Issue No. 1 - Katie Hill
Our first interview features congressional candidate Katie Hill (D) who is running for the U.S. House of Representatives from California’s 25th congressional district just north of Los Angeles, in an attempt to flip her district from red to blue. An experienced non-profit director and policy advocate, Hill has spent the better part of her life as an activist—from organizing against horse slaughter as a young girl, to overseeing the largest provider of homelessness services in California. At thirty years old, Hill joins the ranks of women inspired to run, in part, as a result of the 2016 Presidential election. If elected, Hill will be the only openly LGBTQ woman in the House. Endorsed by Emily’s List, Planned Parenthood and the Professional Peace Officers Association, Hill is drawing national attention.
We were first drawn to Hill for her bold and personal story about reproductive rights—you can watch Hill’s powerful video on choice below—so we asked her to sit down and chat about why she decided to run, how social justice translates to politics, and why being a “horse dork” changed her.
Lightly edited for length and clarity.
E+A
Start from the beginning. Why, how and when did you decide to run for office?
Hill
First of all, I was not planning on becoming a politician. My grandfather was a political science professor at UCLA so I grew up following politics and knowing about it and having an interest in it, but definitely not thinking of running. I was actually planning on becoming a nurse like both my mom and my grandmother. But, I worked in the emergency department when I was in my first year of nursing school and I saw that people were coming in over and over again because of what amounts to social problems.
One of the big experiences for me in the emergency room happened when I ended up holding the hand of a 17-year-old gang member when he died. I was 17 myself at the time, and he had multiple gunshot wounds. I ended up talking with his sister, which was probably the most heartbreaking part, and she said he was the only person she had, how they’d grown up in the foster care system, and their mom was addicted to drugs and how it wasn’t supposed to end up like this. Whether it’s gang violence, drug abuse, kids coming out of foster care, homelessness, mental health issues, all of those can land you in the ER, but you can’t treat them in the ER. And so I ended up deciding I wanted to work on that side of things and switch careers.
E+A
Did the 2016 Presidential Election influence your decision to run for Congress?
Hill
I’d been Executive Director of PATH for a couple of years. We had a ton of government contracts so I worked with federal, state and local agencies throughout my career. Most notably, I was working on Prop HHH and Measure H. We helped develop these, get them on the ballot, and ultimately get them passed. So in November 2016 we passed Prop HHH and we passed it with a huge margin of victory. But everyone came into my office the next day crying, saying, ‘What are we going to do with Donald Trump as President, and a Republican House and Senate? The first things that are going to go are social programs, and what is that going to mean for the work we’ve been trying to do?’ We’ve already seen some of this play out—the President’s proposed budget for HUD is a complete disaster, the tax plan is really impacting our ability to get funding for affordable housing, and then of course, the threat to the ACA. So, it became very real that everything we’d been spending so much time working on for years, could go.
After the November election we focused on Measure H because it was on the March ballot. But in between November and March I found out that my district [CA-25], was key to being able to take back the House the next year. Hillary had won our district by seven points but the Democratic challenger for the House lost by six. A big part of the reason for that was he moved into the district in order to run, he was seen as a political opportunist. I knew from spending my whole life here that it was going to take someone with a particular kind of profile and approach to be able to actually win this thing from a Republican. I ultimately decided that if we were able to pass Measure H then I would run. So, we passed Measure H on March 7th and I announced on March 8th - on International Women’s Day.
E+A
Would you say social justice as a motivator has been there a long time for you?
Hill
Oh yeah, that’s been huge. Activism is something I was involved in from the time I was a kid. First it was rescue animals and the ASPCA. I mean, that never went away, I have four rescue dogs now. I was a major horse dork, and around the time I was twelve there was a bill in California to ban horse slaughtering, so my friends from the barn and I gathered signatures for it, wrote letters, all that sort of stuff. And then when I got to high school, choice was a big issue for me. I registered people for Planned Parenthood. When I started nursing school at Mount Saint Mary’s, a Catholic all-girls school, I started a VOX Chapter with Planned Parenthood, helping people register to vote, everything like that. LGBTQ issues were huge for me. It’s hard to pick just one.
E+A
Well that’s a good segue, because we wanted to ask you specifically about the pro-choice aspect of your platform. You are super vocal about your stance on reproductive rights and we’re really intrigued about how you came to that position.
