Paula Swift won't stop

The CA-40 congressional candidate is a longshot. But she's a longshot who believes.

So Paula Swift and I met for coffee a few weeks ago. We plopped down at a tiny spot in Mission Viejo, and before me sat the mystery candidate of the CA-40 congressional race.

By mystery, I mean—of all the Democrats who have lined up to try and oust Young Kim, Swift is, by far, the most elusive. Perry Meade, for example, is everywhere. So is Esther Kim Veret. And Joe Kerr. And Christina Gagnier. If you are an active Orange County Democrat, you see those folks, hear those folks, can’t (on Instagram) avoid those folks. It can be annoying. It can be intrusive. It can be irksome. But, even with the potential redistricting, they remain the frontrunners to wind up squaring off against Young Kim in the general. So they are in our lives for at least a bunch o’ more months.

Swift, however, sort of feels like an afterthought. Much of this is financial—thus far, she has raised a paltry $8,000 and change (by comparison, Kim Varet is over $1 million; Gagnier is at half a mill). And if we’re being honest (and this website is brutally honest, if nothing else), you can’t win an election like this on $8,000. Or $80,000. Or, probably, $800,000. It takes a shitload of organization, a shitload of volunteers and a shitload of staffers. None of which Swift has at her disposal. She largely runs her own campaign, and her own socials. It’s not a recipe for success, and there’s a solid chance the DCCC doesn’t even know she exists.

Again—I’m just being honest.

That being said, folks like Paula Swift are important. First, because in a political landscape that often feels slimy and gross, she oozes a sincerity that campaigns need. She looks you in the eye. She answers questions directly, honestly. Hell, she gives out candy at campaign functions. Second, in this white-Asian-Latino bubble that is Orange County, she’s a reminder that diversity matters. She is a strong, accomplished Black woman in an ocean of limited exposure. To not value that in 2025 is to be a MAGA lemming.

Third, too often decency gets lost in elections. Again, I don’t see an avenue for Paula Swift to win this election. Literally, it’s not there. She hasn’t really laid out a ton of fresh ideas, or a theme that resonates with large swaths of voters. And, making matters worse, she doesn’t actually live in the 40th. But, without question, she’s involved because she believes she can bring righteousness to a population hungry for it.

Once we stop appreciating that, we’re all doomed.

So props to Paula Swift, who—in my opinion—probably should be (based on financial reality) starting off with a smaller election.

But who gets my respect for running at all.