Campaign Debrief: Reflections From the Trail, and on the State of America

Early this year, I decided to leave my job with the US Postal Service and become a candidate for Indiana's 8th Congressional District, in this fall's midterm election.With the primary on May 5th, I had roughly three months to get set up, attend events, gain recognition and most of all, learn what people were looking for in this district.It was one of the most fascinating and meaningful experiences of my life.At the final result, I placed 2nd out of four candidates, with just under 12% of the vote. I met so many people looking for real, meaningful and consequential change, people who are tired of the same old politicians, left or right, blue or red, beholden to money and special interests, and who simply do not operate in their constituents' best interests.These conversations, and the momentum therein, made this campaign so worthwhile. I was proud to be a truly independent, grassroots, self-funded candidate: a single mother of three young kids, who identifies as LGBTQ+, running a nimble, dynamic campaign outside the box.And so, roughly a week later, my Canadian friend Ted Cragg, who also happens to be the producer of this podcast, mentioned that he was curious to know what the campaign experience was like, what my takeaways were, ideas for where to go next, and to share that with our listeners, who would likely be curious as well!So we got together to record this campaign debrief.There is such a deep need for bold progressive candidates in the Democratic Party, but even more than that, we talk about the rigid structure of our political process: how the two-party "system" results in an almost complete lack of choice, where parties feel they have all the leverage, particularly their entrenched leadership. We talk about what it would look like to have legitimate third parties, perhaps as regional blocs, and independent candidates with true momentum and impact.Most of all, we talk about money in politics. If we could boil this country's problems down to one cause, this would be it. The tentacles of money and wealth wind their way through everything we do, influencing every system and every campaign.I'm not sure yet what for me the next step will bring, but the podcast will surely play a role, and I am so blessed and appreciative to have this platform to connect with all of you.Chapters00:00 Running a Unique Campaign05:21 Feedback from the Campaign Trail11:55 Challenges with the Democratic Party19:30 Emerging Progressive Candidates21:58 The Need for Unity Among the 99%28:53 The Case for Third Parties36:20 The Future of American Politics40:27 The Role of Money in Politics44:53 Historical Context and Diversity in America49:58 The Impact of Colonialism and Imperialism52:25 Accountability and the Epstein Files01:01:14 Finding Common Ground for Change01:06:29 What to Expect for the Future*Contact Tabitha:*[email protected]://tabithazeigler.com/