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July 18, 2022

15. Two Sides of the Same Coin: Why advocates can’t afford to ignore political action with guest Bill Wong

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Season 2

There are few who can speak on electoral politics in California with as much authority as Bill Wong. 

As former Political Director for the California Assembly Democrats, Bill led efforts in 2018 and 2020 to build the largest Democratic “giga” majorities in the state Assembly in over a century. He served as a political advisor to Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon and is a regular feature in Capitol Weekly's Top 100 Power List.

When I needed to know what was really going on behind the scenes in an Assembly race, my first call was always to Bill Wong.

Bill is a leader in the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) political community and a recognized expert on AAPI voters. You can check him out as host of The Ronin Project Podcast, launching on July 31. The podcast promises “real talk for Asian Americans who want to know more about how politics is played, political professionals that want to know more about Asian Americans and how they vote, and troublemakers who want to make the world a better place.”

My fellow troublemaker and I go behind the veil of the Assembly Democratic caucus. We discuss:

  • [00:03:45] Building a “giga” majority in the California Assembly
  • [00:06:56] Navigating the political fault lines in the Democratic caucus
  • [00:09:10] How to get involved in electoral politics
  • [00:07:18] Move away from performative politics
  • [00:09:54] How to vet candidates and the fundamentals of a good campaign
  • [00:14:26] If you want to change policy you have to invest time and energy in political campaigns
  • [00:21:46] Don’t get distracted by the headlines
  • [00:25:48] There’s politics and then there’s the business of politics

Connect with Bill Wong through his website or on Twitter.

Read the Transcript Here

Hosted by Kristina Bas Hamilton, founder of KBH Advocacy.

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This episode is sponsored by:

• FastDemocracy is a streamlined and easy-to-use bill tracker that saves you time and allows you to focus on what really matters — advocating for policy. Visit fastdemocracy.com to learn more and don't forget to use the promo code BLUEPRINT.

• Subtext helps you build genuine connections with your biggest supporters over text. Subtext is an award-winning texting platform that connects hosts with subscribers free from the chaos of social media and the clutter of email. Go to www.joinsubtext.com.

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