I first observed Dr. Paula Swift on July 30, 2025. We were both at the Norman P. Murray Community Center in Mission Viejo, attending an event for Democratic candidates running for the CA-40 congressional slot.
I was new to this website; Paula was one of a large handful of people trying to land a spot in public office. These were the quaint and innocent days of Perry Meade and Christina Gagnier; of a seemingly sane Esther Kim Varet and a polite Joe Kerr and—across the board—no knowledge of the redistricting madness that was on the horizon.
Each candidate had a chance to fluff their feathers, and of the newbie Swift I wrote: “There was one clear winner—Dr. Paula Swift, the CEO of her own consulting firm and a woman wise/savvy/smart/keen enough to offer [a bowl of candy] to the masses. As a sucker for candy (literally any candy), I feel compelled to not only throw my full backing behind Swift, but volunteer the pages of this website in return for her entire stash of sweets.”
Truth be told, however, Swift didn’t resonate with me. Or with the attendees I spoke with. She was friendly and engaging, but—in the shadows of the overly aggressive Varet and the perky Meade—reduced to the deepest shadows. A bunch of months later we met for coffee, and I wrote, “I don’t see an avenue for Paula Swift to win this election. Literally, it’s not there.”
And with that, I wrote Paula Swift off.
She was done.
Toast.
Burnt toast.
•••
Orrrrrrr … maybe not.
Shortly after our java, Paula stepped away from the CA-40 race and decided to gun for a slot in the State Assembly. And it seemed, well, silly. Trite. Insane. How would a woman who couldn’t paddle in the CA-40 waters manage to topple an incumbent Republican in the 70th district? How in God’s name would she beat the seemingly safe, normal, secure Tri Ta? How could this even be a thing?
Well, last night Tri Ta turned to Instagram to post this …
Paula Swift is a member-elect of the Assembly.
Being honest, I’m not 100-percent sure how this happened—but I’m thrilled it did. Maybe it’s just that type of election season, when wild and wacky stuff rolls in with the fog. Maybe Paula Swift was better suited for a slightly smaller race. Maybe candy was her superpower.
Whatever the case, Paula Swift is about to be spending a whole lot of time in Sacramento.
I’m thrilled for her.
•••
Some other random election thoughts, right after the Nov. 9 updates arrived …
• Ken Calvert has won the CA-40, and I’m filled with regret. In hindsight, we could have challenged for this. Not in normal times, perhaps, but certainly in 2026. But we (Democrats) got hijacked by Esther Kim Varet’s bullshit bling bluster, and never rallied behind a single candidate. A Lisa Ramirez-Ken Calvert race would have been interesting.
Alas, it didn’t happen …
• The Huntington Beach City Council race is … weird. As you read this, Republican incumbents Casey McKeon, Pat Burns and Andrew Gruel seem likely to retain their spots. But the fourth slot is a barn burner between three Democrats (Ben Davis, Erin Spivey and Taryn Palumbo) and a profoundly douchey Republican, Brian Thienes.
The council is, at the moment, entirely MAGA Republicans, so even a single Democrat would be a great boost.
• The Chris Kluwe-Gracey Van Der Mark race is agonizingly tight. Gracey is insane, but it remains highly conservative turf. So … let’s hope for the best.
• I live in the Capistrano Unified School District, and shit is depressing.
We all knew Mandy would likely win, but Caldwell-Carralero is waaaay too tight—especially considering Marco’s status as a carpetbagging gun zealot.
The one that shocked me the most, though, is Shepard-Ruef. I genuinely thought Ron would pull it out, especially when I scrolled Linda’s IG feed and found her to be doddering and flat, like a 1979 tweed sweater. That said, she walked and walked and walked and knocked on doors and knocked on doors and knocked on more doors.
So, hey—elbow grease. It’s a thing.
• Connor Traut and Katrina Foley will likely hold on in their Supervisor races—but they are a bit closer than I expected …
• Cynthia Vasquez is about to lose (handily) to a tomato can named Bryan Zahn in a fight for Mission Viejo City Council—and it sucks. Cynthia was the one wise progressive voice, and her asshole colleague did everything to make her life miserable. Sometimes the bad guys win.
It is what it is.
PS: Just for kicks …
Other good news - it looks like Chris Duncan is going to beat MAGA Strickland and Sergio Farias is going to beat Laurie Davies!!
Other good news: LBUSD elected three strong candidates and gave Dee Perry her walking papers (about time!).