Problem is that the OPs stats aren’t quite high enough, necessarily, to get them into a school in the DC area that would meet full need. Otherwise, I’d say American, Georgetown, GW, U Md, because they can get a DC volunteer, and then maybe paid, internship all through college, and really do something in a gov’t office, rather than have a one semester in DC program-based internship.
Without that, I think their best safety bet (academically and financially) is SUNY Albany, because of its location in the NY state capitol, so that they can get that deep, prolonged involvement at the state level, at a school that is affordable for them. The experience that they can get in the state capitol would help them to get that first job in DC after graduation. Other possibility is working in their congressman’s home office for SUNY Binghamton, Buffalo, or Stonybrook, but that’s more political than public policy. It’s unlikely that with top 25th% and 1360 SAT this student will get into a DC area school with enough funding to make it possible.