When Don’t Ask Don’t Tell was repealed, Janessa—an out, queer woman—knew it was time for her to do something she always dreamed of: join the military and serve our country. She was trained as a Combat Engineer officer and deployed to Eastern Europe.
When a Congressional seat in her district opened up unexpectedly, even though she had never run for office before, even though she knew how long her shot was, even though she’d be running against the granddaughter of a billionaire, Janessa Goldbeck jumped into the Democratic primary.
Just over half a year later, after endorsements from VoteVets.org and the San Diego Union-Tribune, getting used to seeing her face splashed all over San Diego, and sprinting to a strong finish that wasn’t quite enough get her name on the ballot this fall, she not only has no regrets. She is electrified by the experience.
Janessa Zoomed in from a lockdown “break” spent renovating her bathroom and building a chicken coop to reflect on her whirlwind campaign.
Chickens from left to right: Blanche, Dorothy, and Rose.
We talk about what her work in the military and as an advocate taught her about how to break people out of their “ideological snow globes,” what the word “moderate” has come to mean in our current political discourse, and how she made gun violence prevention a centerpiece of her race in a way that included veterans and military families in the conversation.
She also lays out a pretty clear plan for getting money out of politics—and what campaigning could look like once we do. See the full video interview here.
Janessa and her partner Carol in front of the coop they built in the backyard.
