🎙️CWT694: Midterm Madness! W/ Guest Maya Rupert - Political Strategist, Writer, Activist

Maya Rupert is a prominent American political strategist, writer, and advocate known for being the third black woman in history to manage a major U.S. presidential campaign. She is currently an Executive Vice President at the digital strategy firm Blue State. She served as the campaign manager for Julián Castro’s 2020 presidential bid. Following his exit, she became a Senior Advisor to Elizabeth Warren’s campaign. She later managed Maya Wiley’s 2021 New York City mayoral campaign.Rupert was a Senior Policy Advisor to Secretary Julián Castro at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) during the Obama administration.She has held leadership positions at the Center for Reproductive Rights (Senior Director for Policy) and the National Center for Lesbian Rights (Policy Director). She hosts the NAACP Image Award–nominated podcast "When We Win," produced by Lemonada Media, which focuses on electing women of color to office.Her forthcoming book, "The Real Ones: How to Disrupt the Hidden Ways Racism Makes Us Less Authentic," is available now.She frequently contributes to outlets like The New York Times, The Atlantic, Slate, and The Washington Post, focusing on the intersections of race, gender, and politics. She earned her B.A. from UC Santa Barbara and her J.D. from UC Berkeley School of Law.Rupert has been named to The Root 100 and Ebony magazine's lists of influential African Americans.She grew up in Joshua Tree, California, and currently resides in Washington, D.C.. Her sister, Imani Rupert-Gordon, is the executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights.