The Deciders

Scott Mulhauser, partner and global public affairs lead at Bully Pulpit International, has worked everywhere from Senate Finance to the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. Preparing clients for a possible Democratic wave, he argues a legal defense alone won't protect companies, and that winning now takes an outside game built on reputation and culture.   Become an insider: sign up for early access to every n...

S-3 Group co-founder John Scofield spent nearly a decade shaping strategy and messaging for the House Appropriations Committee. He explains why decoding complexity is still one of the best things he brings to clients, and why his formula for 15 years of growth is surprisingly simple.   Become an insider: sign up for early access to every new episode of The Deciders before it's public at www.decide...

Anne Bradbury is president and CEO of the American Exploration and Production Council, the trade group for the independent producers responsible for about 80% of the oil and 90% of the natural gas produced in the United States. A former floor director for the Speaker of the House, she argues America isn’t resource constrained but infrastructure constrained, and that policy which expires with each...

Will Dunham, President and CEO of the American Investment Council, spent over a decade on Capitol Hill working on major bipartisan legislation where understanding both sides was critical. He now applies that same skill to a very different challenge: leading the trade association for an industry worth trillions of dollars that remains widely misunderstood in Washington.   Become an insider: sign up...

Mike Catanzaro is CEO and co-founder of CGCN Group, one of Washington's leading all-Republican lobbying and public affairs firms. He argues the working-class voters who flipped 63 of the 100 poorest congressional districts to Republicans now define the party's base — and that corporate America can't lobby around them. He also makes the case for why CGCN turns away private equity, refuses to go bip...

Jim VandeHei is co-founder and CEO of Axios, and before that he co-founded Politico — twice building some of the most influential media companies in Washington. In this episode, he argues AI backlash is quietly building into a real political fault line and walks through the simplification framework behind his new book, Simplify: Do 50% More with 50% Less . Become an insider: sign up for early acce...

Noah Theran runs communications for the Managed Funds Association, representing hedge funds and alternative asset managers in Washington. He says the traditional communications playbook has stopped working—and reveals what's replaced it and how leading organizations are adapting. Become an insider: sign up for early access to every new episode of The Deciders before it's public at www.deciders.sho...

Doug Thornell has spent his career helping candidates and corporations find their authentic story. The SKDK CEO argues that today, urgency is just as important — politicians and brands must move fast or get left behind. He details the campaign that took Wes Moore from 2% to the Governor’s mansion — and the blueprint it sets for Democrats who want to win. Become an insider: sign up for early access...

A Republican and a Democrat who served at the highest levels of Congress built one of Washington’s only independent bipartisan firms — and turned down the buyers. Ron Bonjean and Rodell Mollineau of ROKK Solutions on what bipartisan means in 2026, why they stayed independent, and how the rules of corporate advocacy are changing. Become an insider: sign up for early access to every new episode of T...

Rhonda Bentz is Executive Vice President of Public Affairs at the Consumer Brands Association, the trade group representing the leading food, beverage, home, and personal care companies in America. In this episode, Rhonda explains how the MAHA movement is reshaping the regulatory landscape, why a patchwork of 50 state ingredient laws could create chaos for companies and consumers alike, and how th...

Energy and Commerce Chairman Brett Guthrie oversees more American industries than any other committee in Congress. He explains how he moved the biggest entitlement reform since welfare, why the AI race depends on permitting reform, and what Mitch McConnell taught him about politics. Become an insider: sign up for early access to every new episode of The Deciders before it's public at www.deciders....

Arkansas Congressman French Hill chairs the House Financial Services Committee. In this episode, Hill lays out his playbook for getting bipartisan bills passed and walks through the housing bill President Trump declined to sign, the unfinished crypto market-structure fight, and why he views today's political turmoil as just another chapter in a long American story. Become an insider: sign up for e...

