The Exit Interview

Why decent people are struggling to serve in public office.

For more than a decade, Future Caucus has worked to support a rising generation of lawmakers who believe that public service is a responsibility, not a performance. Across parties and across the country, we have seen young leaders step into elected office with courage, curiosity, and a deep commitment to solving problems for the people they represent.

This report began with a simple question: Why are so many of them leaving?

In 2025, Future Caucus sought to hear directly from state legislators about the challenges surrounding the retention of emerging lawmakers. Across interviews and surveys with 89 lawmakers in 31 states, four consistent themes emerged.

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1. Lawmakers fear for their personal safety and their families’ well-being.

Limited resources and lack of coordination with law enforcement leave them feeling powerless and vulnerable. This lack of agency erodes resilience.

2. Young lawmakers are struggling to make ends meet.

Legislative pay and benefits are often insufficient to sustain a family or household, forcing lawmakers—especially younger ones—to make untenable tradeoffs in order to serve their communities.

3. Lawmakers feel stretched thin, ineffective, and unsupported.

Most state legislatures lack the staffing, technology, and administrative infrastructure to support meaningful policy and constituent work.

4. Outdated workplace practices limit the effectiveness of legislatures.

Unpredictable schedules and committee calendars, insufficient orientations, and limited bipartisan engagement make the job unnecessarily difficult and isolating for those who want to serve well.

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Young lawmakers are navigating threats to their safety, financial strain, inadequate institutional support, and outdated workplace systems—conditions that make public service unsustainable for too many of the nation’s most capable young leaders.

If we want legislatures that govern well, we must build institutions that people can serve in sustainably. The next generation of leaders is ready. The question before us is whether our systems are ready for them.

About

In 2025, Future Caucus gathered direct input from state legislators on the challenges of retaining emerging lawmakers. This report draws on focus groups, one-on-one interviews, surveys, and in-person roundtables, including sessions held virtually and in Washington, D.C., and Vermont. Together, these conversations reveal how structural, logistical, and cultural barriers can undermine lawmakers’ ability to govern effectively and serve their communities.

Methodology

This report is informed by seven focus groups and 34 one-on-one interviews with lawmakers, complemented by a survey of 47 respondents. Six of the listening sessions were conducted virtually to ensure geographic diversity, one was held in person in Vermont, and another in Washington, D.C.

In addition, Future Caucus gathered input from more than two dozen lawmakers through in-person roundtable discussions and a supplemental survey at Future Summit in Washington, D.C., in June.

Because many participants engaged through multiple formats, the total counts include some overlap across these methods.

Together, these engagements provided a nuanced understanding of the challenges facing young state legislators. The findings illustrate how structural, logistical, and cultural barriers can limit their capacity to govern effectively and to deliver for the communities they were elected to serve.

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