NATALIE FERTIG

Natalie is a policy and politics reporter at POLITICO in Washington, D.C. She reports primarily on the relationship between the federal government, states and cities. She is particularly interested in the impact of politics and policy on rural and working class communities. She previously covered drug policy for POLITICO Pro, and her work has appeared in POLITICO Magazine and Rolling Stone, among other publications.

 
 

Recent Work

The World Cup’s biggest policy bet

Seattle’s new mayor vows to move her city’s homeless off its streets by kickoff.

THEY VOTED FOR TRUMP. WILL HE GREENLIGHT THEIR $2B INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT?

The Biden administration awarded more than $50 million to revitalize the port on Oregon’s southwest coast, but Trump’s efforts to slash federal spending have put the project in jeopardy.

the lawmaker giving democrats an identity crisis

With an eclectic voting record, Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez from Washington state has riled the left flank of her party. She thinks that’s a good thing.

 

States

 

Democrats are trouncing Republicans in state elections since Trump took office

Voter turnout in state elections over the last 14 months has Republicans concerned as the midterms approach.

Fees, fines and ordinances: Cities push back against Trump’s immigration enforcement

“Sand in the gears is the best approach that we have found so far,” says one local Portland official

Democrats bet on a ‘Trump slump’ to take back Nevada

National Democrats see incumbent Gov. Joe Lombardo as the top governor to unseat in the midterm elections.

 

Magazine

 

Dodgy science, poor access and high prices: the parallel medical world of marijuana in america

It’s been nearly three decades since California pioneered the therapeutic use of cannabis, but patients still face a confusing patchwork of rules.

'Talk about cluster—’: Why legal weed didn’t kill oregon’s black market

Legalization was supposed to take care of the black market. It hasn’t worked out that way.

Real people that we care about are being exploited

Lured with false promises of high pay and decent labor conditions, immigrants are held against their will by outlaw farmers who withhold their wages.

 

Newsletter

 

the democrat who has a clue about what happened on election day

Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez ran ahead of Harris in every county in her district by 4 to 7 points. Now she is at the forefront of a handful of lawmakers ready to provide a blueprint for Democrats eager to right what went wrong.

RFK JR’S SURPRISING SUPPORT

Democratic support for some of RFK Jr.’s policies harkens back to a Democratic party of old — one rarely seen these days.

WILL LABOR HAVE A PLACE ON TRUMP’S TEAM?

Former Oregon Congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer is in the mix to be President-elect Donald Trump’s Labor secretary, a sign of the GOP’s slowly thawing relationship with organized labor.