February Tips From the Trail With Jordan Fuchs
Women’s Public Leadership Network is excited to share our new video series, Tips From the Trail, where we interview top leaders who have run a campaign or run for office.
WPLN is dedicated to inspiring, educating, and training women to run for all levels of office. Stats and stories show us that women need to be encouraged, supported, and prepared before deciding to run for office.
That’s why it takes, on average, asking a woman to run 7 times before she will decide to do it. Our hope is that these stories will inspire and empower more women to jump in, because our communities and our country need more female leaders at decision-making tables.
In our February Tips From the Trail, Caroline Richardson, WPLN Fellow, interviewed Jordan Fuchs, Georgia’s Deputy Secretary of State and former Campaign Manager for Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger's campaign.
It is a fascinating interview in which we discuss Jordan’s experiences running a statewide campaign and a government office. Check it out:
Before the pandemic hit our shores and the 2020 election heated up, Jordan had the foresight to realize that the implementation of voting machines in Georgia was going to be a challenge. She sounded the alarms to Mr. Raffensperger, noting that even “on its own, it’s a massive project.” So they were as ready as one could be for the monstrous challenges they faced in the wake of the election.
Jordan credits her mom and her mentor, Mark Roundtree, for inspiring her to get involved in politics. Her mom volunteered for campaigns, and her mentor, who ran thousands of campaigns, taught her “everything I know”... including which “pitfalls to avoid.”
She imparted some great advice on those wishing to enter politics:
“The best advice that I was ever given is find somebody who does what you want to do and go learn from that person…. You may not make a single dime for several years, hopefully you do.
But that knowledge is really important and a lot of people really want to impart what they've learned in life onto the next generation. So easy to find mentors. Find a good one that you trust and learn as much as you can from them.
And then also be cognizant that mentors eventually do become competitors, and they're very good ones too, because they taught you everything you know… So be cognizant of what they're not willing to teach you.”
At the end of the day, “it’s the win” that matters. “What kind of keeps me going in all of this is I get to work for people who do amazing things.”
