MMT candidate 04: Stephanie Gallardo for Washington state’s ninth Congressional district

Welcome to Activist #MMT candidate interview number four, hosted by Ramona Massachi (Twitter/@RamonaMassachi) and co-hosted by me. Today, we talk with Stephanie Gallardo, who is running to represent Washington state's ninth Congressional district. (Here's a list of all MMT candidate interviews.) Stephanie's a former high school history teacher and was in union leadership for more than a decade. Her catalyst for running for Congress was her concern about how her current Congressman treated union members during an in-person meeting. The ninth Congressional district is the state's only minority-majority district and, no coincidence, the location of the state's only immigrant detainment facility. As the wife of an undocumented immigrant, this is an especially disturbing an ever-present reality. Like so many of us, Stephanie and her husband are living paycheck-to-paycheck, and in a home they can only afford thanks to the money left from her father's passing. I'm also a new and first-time homeowner, and although the pandemic allowed us to accumulate (and not spend) a good chunk of money, there's no way we would be in the house we're in without the generous help of our families. Pre-COVID, I would'nt have been able to send my young boys to summer camp year after year without my father paying for it. I have another friend in exactly the same position. This is yet another thing about our society that is unsustainable. On a positive note, Stephanie's campaign is off to a great start, having already raised nearly a quarter of what she needs with more than nine months left to her August 2022 primary. She's also receiving the support and guidance of Sarah Smith, the progressive who ran by far the most successful campaign against Stephanie's opponent in 2018. Stephanie also has a small army of volunteers ready and waiting to be mobilized, which will begin knocking on doors in January. (A big thanks to Beyond the Spectrum for the "MMT Candidate" logo.) You can support Stephanie's candidacy by visiting electgallardo.com and ElectGallardo on Facebook and Twitter. You'll also find a link to donate to Stephanie's campaign in the show notes. There are three goals of this MMT candidate interview series: the first is to support and give a platform to candidates who care about all people, and because of this, are ignored by the so-called news outlets that are, in reality, news of, by, and for the rich. The second goal is to determine what these candidates need to beat corrupt opponents supported by a corrupt party in a corrupt campaign finance system, and especially, once in office, to avoid becoming corrupted themselves. Finally, the third goal is to create a community of like minded, MMT-aware candidates who can support each other through their campaigns, and especially once in office. The latter is in order to remain focused on what really matters, which is all their constituents, in an environment where there is overwhelming pressure to focus only on the needs, favors, promises, and especially money of big donors – both in and out of their district. If you're a candidate and would like to be interviewed by Ramona, please contact her directly on Twitter at @RamonaMassachi, or me at [email protected]. If there's a candidate you would like to see interviewed by Ramona, please let us know, and please recommend us to them! This candidate interview series is above and beyond Activist #MMT's regular episodes. If you like what you hear and would like to support this interview series and this podcast, please consider becoming a monthly patron at patreon.com/activistmmt. And now, onto our conversation with candidate for Washington state's ninth Congressional district, Stephanie Gallardo. Enjoy.