Government affairs leaders didn’t exactly draw the easy straw in 2025. From whiplash-inducing politics to lean budgets, the job now resembles a high-stakes survival game that keeps unlocking harder levels.
Below are the five toughest hurdles executives told us they’re facing this year — pulled straight from Quorum’s 2025 State of Government Affairs survey of 200-plus government affairs pros — plus real-world ways AI (specifically Quorum Copilot) can tilt the game back in your favor.
1. A Political Landscape That Shifts Like Sand
More than half of respondents (52.6%) rank an unstable political environment as their No. 1 headache — up a jaw-dropping 26 points in a single year. One participant nailed the vibe:
“We are navigating an unprecedented level of instability. Every week the ground seems to shift.”
Why it matters: Volatility spikes the cost of monitoring, planning, and messaging.
How AI helps:
- Real-time reconnaissance. Copilot’s natural-language search sweeps every active bill, amendment, or executive order in seconds, so you can stop doom-scrolling committee sites.
- Scenario planning on demand. Ask Copilot to surface similar historical bills or votes, then generate impact summaries you can drop into a board deck — no late-night memo writing required.
2. Polarization That Muzzles Conversation
Forty-four percent say partisan polarization makes basic communication hard. One survey-taker put it bluntly:
“More legislation, less predictability, more partisanship.”
Why it matters: When one mis-phrased talking point can ice a relationship, teams lose precious cycles rewriting the same email for every office.
How AI helps:
- Message tailoring at scale. Feed Copilot your base talking points and let it spin personalized drafts for a moderate Democrat, a freedom-caucus Republican, and everyone between — instantly adjusting tone, district data, and legislative history.
3. Lean Teams, Big Expectations
A full 37 percent report being under-staffed and 25 percent are under-funded. One leader summed it up:
“With the shedding of employees, it is even more challenging … years of institutional knowledge have left.”
Why it matters: Fewer hands mean slower bill analysis, skipped stakeholder follow-ups, and burnout.
How AI helps:
- Bill-to-brief in a blink. Copilot digests 1,000-page legislation into a one-pager — complete with section-by-section impact notes — in seconds.
4. Getting (and Keeping) Lawmakers’ Attention
Thirty-six percent still struggle to get a busy policymaker to look up from their phone. Even with in-person meetings roaring back, the inbox battle never ends.
How AI helps:
- Hyper-relevant outreach. Copilot cross-references a legislator’s sponsorship history, committee seats, and recent quotes to craft “you had me at hello” intros.
5. An Avalanche of Bills and Regs to Track
Nearly 29 percent say there’s simply too much activity to monitor. Another respondent echoed the pain:
“The volume of issues to monitor and react to makes it harder to be proactive on our priorities.”
How AI helps:
- Always-on monitoring. Set Copilot to watch specific topics or bill numbers; get alerts with a plain-English summary the moment something moves.
Are People Actually Using AI?
Yes. Fifty-four percent of teams already deploy AI somewhere in their workflow, and 43 percent say they’re excited and hopeful about its potential. One early adopter wrote:
“We use Quorum Copilot to analyze bills and summarize hearings, then pair it with ChatGPT to draft communications and materials.”
Putting It All Together: An AI-Powered Playbook
| Challenge | Copilot Prompt Idea |
|---|---|
| Political volatility | “Explain how this new executive order affects Midwestern ag co-ops” → instant summary |
| Polarization | “Draft two versions of this memo: one for Sen. Gomez (D-IL) focused on workforce, one for Rep. Carter (R-TX) focused on small business” |
| Lean staff | “Create a briefing deck (5 slides) on HB 427 with key quotes, supporters, and fiscal notes” |
| Attention scarcity | “Generate a three-touch cadence (email, call script, one-pager) for Chair Smith’s staff” |
| Info overload | “Track all GDPR-style privacy bills in state legislatures and alert me to amendments” |
The Bottom Line
Winning in 2025 is less about shouting louder and more about working smarter. AI isn’t here to replace savvy government-affairs pros — it’s here to free them to do the high-impact work only humans can do: build trust, shape policy, and out-smart the noise.
Ready to see Copilot in action? Book a demo and let’s turn these challenges into your competitive edge.