What does it actually take to run for Congress without corporate PAC money and win? Jen Johannsen left dentistry to help 80+ grassroots candidates across the country build real campaigns on almost nothing. In this episode, she breaks down the insider barriers blocking authentic candidates: signature-gathering nightmares in Connecticut, the funding catch-22 that keeps people-first politicians off the ballot, and the volunteer strategies that are actually moving the needle.

We also get into why state-level races might matter more than federal ones right now, how a 24-year-old got 43% of the vote with $9,000 and zero name recognition, and what a Massachusetts high school teacher is doing every Saturday that big campaigns can't replicate with any amount of money.

If you want to know how grassroots democracy actually works — and what you can do to help — this conversation is it.

🔗 Follow Jen on Instagram: @jenjohhannsen
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