who are still figuring out where their place is in this work. The stakes are often high, and I am so honored and inspired to be a small part of this large movement to make Missouri a more welcoming and inclusive place for LGBTQ people and their families.
Mike Pridmore/Independent Democratic Strategist How did you get into politics? I majored in sociology at UM-St. Louis, but politics at that point was more of an interest than a potential profession. After the 2004 presidential election, I decided it was time to quit watching from the sidelines and get involved. I worked briefly for SEIU in Ohio, but Missouri is where I wanted to be. My first campaign experience was as a volunteer for Jeff Smith's 2006 state Senate race and then I worked as a field organizer for Claire McCaskill's U.S. Senate campaign that same year. More than a decade later, I'm grateful to continue to have the opportunity to work with so many great candidates and campaigns. What is your first professional priority? My professional priority is to help campaigns generate and optimize the resources needed to win races
in a challenging state, and to be able to bring value to the campaigns I work with. What is your favorite part of your job? I work on the campaign side, so my job usually ends soon after Election Day. The most rewarding part for me is seeing the work candidates I work with do in their official roles. Seeing the work Jill Schupp does in the MO Senate or watching how Clint Zweifel and Nicole Galloway have operated as statewide officials, for example, is rewarding. Stephen Webber lost a tough state senate race last year, but it has been amazing to watch him excel as the new chair of the Missouri Democratic Party. The work these candidates do matters. The people we elect to do these jobs matters. I'm grateful to be able to play even a small role in helping some of those candidates along the way.
Jonathon Prouty/Hancock & Prouty How did you get into politics? I did not come from a political family, but after some activism as a teenager, I found myself volunteering for Jim Talent’s get-out-the-vote effort in 2006
and happened to be paired with a volunteer in town from DC, who, after a few hours of walking, took me out to lunch. He suggested I consider serving as an intern the next summer (something I had not previously considered) and connected me with the RNC. I applied and was placed in then-co-chair Ann Wagner’s office. When I was looking for a job a few years later, her staff introduced me to John Hancock, who took a chance and hired me on at his new consulting firm. That led to the MRP Communications Director position, to the MRP Executive Director job, and now to my current position as half of Hancock & Prouty. Success in politics is all about working hard, building strong relationships, and taking advantage of opportunities as they arise. That is certainly true of my career, which I can trace directly to a chance lunch at Chuck’s Bar & Grill 15 years ago. What does a “normal” day look like for you? There is no such thing as a “normal” day. Any given day may see us digging up dirt on a political opponent, raising money for a campaign, executing a grassroots advocacy plan, crafting advertisements, managing a client through a crisis, or one of many, many other things. What is your favorite part of your job? I love that I get to do new and different things on a daily basis—and that I may end the day doing something entirely different that I expected to when I woke up. Also, working from home and being my own boss is a nice change of pace.
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