Dear John,
When I was wrapping up my time in the House, a lot of people asked what I was going to do next. The answer, if you’ve been following along with my work in Congress, isn’t that surprising: I went back to the classroom.
Unlike a lot of elected officials, I didn’t spend most of my adult life in politics. I had a career as a law professor that I loved, conducting research into families that struggled to make ends meet and training the next generation of advocates. Running for office wasn’t part of my lifelong plan.
After I was elected to the House as a first-time candidate, I didn’t do the job the way it’s always been done either. Building on my experience as a professor, I treated Congress as a learning and teaching job.
I would learn about my community’s needs by hosting town halls, touring local businesses and non-profits, talking to people in the grocery store, and just reading the news. Then, I would take that information and teach: sharing information back with constituents, engaging witnesses in hearings, and being in conversation with my colleagues.
The job of an elected representative is—literally—to represent. The only way to do that is to be in conversation with the people.
I’ve launched my campaign for governor doing exactly what I’ve always done: learning and teaching. I’m hearing directly from Californians, including families, workers, and businesses. And, I’m sharing information about my record in Congress and how I’m thinking about solving our state’s biggest challenges, such as housing and climate change.
Thanks for reading,
Katie
