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>> washington unfiltered. c-span, in your pocket. download c spavment now today. c-span now today. >> republican senators marco rubio of florida, south carolina's tim scott, and march shat blackburn of tennessee participated in a discussion about the future of their party's candidate recruiting effort. hosted by the republican state leadership committee. it's about 50 minutes

>> that's what tonight is about is laying out that vision so we are excited to be here. we believe this starts at the state level. we've got some great partners with us. the r.n.c., r.g.a. we have groups line winning for women for being here. even though they do like to take our candidates. who run for higher office, congressman kim, thank you for doing what you are doing. we believe you are where you need to be. we are committed to this. we know this is a big effort. we have to grow in the same direction. that's why we are here tonight. with that i'll introduce our moderator, former governor of puerto rico, luis fortuno.

mr. fuhr tuneo: today we are announcing the right leaders network, which will be a mentoring program for all those candidates that may be thinking about running or may need a push to run or may actually want to talk to someone who has done it before. our leaders, all of them started at the state level. and they are now at the federal level and known by everyone. i don't know how they can walk around airports given how well they are known by everyone. [indiscernible] >> they think i'm mario lopez. mr. fortuno: that shows how -- why they get elected so easily. they so personable. i want to formally introduced

them. to my left i have senator marsha blackburn, really thank you for being here. appreciate it. senator tim scott from south carolina. senator marco rubio from florida. we have congresswoman ashley hinson from iowa. and last but not least, from california, great state of california, congresswoman young kim. i want to start by asking you, senator, if i may, oftentimes we see that it's very -- especially difficult for women to decide to run

senator blackburn: every one of you thinking about running as a republican, i want you to do this. i want you to write down g.o.p. and i want you to remember it is not grand old party. i am from nashville. and there is nothing grand and old that is cool except the grand ole opry. i want you to talk about our party as the great opportunity party. because that is what we are all about. and that's the type thing. you keep that focus of the fact that this is not about you. it is about your children.

and grandchildren. it is about a better america for all citizens. and opportunity for all. everyone being able to protect their freedoms. a big part of it is the mind game that you play with yourself. but if you are committed, if you are determined, if you say, hey, i want somebody to help me figure this out if i could really be a candidate, that's what this network is all about. and that's what people are here. get your mind right. get your issues set right. and then find somebody who will help walk with you through this process. because it's tough. not everybody's been on tv like ashley hinson has. not everybody has a group of friends that would be -- help them with fundraising. a lot of times you have to kind of pull all of this together for

yourself, but if you are committed you'll do it mr. fortuno: you come from a minority group, it may be difficult to raise funds for your first race, to get the exposure necessary. how do you do it? senator scott: good question. [laughter] i will say that it can be more challenging depending on your background to raise money and to become known in the community. i remember that when i was running for the statehouse i thought raising $25,000 to $100,000 was more money than i can ever imagine raising. it seemed like a mountain that was too high to climb. what i did, you do in sales, you start by sharing your story.

i think if you have a story to tell, people will lean in a little bit. having grown up in sage family household, hopeless for much of my young life, when i start talking about that i hear people feel it. people understand it because we have all had challenges and tragedies in our lives. one of the ways i found i could build a team was around the misery at one point that became a message at another point that allowed me to be a messenger for those of us who had a shared burden at some point in our lives. the good news america within three generations within your family, my family, we have all had that same kind of burden on your shoulders. that leads to more money as well. because the truth is that when your friends lean in, they are willing to do what they were not going to do before they heard the whole story. before they felt the mission, a sense of urgency that comes from who you are. when people feel that, they want to invest in something. people don't want to give you

money. people want to invest in something bigger than themselves. that should be us first. we should lead by examples. but once we do that, we should anticipate that others are going to want to lean in with you and share that story with others. that's how we were able to build a very diverse team when we ran for the statehouse senator rubio: it used to be this adage in politics that momentum -- money leads to momentum. you raise a bun of money and it -- bunch of money you get momentum. now it's the momentum that leads to money. when i ran for the statehouse it's one thing. you knock on doors.

