海角大神

Jessica Morse hurriedly steps out of a bright red car and moves briskly toward the Sierra 2 Center in Sacramento, putting on a tinted lip balm as she walks.

鈥淒id I get lipstick on my teeth?鈥� she asks. 鈥淚鈥檓 in a position now where [that] actually matters.鈥�

Ms. Morse, a first-time congressional candidate for the Fourth District of California, is headed for a meeting of RainbowPAC, a political action committee that supports LGBTQ businesses, whose endorsement she is hoping to secure. At the event, she鈥檒l get exactly two minutes to speak and an additional two minutes to answer questions, before being whisked out of the room so the next candidate can make their pitch.

It鈥檚 a short amount of time, she admits, but Morse is growing accustomed to the fast pace of campaigning. 鈥淲e live in this world of political soundbites,鈥� she says. 鈥淥ften all you get is 30 seconds鈥� to make an impression.

Morse is one of hundreds of political newcomers 鈥� mostly Democrats, and many of them women 鈥� who are running for US House seats this cycle. They鈥檙e learning on the job, adjusting to the long hours, tedious repetition of soundbites and stump speeches, and piles of paperwork.

Many face distinctly long odds:聽More than a third are challenging Republican incumbents in deep-red districts that President Trump won by double digits. Still, with Democratic enthusiasm running high nationwide, and many political experts forecasting a 鈥渂lue wave鈥� in November, analysts say some of these novice candidates could wind up pulling off upset wins.

鈥淭his could be a good year [for newcomers], given the surge in excitement and the willingness of donors to support what would in other years have been considered pretty long-shot candidates,鈥� says Danielle Thomsen, an assistant professor of political science at Syracuse University in New York. However, she notes, 鈥渢he hurdles for a first-time candidate, even this year, are really pretty high.鈥�

Morse鈥檚 first task is to make it through California鈥檚 June primary, where she鈥檒l be on the ballot against three other Democrats and two Republicans. If she emerges as one of the top two candidates, she鈥檒l likely take on five-term GOP incumbent Rep. Tom McClintock this November.

That will be an uphill climb: Congressman McClintock, known as a conservative deficit hawk, cruised to reelection in 2016 by a comfortable 25 points, in a district that also voted for Mr. Trump over Hillary Clinton by 15 points.

Historically a Republican stronghold, California鈥檚 Fourth District is more than three-quarters white, with a sizable elderly population. The majority of voters are clustered in the Sacramento suburbs, although the district runs south to include part of Yosemite National Park.

Still, the Cook Political Report recently changed the district鈥檚 rating from 鈥淪olid Republican鈥� to 鈥淟ikely Republican.鈥� And the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has added it to its list of districts to target in the upcoming election.

On equal financial footing

Incumbents like McClintock generally have a huge advantage when it comes to campaigning. Aside from the pure power of name recognition, they have lists of supporters and donors already drawn up, and often start out with war chests amassed in previous elections.

But this year, nearly half of Republican incumbents are facing an opponent who has already raised more than $100,000, according to the Campaign Finance Institute. And 39 Republican House members have actually been outraised by a Democratic challenger, according to the Cook Political Report.

Morse is among the challengers who have outraised the incumbent. The Morse campaign announced in April a fundraising total of more than $350,000 so far in 2018, while Congressman McClintock reported approximately $327,000, according to the FEC. Morse also reports a cash-on-hand advantage with about $715,000, almost $40,000 more than McClintock.

A five-generation Northern Californian, Morse grew up in Carmichael, but spent much of her childhood outdoors on her family鈥檚 homestead in Gold Run, Calif. Weekends were often spent backpacking through Yosemite, where she developed a keen interest in the outdoors. For campaign events, she has invited district residents to join her on a hike.

鈥淚 just recharge in the woods,鈥� says Morse. 鈥淚 feel like I鈥檝e been shaped by our mountains.鈥�

She had considered running for local office in previous years. But it wasn鈥檛 until she attended the 2017 Women鈥檚 March in Washington that she decided to enter the race for Congress. 鈥淚 was looking around at the Women鈥檚 March, and I thought, 鈥楿nless women flood public office the way we flooded the streets of Washington, the system is never going to change,鈥� 鈥� she says.

Recently, some of that idealism has come up against the ugly realities of modern campaigning.

Morse, who holds a graduate degree from Princeton University, previously worked as a Presidential Management Fellow for the Defense Department, Iraq country coordinator for the State Department, and a program analyst for the United States Agency for International Development.

But her ballot designation 鈥� a short description of the candidate included on the voting ballot 鈥� was rejected by a Superior Court judge in Sacramento, who said that Morse鈥檚 description of herself as a 鈥淣ational Security Fellow鈥� was inaccurate. The legal complaint was forwarded by another Democratic challenger in the Fourth District, Regina Bateson.

鈥淲e are disappointed to see another campaign resorting to petty political games,鈥� Morse鈥檚 deputy campaign manager Makaiah Mohler said in a statement. 鈥淛essica Morse is proud of her years of service in national security, working on behalf of our country at home and abroad, including Iraq.鈥�

For Morse, it鈥檚 all been part of the learning curve. 鈥淓ven on days where it feels like an uphill slog, you just [have to] keep trudging through,鈥� she says.

A non-stop grind

After she finishes speaking at the RainbowPAC event, she leaves the room and immediately begins debriefing the event with her adviser, Andy Wong. A Bay Area operative who most recently worked for a gun-control organization, Mr. Wong touts a relatively lengthy eight years鈥� campaign experience.

Talking through Morse鈥檚 response to a final question about McClintock鈥檚 residency, he reminds her: 鈥淵ou want to end on a message that鈥檚 uplifting.鈥�

Before the night is over, Morse and Wong drive to a cafe and finish up the filing paperwork needed for each of the district鈥檚 10 counties. As Morse is discovering, campaigning is a nonstop job, especially for new candidates. Since she started last June she鈥檚 been working 12- to 16-hour days, with few breaks.

鈥淚 take a day off every three months or so,鈥� she says.

Still, the nonstop grind shows signs of paying off. After her two-minute speech in Sacramento, RainbowPAC decided to throw its support behind her.

More important, Morse also received the endorsement of the California Democratic Party at the state convention in February.

Her main focus now is on drumming up support among Democratic voters before the June primary. Campaign efforts have shifted from a focus on fundraising to organizing volunteers and canvassing the district.

鈥淭he weeks fly by,鈥� says scheduler Sam Maciel, 鈥淚t鈥檒l be a full-on sprint until [the primary].鈥�

As Morse prepares for the primary, she says she's learned to embrace the label of 鈥渘ewcomer.鈥�

鈥淥ne of the advantages I have of being a first-time candidate is, I don鈥檛 know what the limits are supposed to be,鈥� says Morse. 鈥淪o, I just go for it.鈥