Maebe A. Girl

Having worked as an overnight supervisor at a homeless shelter, Maebe A. Girl declared a run for the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council on the basis of addressing the homelessness crisis, supporting LGBTQIA rights, and protecting immigrants.[16] Maebe followed in the footsteps of José Sarria, a drag queen who became the first openly gay man to seek public office. (Sarria ran in San Francisco in 1961 and lost, but the parallels between Sarria and Maebe A. Girl have been noted by news outlets including The Advocate.)[17] Maebe ran for Neighborhood Council with a slate of candidates called Silver Lake Progressive. The election took place on April 16, 2019, when Maebe was elected and became the first known drag queen ever elected to public office.

Maebe formed the Silver Lake LGBTQIA Advocates Committee, a new type of committee in Los Angeles. Maebe soon took on the position on the council of Homelessness Liaison, aiming to bridge the gap between the Homelessness Committee and the rest of the council. As part of this homeless advocacy work, she voted in favor of submitting a Community Impact Statement to Los Angeles City Hall to address homeless encampment clean-ups.

Maebe A. Girl announced on June 28, 2019 that she would be challenging Adam Schiff in the March 3, 2020 primary election for California's 28th congressional district. She said her goal for policy-making was in three parts: "PROTECT, ADVOCATE, and LEGISLATE".[18] Maebe decided to run as a Democrat, challenging Schiff from the left, and receiving the endorsement of progressive groups like the DSA-LA and Our Revolution LA.[19]

During the campaign, Schiff became a prominent voice in the impeachment of Donald Trump, significantly increasing his popularity among Democrats.[20] Even though Donald Trump was not removed from office, Schiff stood by the impeachment, and appeared to maintain popularity in his district as a result of it.[21]

Seven challengers opted to run against Schiff in the 2020 primary.[22] Of these, four (including Maebe A. Girl) were Democrats. Though two Republican Party candidates appeared on the ballot in the district, attorney Eric Early enjoyed the clear backing of the California Republican Party, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars and strongly supporting Donald Trump.[23][24] Independent challenger Jennifer Barbosa campaigned on some similar topics to Maebe A. Girl, focusing the largest amount on homelessness.[25] In contrast to Maebe, however, Barbosa spoke out against Donald Trump's impeachment and called Schiff's comments on Russian collusion "disgraceful".[26][27] Amidst this large pool of candidates, Maebe sought to stand out as the "true progressive" in the race.

Maebe considers herself a progressive, and has likened her policies to those of Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.[29] Her policies are strongly pro-LGBTQIA, identifying as a queer person. She has said that dressing in drag is itself political, and has "taught [her] how to engage with people".[30] Sitting on the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council's Homelessness Committee, Maebe has highlighted homelessness in her campaign and tied it to the high number of homeless LGBTQ youth (40% of total homeless youth identify this way). She supports Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, and the right to choose.[31]

Maebe opposes going to war with Iran, Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen, and increases in defense spending. She has condemned Schiff's support for the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen, the Iraq War, and his votes for every increase in defense spending since he has been in office.[32][33] She has repeatedly expressed support for the abolition of ICE,[34] [35]and contrasts her position with Schiff's support for first the creation and later the expansion of ICE.[36]