Kevin Hardy

Kevin Hardy

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Kevin Hardy covers business, labor and rural issues for Stateline from the Midwest. Before joining Stateline, he covered business and the economy for The Kansas City Star. At The Star, Hardy was part of an award-winning team that uncovered the biggest land grab on Kansas City’s poor East Side since the creation of the suburbs and part of a team that investigated the safety shortcomings of American freight railroads after a deadly train crash in rural Missouri. Previously, he worked at the Des Moines Register and the Chattanooga (Tennessee) Times Free Press. Hardy has covered everything from snake-handling churches in the South to presidential campaigning ahead of the Iowa caucuses. His work has won numerous local and national journalism awards, including a National Headliner Award for best political coverage and the Gerald A. Renner Award for Excellence in Enterprise Reporting from the Religion News Association.

Prediction markets spend millions to influence state, federal governments
Stateline

Prediction markets spend millions to influence state, federal governments

Oct 01, 2026
Kevin Hardy
Kalshi, Polymarket and the Coalition for Prediction Markets have spent at least $3 million this year on lobbying and campaign contributions across the federal and state levels, according to a new report from the government watchdog group OpenSecrets. Prediction market...
Governors pledge to oppose federal overreach — even when their party runs Washington
Stateline

Governors pledge to oppose federal overreach — even when their party runs Washington

Sep 28, 2026
Kevin Hardy
Democratic and Republican governors say they will more aggressively push back on federal overreach regardless of which party controls Washington. Earlier this month, the bipartisan National Governors Association for the first time in over a decade updated its internal principles...
The signs offer quick cash for homes. But states want more oversight.
Stateline

The signs offer quick cash for homes. But states want more oversight.

Sep 28, 2026
Kevin Hardy
WE BUY HOUSES. CASH 4 HOMES. FA$T CA$H. The signs, text messages and mailers promise cash, quick sales and a seamless means of unloading unwanted homes. But advocates say the business of buying homes for cash can confuse vulnerable homeowners...
More Americans lose SNAP as Congress weighs food stamps’ future
Stateline

More Americans lose SNAP as Congress weighs food stamps’ future

Sep 23, 2026
Kevin Hardy
Tens of thousands of Americans continue to lose access to food assistance each month, even as Congress debates slowing down major cuts to federal food stamps. New data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows more than 330,000 Americans lost...
Trump’s Canadian trade war stirs up trouble for Republican candidates
Stateline

Trump’s Canadian trade war stirs up trouble for Republican candidates

Sep 09, 2026
Kevin Hardy
President Donald Trump’s escalating trade war with Canada is creating headaches for Republicans ahead of November’s midterms as high prices remain a top concern among voters. Responding to Trump’s increased tariffs, Canadian officials have said they’re deliberately targeting goods from...
Labor unions are growing, but where depends on state politics
Stateline

Labor unions are growing, but where depends on state politics

Sep 04, 2026
Kevin Hardy
Labor union membership continues to climb in the United States, though the increase remains sharply divided by the politics of individual states. Last year, the nation added more than 411,000 union members — the largest annual growth since 2008, according...
SNAP cuts could lead to kids losing free school breakfast and lunch
Stateline

SNAP cuts could lead to kids losing free school breakfast and lunch

Sep 01, 2026
Kevin Hardy
Cuts to the nation’s largest food assistance program will likely spill over into schools, causing students to lose access to free breakfast and lunch. More than 1 million American children have lost access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or...
Democrats aim to emulate Republicans in building state power
Stateline

Democrats aim to emulate Republicans in building state power

Aug 28, 2026
Kevin Hardy
Progressive activist Gaby Goldstein thinks her opponents are brilliant. Despite her deeply held liberal politics, she admires the work of conservative groups that for decades have built influence in state governments across the country. “We on the left have left...
No more ‘hypothetical situations’: States move to fortify elections against Trump
Stateline

No more ‘hypothetical situations’: States move to fortify elections against Trump

Aug 14, 2026
Kevin Hardy
State Democratic officials are preparing for chaos at the polls this November, as President Donald Trump casts doubt on election security and pushes for more federal involvement in local voting. “We’re no longer talking about hypothetical situations,” said Nick Brown...
Democrats push nearly 250 state bills opposing federal immigration efforts
Stateline

Democrats push nearly 250 state bills opposing federal immigration efforts

Aug 13, 2026
Kevin Hardy
Democratic lawmakers proposed nearly 250 bills in state capitols this year seeking to limit federal immigration efforts as they sought to push back against what they view as federal government overreach. In a new report tallying 2026 action, State Futures...
Governors and lawmakers say they’re getting serious about states’ rights
Stateline

Governors and lawmakers say they’re getting serious about states’ rights

Aug 05, 2026
Kevin Hardy
OKLAHOMA CITY — State leaders of both parties say the federal government — including the president — wields too much power, and they want to see more authority returned to the states. Bipartisan groups of governors and state lawmakers held...
Trump official urges governors to help with immigration arrests of ‘worst of the worst’
Stateline

Trump official urges governors to help with immigration arrests of ‘worst of the worst’

Aug 03, 2026
Kevin Hardy
OKLAHOMA CITY — U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin this weekend implored states and cities to cooperate with federal immigration officials, which he said would lead to safer and lower-profile arrests and deportations. Speaking to a group of Democratic and...