NATALIE FERTIG

Natalie is a policy and politics reporter at POLITICO in Washington, D.C. She reports primarily on cannabis, Western politics, veterans and Native Americans.

 
 

Recent Work

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.

this proud liberal city is throwing out its entire government

After a tumultuous four years marked by violent protests and drug decriminalization, Portland is poised for big changes.

 

Elections

 

TRUMP TRAINS SIGHTS ON ONE OF THE LAST OF THE ‘IMPEACHMENT 10’

Donald Trump and his allies have already purged eight of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach him after the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol. The former president could add a ninth to the list on Tuesday.

She fixes cars. can she fix congress’ elitism problem?

Marie Gluesenkamp Perez thinks Democrats have a big problem with the middle class. Because they’re not part of it.

NATIVE AMERICAN VOTERS SAVED TESTER BEFORE. THEY MAY FALL SHORT THIS TIME.

Absentee ballot returns are lowest in Montana’s three majority-Native American counties, where organizers battle misinformation and long distances in turning voters out to the polls.

 

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.