Hill
My position on choice started even before high school. My grandmother marched for Roe v. Wade, she was in the earlier wave of the feminist movement. I was just always raised to be a feminist. And part of that was always the ability for a woman to control her own body. I always thought I was pro-choice and if I ever ended up being faced with the decision of an abortion, I never thought it would be hard. But then when it actually came down to it, well, I pretty much made the decision that I was going to keep the baby. So, that was a weird thing to face. This experience shifted my perspective on framing reproductive rights. We need to emphasize that this is the hardest choice that a woman can ever make, and not only do we need compassion for other people, but we need to recognize that there is really only one person who can make this decision—the woman. And I think that’s something that resonates with people here. No matter how you cut it, it’s not the government’s job to decide this. There are people who are single issue voters, who can’t get past this whole pro-life/pro-choice delineation, and you’re never going to win them over. But there are people who are able to be more nuanced.
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How have people been responding?
Hill
Really well. Being pro-choice and bisexual were the two issues I thought were going to be the most controversial, and maybe they’ll end up becoming that way as we get closer and closer to the general. But I decided from the beginning—I need to come out with this right away, and we can just deal with it and have a conversation. The longer it’s out there the less of an issue it becomes and you’re not trying to hide from it, you’re embracing it and saying this is where I stand. And that’s something that even if people don’t agree with you, they respect.
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Studies have shown that historically, women tend to run later in life than men because they feel they need more experience to be taken seriously. Is there a reason you felt prepared to do this at 30?
Hill
I think I have a unique track for the age that I am. I think it’s my experience that gave me the confidence to run more than anything else. Running a large organization, being on the front lines of these kinds of things, I felt prepared. I don’t know that that would necessarily have translated had I been in some kind of different career—like if I was a nurse. I probably would have gone a more traditional route of running for school board. But I do think age is going to play a huge factor in this election because I think young people are going to show up and vote in a way that they haven’t before, and that’s a huge part of how we can win.
I was at the National School Walk-Out on March 14th, and I was just so amazed by how many kids were following these issues and how well-informed and involved they were. It was just phenomenal, I’ve never seen anything like it. Back when I was in high school—I was in this tiny minority of people who gave a shit about politics. And it’s just not that way anymore. The number of millennials who have gotten involved in our campaign is just incredible. Normally, people under 30 only make up six percent of the voting base. So we’re taking some risks, but I think it’s critical.
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You mentioned that growing up in your district and knowing the mindset is important. What does it mean to you to be running in your home district?
Hill
First of all, there’s a few things I can tell you about the community. We have more law enforcement living here than in any other district in the region by far. Forty percent of the people in this district either own a gun themselves, or someone in the household owns a gun. Santa Clarita is the third largest city in LA, and then you have Antelope Valley, which is really struggling with poverty and has a lot of different issues from the rest of the district. Thirty-seven percent of people here are ‘decline-to-state’ voters, so they don’t identity with either party; even those who do identify with one party or the other, many are not very loyal. So, that’s really where the key is—speaking to people on values and community values more than anything else, without this divisive partisan politics. When my opponent [Bryan Caforio] was coming in, it was very clear that he was walking the Democratic party line. I think that’s where you lose people. He is an Ivy League educated lawyer, and very few people from here are. We’re very blue collar, working and middle-class folks that just have a little bit of a different culture than you would see elsewhere.
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So growing up there you feel like you have a handle on the culture?
Hill
Yeah, all my family and many of my friends still live here. This is my home. So yeah, I inherently kind of get it, and people just see that. You know what I mean?
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So much of the political conversation has been about how to relate with people outside of the “cultural elite.” How do you think that’s playing out in your campaign?
Hill
That’s the difference between me and my opponent. The most criticism I’ve gotten in this whole primary has been about me not being far enough to the left. And the irony is that our policies are identical. But it’s because I talk to Republicans. And because I own guns. And because I come from a law enforcement family. They’re like, “Oh, she’s not really a Democrat.” And I’m like, no, I’m a Democrat, but I’m a Democrat from here. And there’s a difference. I’ve been surrounded by Republicans most of my life. My Dad was a Republican, all of his friends are. Until very recently this whole community was very, very Republican, but it’s changing. And that means I know how to talk with them. I’ve been having these political debates since I was a kid with people from the other side. And I’ve learned that the way of winning people over, it’s not facts, it’s not statistics, or telling them they’re wrong, it’s ‘what do we agree on?’
We agree that if someone is walking down the street and you see them get hit by a car, you’re going to stop and help them. And you’re not going to ask if they’re a citizen, or if they pay their taxes, or anything like that. You’re going to help them because they’re human. You are going to take them to the emergency room and they need to get care. It’s the same thing with health care. So if you can get people to buy into the same idea that people broader than your immediate family and friends are part of your community, and are part of what we’re all collectively responsible for, then that’s where you’re going to be the most successful.
