- The Washington Post named Indiana its State of the Year.
- The Post also highlighted State of the Year finalists New Hampshire and California.
- State of the Year is based on significant achievements related to policy and state government.
The Washington Post has started a new year-end tradition: naming its State of the Year.
On Tuesday, the Post’s editorial board named its first State of the Year and highlighted a few other states that stood out throughout 2025.
“The winner isn’t necessarily the best place in the country to live freely or start a business. Instead, it is the state that did the most to improve or otherwise acted in a way worthy of emulation,” according to The Washington Post.
In naming its State of the Year, the Post acknowledged that the process is inherently subjective and there are multiple states this year that could make a strong case.
The Washington Post’s first State of the Year: Indiana
One of the main reasons why Indiana was named State of the Year is that it resisted federal pressure to redraw redistricting maps.
“Twenty-one principled conservatives in the state Senate resisted four months of intense threats, from primary challenges to federal funding cuts, and never caved to demands from the Trump White House and Gov. Mike Braun (R) to redraw the congressional map,” according to The Post.
The editorial board described this as an act of “political courage” that has “emboldened others.”
Indiana also made major strides on policy.
Around two-thirds of homeowners will pay less in property taxes in 2026 thanks to an overhaul in funding formulas. The state actually cut its spending — not just its rate of growth — while managing to also increase education funding.
The state also made a change that will allow any student to access a state scholarship to attend a private school of their family’s choice. Indiana’s Legislature also got rid of zoning barriers that made it difficult to start charter schools.
“This creates competition that makes all schools better,” per the Post.
New Hampshire was also highlighted as a State of the Year finalist
The Washington Post also highlighted how New Hampshire improved throughout 2025 and specifically emphasized the “impressive” leadership of Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte.
2025 was Ayotte’s first year leading the state, which remains a stronghold of strong local control, limited government and low taxes.
New Hampshire took major steps to ease a housing crisis: It rolled back zoning and permitting requirements, encouraged mixed-use housing developments and streamlined the construction of accessory dwelling units.
The state also became the 18th state to have a universal private school choice program like Indiana.
“Ayotte is following the formula for strong governance, but New Hampshire started from a strong baseline,” according to the Post.
While naming its State of the Year, the Post’s editorial board also praised the actions of three other states: Mississippi for improving its reading scores, Colorado for continuing to enact reforms that will expand the supply of housing, and Ohio for enacting a law that will transition the state to a flat income tax next year.
The Post highlights California’s improvements despite being ‘one of the worst governed states in America’
While praising states such as Indiana and New Hampshire, the Post also called out California for being “one of the worst governed states in America.”
“Democratic supermajorities in the legislature are keen to imitate European regulators,” the Post’s editorial board wrote. “The Golden State has become the poster child for America’s inability to build, thanks to a toxic mix of radical environmentalists and strong unions.”
The Washington Post did note that while California continues to be one of the most overtaxed states in the country, it did make a number of improvements this year.
The Post highlighted the actions of Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who wanted to “demonstrate he’s not captive to the far left” by embracing “the abundance agenda that’s hot right now among pro-growth Democrats.”
Newsom issued a number of executive orders to speed up recovery after January’s wildfires. He also worked to exempt most urban housing projects from an extensive environmental review process and changed local zoning rules to allow dense housing near public transit stations. The governor also funded new transmission lines and supported nuclear power.
On the education side of things, California finally embraced phonics, helping more kids not fall behind, according to the Post.
“On all this, execution will matter more than orders,” the editorial board wrote.
According to the Post, the biggest strike against the state is that it joined the national redistricting battle by passing a referendum to abandon its independently drawn maps in order to try and pick up five more seats for Democrats in the House.