When I first ran for Congress in 2019, I did so because I was dissatisfied with my current representation — not because I saw a political opportunity to grab an open seat.
While I appreciate some of Rep. Adam Schiff’s accomplishments, I never felt comfortable voting for an incumbent who has voted for every war effort since the early 2000s, including the Iraq War, Afghanistan War and the Saudi invasion of Yemen. I also found it extremely troubling that Schiff authored several pieces of legislation to increase incarceration among juveniles during his tenure as a California state senator.
To be anti-Trump does not necessarily imply one is a progressive or leftist. If there is any district in the United States to elect a real progressive who rejects corporate influence money and puts people first, it’s CA-30.
I entered this race to fight for universal healthcare, housing for all, education for all, environmental justice and LGBTQIA+ rights — all of which I have been impacted by. I’ve personally struggled to afford healthcare, housing and education. I recognize that this is more than common in CA-30 and the rest of the nation. Focusing on economic equity should be a priority for every representative right now, but legislatures across the U.S. are caught up in the distraction of culture wars while folks are struggling with food and rent. Our district deserves a representative with lived experience as a working-class person to represent the real needs of working-class people.
I am the best candidate to replace Adam Schiff because I know and understand the needs of the everyday people who live and work here. I’m entering my third term as an elected official for the city of Los Angeles, serving on the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council since 2019 as an at-large representative and treasurer. If elected to Congress, I plan to lead with a bottom-up approach from neighborhood to nation with intent to make a substantive impact on my neighbors in the district.
During my tenure on the SLNC, I cofounded the Silver Lake Community Fridge, voted for and processed Neighborhood Purpose Grants for the Hollywood Sunset Free Clinic as well as grocery cards for low-income families at all elementary schools in Silver Lake, volunteered for hot meal and produce box distribution, advocated for humanely alleviating homelessness via permanent supportive housing and services, and successfully lobbied the city to require DEI and anti-bias training for all city employees and neighborhood councils.
Many believed our small, grassroots campaign would never come close to unseating Adam Schiff with his $15 million war chest and 22-year incumbency, but we came close in 2022, finishing second out of nine candidates with over 60,000 votes in the general election, despite being outspent over 500-to-1. Spending less than 50¢ per vote is unheard of in a federal election, but it speaks to how voters in this district are more concerned with a candidate’s values than how much money they raise.
I became the first trans non-binary person to ever advance to a general election for a seat in Congress. While I try to avoid identity politics, the hundreds of anti-LGBTQIA+ bills our legislatures requires at least one trans person to be a voice for trans equity in Congress.
We can make this a better world for all of us, but it requires new, 21st-century approaches and leadership that represent the voices of the people, not corporations. Voting for the same kind of corporate-funded, establishment candidates that brought us to where we are today will not result in the improved quality of life we all seek for ourselves, our families and our neighbors.
I hope you’ll look into my intersectional, humanitarian platform of economic equity and human rights when choosing who to vote for in 2024.
Maebe A. Girl is running for California’s 30th District congressional seat.