when i ran for senate for the first time, my opponent was the sitting governor of florida, a republican, who at the time was 70% approval rating. nobody thought i could win. five people thought i could win. they lived in my house. four of them were under the age of 10 at the time. everybody else thought i was going to lose. what happened we were able to nationalize it in the way we were able to get people excited about the race. you have to start early. that's the one thing. if you are planning to get in without the advantage of money, don't announce in june for an election in september, october, november. it does take time to build that. your story will inspire people to get involved. i that i -- not easy, it's easier, r than it's ever been given the fact we now can communicate directly with people and get things going that way. mr. fortuno: thank you. if i may i'm going to ask congresswomen hinson and young, who do you lean on for that

first race? how do you make that decision? did that personal -- set of persons were they dein your decision making in that first race? mrs. hinson: when i ran hi to give up my job. a lot of legislators when they run for statehouse they were able to keep their day job. because i was on the air as a journalist i had to make that tough decision to give up my career fully to do this job. my husband and i had a lot of soul-searching conversations. he decided he's in sales. he decided, ok, i have to go sell more insurance, i guess. which i was like great job, honey. i think i also learned some lessons from being in sales. that's the answer is if you don't ask the answer is always no. that applies absolutely to politics. it also applies to asking for help from people. you have to be willing to ask for help with mentors and those relationships. it's incredibly important. my first campaign speaker linda

up myer in iowa was sitting across the table from me in my kitchen giving me the hard sell why i should run and step up. i had this apprehension. she gave me her cell phone number and i might have abused it during the campaign process. there is no manual for how to step up and run for office. there is no guidebook other than raise money and knock on doors. you got to do that. nobody understands what it's like to run for office more than someone else who has done it. there is just a wealth of knowledge that can come from leaning in on people who have been there and done it themselves. i called linda a lot. i still call linda a lot. i think it's really important to have those relationships and friendships -- friendships. they not overwhelm help you became a better -- become a better legislator but help you get through it. congresswoman kim: i first worked for former chairman of the attorney affairs committee ed royce. over two decades working

alongside him, representing the district, i had the fortune of getting to know the great people of the district in the community. and it continues to be my mentor, ed. during the 20-plus years of my opportunity of working with him i had the opportunity to get to know former secretary condo lisa rice -- condoleezza rice, ambassador nikki haley, and along the way many, many asian americans like elaine elaine chao -- ciao, first -- chow the first president clinton african-american to be in the position that condoleezza rice had wasp given me great inspiration. and watching them, seeing them, and see how they have gone to the places where normally the women didn't consider going -- doing the things that they did. i told myself, hey, someday i may -- i can do this.

sure enough, i stepped to it. and built on the network that i had and established while i was working as a long time congressional staffer. these are opportunities that gave me the courage when in 2012 in orange county, orange county, supposedly very conservative county, when we lost a state assembly seat to a democrat, we lost 2/3 super majority. i told myself, and i told my boss, if you lead the way it happened sometimes the opportunity comes when you least expect it. just as we do at every election cycle, we were just sitting down having coffee and ed would talk to me you know we have to find a candidate to take back that seat. i said sure, boss. let me think about it. start going to work on this. he said look no further. i think we have a candidate. that was the beginning of me

running for office. i left his office in 2013 to run for state assembly. that was my very first run for elected position. but i didn't know what got over me. either you are really crazy and hard worker or you just don't know, but you just do it. as marsha you said, when you think that you want to do something, don't think twice. just do it. just do it. everything will follow. your question about how you raise money, the money will follow. when people see how hard you work. you know what, never take no for an answer when you call people to help you out. you're not asking money to put in your pocket. you are asking money to be used so that we can elect the right people for the right position to make a difference in our community. that starts right there. starting at the local level to the county level, state, and

