You know, sometimes you need to be shaken up, and it's possible that this country just needed a massive shake-up to remind us that democracy is not something you can just sleep on.

You know, you can't be in the back of the car sleeping, you have to be an active participant in it, and when we weren't paying attention, this is what happened.

Hello, and welcome to the Politics Girl podcast. I'm your host, Lee McGowan. Let's get into it. We are starting a new series leading up to the midterms called Candidate Conversations, where we chat with candidates from across the country who might not be getting as much press, but whose races are nonetheless deeply important.

Major names are always interviewed, and I hope to do a series of good ones with the fan favorites, but I also want to highlight races and people that you might not be as familiar with, but whose victories are essential and who needs your support.

Today's podcast will be split into individual conversations with two amazing Democratic congressional candidates, Christy Smith from California's 27th congressional district, and Dr. Annie Andrews from South Carolina's first.

Both these women are running in flippable districts, where there is currently a Republican incumbent, and with the right support, both candidates can and will turn these seats blue.

Both are strong advocates of reproductive freedoms, public education, expanded and affordable health care, and protecting our citizenry from gun violence.

They are both running against pro-Trump anti-abortion candidates who are against the expansion of voting rights and for the Sunsetting of Social Security.

I want you to understand why it's important we put these women in Congress, and why it's important that no matter who we've supported in the past, that there's only one party right now that is pro-democracy, who will fight for your rights to your own body, and who believe government can be a force for good.

And even though you might not be from their district, or even from their state, you can help, and I hope that you will.

We start with Christy Smith, a 40-year resident of the city of Santa Clarita, the district she is running to serve. In 2020, she came within 333 votes of beating Republican Congressman Mike Garcia, one of the most extreme right-wing representatives in California.

A distinguished state legislator, Smith authored nine bills signed into law by Governor Newsom, focusing on education reform, protection for homeowners, affordable college, and good governance.

Christy is the candidate we need, not only to support the district she grew up in, and knows intimately, but to replace the far right voice of her anti-democratic extremist opponent.

As Christy says, defending democracy shouldn't be a part of its issue, and it's essential we have representatives in Washington who understand this.

So without further ado, please welcome my first guest, community organizer, former California State Assemblywoman, and current Congressional candidate for CA27, Christy Smith. Welcome Christy.

Hi. Hi. Good to be here. Hi. I'm glad you had the time to join us. Honestly, I'm sure you're so busy right now, but I'm really trying to draw people's attention to all the different kinds of races around the country that require our interest.

Right? 2022 is the most consequential election in the history of our nation, and I know people say that all the time, but democracy itself and the kind of country we want to live in is literally on the ballot.

So we need to hold the house, which is where you are. We need to expand the Senate. We need to get more democratic governorships and state legislatures, and we need to prove to the Republican Party that stripping us of our votes and our rights to our own body and undermining our health and our security, both social security and now national security are losing issues.

Right? The truth and justice and freedom. These are not just buzzwords, but ideals that we are going to fight hard to protect.

Absolutely. And in races like mine across the country, where we're right on that purple bubble is where it's really going to be a proof point for exactly everything that you just spoke to.

You know, are people going to side with Democrats who they see doing the work to improve the material circumstances of their lives? Or are they going to move with the Republican Party who just seems interested in an agenda that it's about objecting and rolling back rights as opposed to moving us all forward?

That's right. And you started your career in public service as an analyst at the Department of Education. Yeah. And then you returned to California, which is where you're from, basically, born in Germany, I believe, and then moved right back to the States when you were a tiny baby.

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