The Fight for Liberty Never Stops

While election night changed the immediate political landscape, it has not changed the Goldwater Institute’s mission. And it certainly has not changed our resolve. The work of defending free markets, individual liberty, and constitutional principles is now more important than ever.

When Abraham Lincoln debated Stephen Douglas over slavery in 1858, he understood that the laws Americans would accept depended on what they believed was right. In a republic, he observed, “public sentiment is everything.” The key to ensuring liberty depends on whether the people across our country understand and see in their own lives why it is worth defending.

At the Goldwater Institute, we know how to meet that challenge. We put liberty in action by educating young Americans about our founding principles, enacting reforms across the country that expand individual freedom, and fighting in court for Americans whose rights are in jeopardy.

This fall, our Van Sittert Center for Constitutional Advocacy provided more than 2,500 copies of historian Wilfred McClay’s Land of Hope to high schools, along with training for the teachers who will bring that history to life in their classrooms. In the coming year, we’ll ensure more teachers have the resources to help students learn the importance of individual liberty and the dangers of socialism.

We’ve also developed groundbreaking legislation like the Permit Freedom Act, which stops the government from putting homes and businesses further out of reach for families and entrepreneurs already struggling to make ends meet. The measure stops the government from imposing arbitrary permitting delays and unclear rules so Americans can build more and live free. In the next year, we’ll be taking this reform nationwide.

We are also helping Americans practice their professions free from government interference through our Universal Licensing Act, which stops the government from hindering professionals from working across state lines. Thanks to our efforts, over half the states have enacted this reform. Ensuring people can work in the profession of their choice should not be a partisan issue, and we’ll be moving this measure across the rest of the country in 2027 and beyond.

These actions are just the tip of the iceberg. The Goldwater Institute has developed policy solutions to protect educational choice, healthcare freedom, property rights and free speech.  Despite this week’s election results, we will continue developing and passing groundbreaking legislation across the country.

We will also continue to educate the next generation about the principles of self-government and the importance of our founding ideals.

And through our national litigation efforts, we will hold government accountable and defend Americans’ constitutional rights, regardless of who holds office.

Our strategy will adapt to the moment, but our mission remains unchanged. This fight has never depended on one election or one political party. The principles we defend transcend politics, and the need to defend them is greater than ever. We will keep fighting, keep advancing freedom, and keep winning.

That’s what the Goldwater Institute was built to do. And it’s what we do best.

Victor Riches is the President and CEO of the Goldwater Institute, leading the Institute’s efforts to help people in all 50 states live freer, happier lives.