Mountain States Policy Center – Bias and Credibility

Mountain States Policy Center is rated Right with Mostly Factual factual reporting by Media Bias Fact Check.

Mountain States Policy Center (MSPC) is a conservative and libertarian public-policy think tank founded in 2022 and headquartered in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. According to its About page, its mission is to promote “free enterprise, limited government, and individual liberty” while putting “free markets first.” The organization focuses on Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Washington.

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Funded by / Ownership

The Mountain States Policy Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. While it solicits donations on its website, it does not disclose the names of individual donors, thereby limiting transparency. According to InfluenceWatch, it is affiliated with the State Policy Network (SPN), a coalition of conservative think tanks funded by organizations such as DonorsTrust, the Walton Family Foundation, and the Bradley Foundation. SPN members have been linked to opposition to climate policy and national deregulatory campaigns.

Analysis / Bias

Mountain States Policy Center advocates consistently conservative and libertarian public policies. Its Policy Manual supports lower taxes, supermajority requirements for tax increases, automatic tax rebates, school choice, right-to-work protections, occupational-licensing reform, reduced regulation, health savings accounts, opposition to additional Medicaid expansion, and limits on minimum-wage increases.

MSPC also takes strongly conservative positions on labor and government spending. For example, Taxpayer money for government employee compensation demands real transparency, criticizes public-sector unions, and argues that union influence blocks government transparency.

On healthcare, Adding a work requirement for physically able adults receiving Medicaid in Idaho supports work requirements and repeatedly characterizes Medicaid as a welfare entitlement that has grown excessively.

Energy coverage also reflects a clear free-market conservative perspective. Washington’s Initiative 2066: Promoting energy choice by protecting access to natural gas for homes and businesses describes climate-related energy restrictions as government interference and argues that markets and consumer choice should determine energy use.

Factual sourcing is generally credible and frequently relies on government statistics, legislation, state audits, court decisions, and economic data. However, MSPC’s commentary is highly one-sided and sometimes treats ideological conclusions as if they follow directly from the data. For example, Wage growth and purchasing power: Which states lead the way? attributes stronger economic outcomes in several Mountain West states to lower regulation and smaller government without fully addressing alternative economic explanations.

Failed Fact Checks

• None to date
• Its association with the State Policy Network, which has supported climate denial and anti-regulatory lobbying, raises concerns about the selective use of evidence and ideological framing.

Overall, we rate Mountain States Policy Center Right Biased because it strongly advocates tax cuts, deregulation, school choice, right-to-work laws, Medicaid restrictions, limited government, and free-market solutions. We rate it Mostly Factual because its research generally uses credible primary sources, while highly one-sided advocacy and occasional overstatement of causal conclusions reduce its overall factual rating. (D. Van Zandt 10/15/2026)

Source: https://www.mountainstatespolicy.org/

Last Updated on October 15, 2026 by Media Bias Fact Check

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