PhRMA CEO Steve Ubl has led one of Washington’s most influential trade associations for eleven years. In this episode, he makes the case for why America’s leadership in biopharmaceutical innovation is not guaranteed — and what it costs if Washington gets the policy environment wrong. Become an insider: sign up for early access to every new episode of The Deciders before it’s public at Become an in...

Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) chairs the Health Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee — and represents one of the poorest districts in America. In this episode he discusses the opioid crisis that devastated Southwest Virginia, the legislation he authored to stop it, and why he thinks many are getting AI, energy, and rural economics all wrong.  Become an insider: sign up for...

David Chavern runs the American Council of Life Insurers, the trade group for an $8.5 trillion industry that predates the Civil War. In a Washington that operates by the minute, that's both a strength and a challenge. Chavern discusses the tangible cost of being misunderstood, and why conventional wisdom can be deadly. Become an insider: sign up for early access to every new episode of The Decider...

Colin Allen is the Executive Director of the American Property Owners Alliance, the first organization built specifically to advocate for America’s 86 million homeowners. In this episode, Colin discusses the tax fights they’ve fought and won, the rise of populism in our elections, and the affordability crisis that’s freezing millions out of the American Dream. Become an insider: sign up for early...

Chris Pilkerton serves as Assistant Secretary for Investment Security at the U.S. Treasury Department, where he leads CFIUS — the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States. In this episode, Chris walks through how CFIUS actually works, and explains how the 50-year-old committee has evolved from a narrow defense-industry watchdog into one of Washington’s most consequential regulatory bod...

Amanda Eversole represents the eight biggest banks in America at a moment when Washington — and much of the country — has decided that big is bad. In this episode she explains how she's playing offense anyway — and why the fight between banks and crypto may be a Beltway fiction. She also makes the case that the banking system runs on trust that has to be earned every single day. Become an insider:...

Ken Spain has spent his career helping candidates and companies navigate political risk. He discusses why both parties are increasingly turning against corporate America, what it takes to protect your company's reputation when you become a target, and why CEOs must now engage with politics at unprecedented levels—whether they want to or not. Become an insider: sign up for early access to every new...

Drew Maloney, President and CEO of the Edison Electric Institute, sits down with Brody Mullins and Lisa Camooso Miller to make a surprising case: that data centers may actually lower electric bills and that deregulation is bad for the marketplace. From the 2017 tax reform to grid reliability and the politics of permitting, Maloney covers the issues shaping energy policy in Washington and across th...

Linda Moore has led TechNet through one of the most dramatic shifts in Washington history—tech's transformation from beloved industry to bipartisan target. She discusses building a 50-state advocacy operation to handle the explosion of tech regulation, hard-learned lessons from tech's early days in DC, and what modern advocacy looks like when your industry faces increased scrutiny from both sides...

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer is the third-ranking Republican in Congress and a senior member of the House Financial Services Committee. In this episode, he explains how the Whip’s job has changed since the days of the Hammer, where crypto and housing bills currently stand, and why the midterms are far from decided.   Become an insider: sign up for early access to every new episode of The Deciders...

Patrick Dorton is the founder and CEO of Rational360, one of Washington's leading independent public affairs firms. In this episode, he explains how crisis sharpens you, how technology is more critical than ever in an evolving advocacy business, and why knowing your value and your audience is the one strategy that lasts. Pinpoint Targeting is patent pending. Become an insider: sign up for early ac...

Hester Peirce is head of the SEC's Crypto Task Force. In this episode, she explains the hard lessons of the 2008 financial crisis, why bad consequences help make good markets, and why regulators should draw more lines and file fewer lawsuits.  Become an insider: sign up for early access to every new episode of The Deciders before it’s public at https://www.deciders.show/subscribe This episode spon...

Rohit Chopra is a former FTC commissioner and former director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, where he forced President Trump to fire him rather than resigning. He describes how federal agencies have become toothless, why the fight for consumer protection is shifting to state attorneys general, and why the real power may still reside with the American public. This episode sponsored by...