Episode Summary
You don’t need a law degree, a million Instagram followers, or a private jet to run for president. Legally, the bar is low. But in practice? That’s a different story.

In this episode, I unpack the real barriers to running for the highest office in the land — from fundraising and ballot access to party politics and media gatekeeping. It’s part behind-the-scenes explainer, part reality check, and part rallying cry for everyday people to imagine what might be possible if we rebuilt the system with us in mind.

In This Episode, I Talk About:

• What the Constitution actually requires (spoiler: it’s not much)
• The real costs of running — financially and emotionally
• What it takes to build a campaign team from scratch
• Fundraising fatigue and how much time candidates spend just asking for money
• Ballot access laws (like the 1M+ signatures you’d need to go nationwide)
• How political parties and media gatekeeping filter out “unserious” candidates
• Why regular people get left behind — and how that affects policy and democracy

Resources & Links:
Ballot Access & Requirements

• Ballot Access for Presidential Candidates – Ballotpedia

Campaign Costs & Fundraising Examples

• OpenSecrets – 2020 Election Costs
• RFK Jr. Ballot Access Costs – NY Post

Listener Prompt:
If you didn’t have to raise millions — or already be famous — would you ever consider running for something?
 What would make it feel possible? What’s keeping you — or someone you know — out?

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Graphics and editing by Rory Lawson

Music by Universfield from Pixabay