10. What advocates should know about running for the California Legislature with guest Kipp Mueller
In 2019, Kipp Mueller, a workers' and civil rights attorney, entered the race for California State Senate District 21, challenging incumbent and then Republican Senate Minority Leader Scott Wilk.
Encompassing northern Los Angeles county and parts of the High Desert, SD 21 was a Republican stronghold for over a decade but voter registration has been trending Democratic.
A "dogfight" of a campaign, millions of dollars were pumped into the race by both sides. Neck and neck on election night November 2020, it was three weeks before the election was declared for the incumbent.
In the end, Kipp Mueller lost by less than 1% of the vote.
I recently caught up with Kipp. Having cut his teeth as a 2020 candidate, he continues to practice as a civil rights attorney and was recently elected Region 10 Director of the California Democratic Party.
There's a lot that goes on behind the scenes in grassroots campaigns, especially for a seat in the California Legislature. We discuss what it's really like to run for office and why even the smallest advocacy group should get involved in electing the next generation of California legislators.
Episode Breakdown:
2:30 - Every campaign has a tipping point
6:09 - These lessons for candidates are also lessons for advocates
10:02 - How you know a campaign stands a chance
17:44 - The Great Resignation in Sacramento creates Great Opportunity for advocates
19:13 - Why even small advocacy organizations can make an outsized impact on campaigns
Contact Kipp Mueller at kippmuellerca@gmail.com.
Hosted by Kristina Bas Hamilton, founder of KBH Advocacy.
Support the Blueprint for California Advocates podcast so we can produce more content like this.
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This episode is sponsored by:
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