Governing

U.S. center / center-left (state and local government trade press)

Background

Governing was founded in 1987 by Congressional Quarterly, Inc., then a subsidiary of Times Publishing Co. of St. Petersburg, Florida, as a monthly print magazine covering state and local government policy and management. In 1994 it absorbed its main rival, City & State magazine, broadening its reach. For most of its life it operated on a controlled-circulation model — distributed free to government executives and funded by advertising from vendors selling to the public sector. In 2009, Congressional Quarterly sold Governing to e.Republic, a Sacramento-based media and research company that also publishes Government Technology. In August 2019, Governing announced it would end its 32-year print run with the September 2019 issue, relaunching as a digital-only outlet subtitled 'The Future of States and Localities.' In December 2022, Leeds Equity Partners — a private equity firm specializing in education, training, and information services — acquired e.Republic as its seventh platform investment, with Cathilea Robinett continuing as CEO. Independent press monitors such as Media Bias/Fact Check rate Governing highly for factual accuracy while noting a modest left-center tilt in story selection, reflecting its focus on professional public administration rather than partisan advocacy.

Sources

1. Governing (magazine) — Wikipedia
2. Governing — Ballotpedia
3. e.Republic Inc. to Acquire Governing Magazine — GovTech
4. e.Republic Joins Forces with Leeds Equity Partners — Governing
5. Leeds Equity and e.Republic Partner — PR Newswire
6. New Mission, Focus and Vision for Governing — Governing
7. Governing Magazine — Media Bias/Fact Check

Profile compiled 2026-09-02; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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