Hello, this is Democracy or Else, where we're bringing you amazing progressive candidates

in down ballot races, activists, and community leaders from around the country.

I'm Amelia Montuth, I found my way to crooked media after working on the Elizabeth Warren

and Joe Biden presidential campaigns.

Today I talk with Sheree Stavids.

Hi, Representative David, we are so excited to have you on the series.

Thank you so much for joining us today.

Yeah, I'm happy to join you and happy to be here.

For those who might not be familiar with Representative Sheree Stavids, she is an attorney,

a former mixed martial artist, and the first openly gay Native American congresswoman,

currently representing Kansas's third congressional district.

Can't really get a bio much cooler than that.

And right now, Representative David is running for a third term.

So to kick things off, one inspired you to run for Congress for your first term,

and why are you running again?

It's an interesting thing to think about what inspired me to run,

because I think, first of all, I got elected in 2018, and my non-traditional path to Congress,

which I feel like I have a non-traditional path, but an ordinary experience.

And I say that because I'm the first person in my family to go to college.

I started off with an associate's degree.

It took me four years to get that.

I got a bachelor's degree.

...