Every organization that depends on public policy just learned something about itself this week. Some woke up Wednesday relieved. Others woke up worried. Both groups should ask the same question. How much of our position depended on who won?
If the honest answer is “a lot,” that is a risk, and it is one most organizations can measure. It doesn’t take a crystal ball. It takes a clear look at four parts of how an organization works with government, and a willingness to fix what that look turns up.
Start with a list. Every office, committee and agency contact your team has met with in the past two years. Then sort it by party.
Most organizations are surprised by the result. Relationships tend to follow the people who built them, and those people often come from one side. A list that leans heavily toward one party isn’t a strategy. It’s an accident that hasn’t been tested yet.
The fix isn’t to drop anyone. It’s to fill the gaps, especially on the committees and in the delegations that matter most to the business.
Words signal sides. An issue described in one party’s talking points will sound like a partisan ask to the other party, even when the underlying need is shared.
The organizations that hold up best describe their issues in terms almost everyone in government cares about. Jobs in a district. Cost to taxpayers. Safety. Reliability. A project that gets built on time.
That approach matches what the public increasingly wants from companies. The 2026 Axios Harris Poll 100 reported a shift in public favor toward brands seen as politically neutral.
Some strategies rest on a single program, a single administration priority or a single member of Congress who has carried the issue for years. That works until the program is rebranded, the priority changes or the champion retires.
A durable plan has more than one path. A second funding mechanism. A second agency partner. Support from members of both parties who can each explain why the issue matters to the people they represent.
Executive statements, company social media and comments on partisan fights all become part of the record. Staff in both parties read them.
Organizations can take positions on the issues that affect their business. What creates exposure is commentary on fights that have nothing to do with the business. It tells half of Washington where the organization stands before anyone has asked.
We hold ourselves to the same test. On election night, our President, Jessica Beeson Tocco, wasn’t watching returns with a rooting interest. She was working for clients and getting ready to respond to whatever the results brought. Whoever wins, the job stays the same.
That is possible because of four habits we keep.
We build relationships on both sides before anyone needs them. A relationship started in a crisis is a request. A relationship started early is a resource.
We are kind to both parties, even when we disagree. Disagreement on one issue rarely ends a working relationship. Disrespect often does.
We are honest about who we work with and why. Offices know what we are asking for and on whose behalf. That clarity is what makes a second meeting possible.
We focus on issues we know deeply. Transportation, infrastructure, technology and job creation. Expertise is welcome in every office, regardless of who holds the gavel.
None of these habits is complicated. They work because we practice them every year, not only in election years.
The 120th Congress is sworn in on Jan. 3, 2027. The weeks between now and then are the best time to find the gaps and start closing them, before calendars fill and committee agendas are set. Our earlier look at the six months after Election Day covers what changes once the new majority takes over.
Shepherd Strategies helps organizations evaluate their government strategy against policy and political risk, from mapping relationships on both sides of the aisle to sharpening how they talk about their issues.
Why Durable Government Relationships Outlast Every Election
What changes when power shifts, the gap between claiming bipartisanship and practicing it and a six-question checklist to test your own position. Download it free and get The Shepherd Guide, our biweekly newsletter.
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