex dynamic, build brand and reputational awareness, promote strategic use cases, and mitigate potential risks.
Medicaid Working Group
BGR’s Medicaid Working Group, led by Christina Corieri and James Williams, helps clients navigate the nation’s largest public health insurance program, which covers more than 80 million people. Medicaid is shaped in Washington but carried out in the states, making it one of the most complex and consequential policy arenas in health care. Our bipartisan team works across Congress, the executive branch, and both red and blue states — where priorities and budgets can look very different — to help clients anticipate, influence, and adapt as policy moves from CMS guidance to governors’ offices, legislatures, and Medicaid directors. In addition to policy strategy, we also support clients that are bringing practical solutions to state Medicaid programs to help advance state goals. By connecting Washington strategy with state realities, we give clients the insight and support they need to succeed in this critical space.