I’m always looking for the reason people believe something, and in many cases it is fear. I think as Democrats we’ve been really bad about acknowledging people’s fears. Instead, we try to dismiss them.
E+A
Let’s put the campaign aside for a minute. Tell us about the bravest thing you’ve ever done.
Hill
Well, I’ve climbed mountains, I’ve gone on crazy backpacking trips, and I’ve climbed well over a thousand feet of rock. So on the physical side I would say those are some of the more brave things. But I would say, I don’t mean for this to sound contrived or anything, but I would say standing up and running for Congress is probably the bravest thing. You’re completely opening yourself up to criticism in every single aspect of what you’re doing. And you’re literally just saying, ‘Hi, give me your worst.’ That’s something you know intellectually, but still sucks when you’re dealing with it. But pushing through it and trying to figure out how to handle it and grow as a person and learn where you’re weak and where you need to be better, and what it’s going to take for this to be possible.
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That level of vulnerability is extreme. So if vulnerability is your version of brave, what’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve ever done?
Hill
Haha, yeah, I’m just thinking of what embarrasses me still. I was real clumsy for a long time. I remember when my husband and I first started dating we went into a Savon drug store and I was standing in line. I don’t even know how I fell, but when I did, I took out an entire display of gum and candy and stuff like that. It spilled all over the place, and my then-boyfriend, now husband, came running over and everyone in the store was looking and they were all like “Are you okay, are you okay?” And I’m like “Yeah.” And I remember I just left. I’m out of here.
E+A
Do you have a theme song, or a song that pumps you up?
Hill
“Gloria” by Laura Branigan! And, we have a joke of a campaign song, “God’s Plan” by Drake. The way our campaign has worked, everything has looked impossible. We were the total outside candidate that no one was expecting. We’re the biggest fundraisers in the race now, but it’s come from over 4,000 individual people and our average donation is still under $100. There are times when we’re like, “We’re never going to make that deadline, or reach that goal, or my opponent is going to get some endorsement we’re trying for.” And my role on the team is to always say, look, we’re going to do it.
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How would you celebrate if you win?
Hill
I would go on a week-long off the grid backpacking and climbing trip with my husband. That’s the kind of stuff we used to do and never are able to anymore.
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You and your husband met while working at Barnes & Noble (14 years together!). Is it safe to say you’re a big reader? Do you have a favorite author or favorite book?
Hill
Oh yeah. I’m definitely a big reader. I have a lot. The Handmaid’s Tale was actually one of my top favorites long before the TV show. I really like Neil Gaiman and Brent Weeks. I have a massive library. I inherited my grandfather’s books too. The den and entire back room of our house is wall to wall bookshelves.
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Woman after our own heart. Our dream is to have a whole house that is a library. Does growing old scare you or excite you, or both?
Hill
Both. I’m scared of basically losing my mental or physical capacities. I watched and helped take care of my grandfather as he died from Alzheimer’s. He was the most physically fit man you can imagine. He was a runner who ran until he couldn’t run anymore, then he biked, then he swam. His body was in great shape, but he lost his mind and his memories, and that is a genetic risk for me, so that’s something I definitely fear. But when I think about what I’m most excited about, I feel like I’m learning so much and growing as a person every single day. I get excited thinking about how much I’ll know, how different I’ll be, what my voice and my perspective can be and how I can help share that by the time that I’m old.
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What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
Hill
One of my mentor’s favorite thing to do when you were going up for a big speech or anything high stakes, was to tell you right as you were about to go up, “Don’t fuck up.” So that’s something I always think about, “Oh, don’t fuck up.”
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Finally, three questions we’ll ask every candidate. First, dead or alive, who would you take to dinner? And what would you ask them? Why?
Hill
Maynard James Keenan, the lead singer and songwriter for my favorite bands Tool and A Perfect Circle. A Perfect Circle is releasing their first album in over 13 years. Their last one was highly political during the height of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and they’ve come back because of our politics today. I would want to talk to him about using art and politics and every medium at our disposal to create a sustainable movement of real change in our society.
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Second, in the spirit of the original Eleanor and Anna Roosevelt Program, what is your drink and/or dog of choice?
Hill
For a dog, a big mutt (I have two). I also love Huskies (I also have two). All are rescues, so they would have to be a rescue too. And for a drink, a local craft beer.
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Last but not least, if you had a silver bullet that could solve any world problem in one go, what would you fix?
Hill
Poverty. I would say homelessness, but if we solved poverty, homelessness wouldn’t exist either.