now, look, i'm the first elected korean american, republican woman to serve in california state assembly and now i'm one of the first three korean americans and one of the only two korean american republicans, one of only two asian americans sitting in the united states congress. think about that. [applause] mr. fortuno: thank you. i would like to throw a question to everyone here. why is having the right messenger in addition to the right message important? why will you say it is female candidates, that look up to you. or minority candidates that look up to you as well. why is that important? anyone

mrs. kim: the republican party has a great message. we are all for smaller government by giving the individual the opportunity and the freedom to exercise their mind. as senator marsha blackburn, you stole my line. i called g.o.p. not the grand ole party but grand opportunity party. i'm with you on this. this is how an immigrant like me from south korea when i was a young girl, not even a teenager, 12 years old coming over here. who would have thought many decades later that i would be doing this? but in the district that i represent is one of the most diverse district.

so having a great message the party i belong to, but if you don't have the right messenger to get the message to the people, average jane dough -- doe, and john kim. you got to get the message. you have to be able to look like the district, talk like the district so they can relate to you. look, i ran in a district just like in 2020, joe biden won by 10 percentage points over trump administration. but i still won. and my district is d plus five. i attribute that to our consistence being grounded. telling the diverse community i'm one of you. i look like you. and by golly i talk like you. i talk about women's issues. and a lot of people say woman's issues are democratic issues. no it's not. coming from a woman's perspective i can talk to the women and relate to them. i talk about immigration reform.

i am an i am grant. i come here through the legal process. i talk about the legal and fair and compassionate reform that we need. and anything that undermines the legal immigration such as what we are seeing right now, this is the message. coming from somebody like me talking about immigration reform it relates to the people. it relates and gives, i guess, the credibility. i think having a good message is important, but the messenger is just as important. mr. senator scott: the authenticity of your message. for me i always say, having been in the insurance business for 2. always have something good to say. say it well. also know your audience. know your audience does not mean that your audience looks like you. that's important sometimes. especially if you are talking about specific issues that we as the conservative party need to address it's certainly going to be helpful to you talking about

the issue of immigration. truth be told for most americans in most districts, what they are looking for is the content of your character. not the color of your skin. they want to hear your story because it should hopefully reflect their story. so when we are looking for the right messenger, what we are looking for is someone when they finish talking your head is saying, yeah, me, too. i found that in my district for congress, when i was running for congress, in charleston, if you know any american history, you probably know that charleston is the birthplace of the civil war. first shots fired. if you know anything about political history you probably know that strom thurmond was a powerful person. anyone hear of him? i want to make sure you weren't asleep. running against strom thurmond's son as a fringe i -- african-american in charleston, north carolina, for a republican congressional -- south carolina for a republican congressional district was a daunting and

scary task. what occurred is that the people in charleston and throughout the first congressional district wanted someone they had confidence in not someone who necessarily looked like them. and 75% or 78% white district against a very good person, paul and i are still friends to this day. i was able to be successful. i presented a message that resonated with who they were. sometimes we as candidates think it's really about us. we talk about our amazing reputation or our resume. truth be told, most people are most interested in their family and their kids, not you. if we remember that, we are probably going to be a lot better off understanding the importance of the messenger, the message, and the audience that that message will resonate in.

senator blackburn: i think it's so important to keep that in mind. that people don't like i.i.i. they like for you to talk with them. not at them. not to them. but to talk with them. about what they are facing every single day. sometimes we as republicans are really, really good on the technical, but where we drop the ball is on that emotional tie. let me just give you one quick example. i had talked last week to a young mom who wants to have another baby. and does not want the vaccine. and she is the soul source provider for her -- sole source provider for her family. her company that she works for

is a government contractor. now, you know, it would be easy to go out there and say, i'm against the mandate. i'm against the mandate. mandate is bad. joe biden is overreaching. but it is much more powerful to talk about having a federal vaccine mandate would take away the ability of thousands of young women in this country to provide for their family, to put food on the table. because that's their story. candidates, and those of us that are in the political process, it is just so important to realize, people really want to know what your philosophy of life and government is. kind of what makes you tick. but then how that relates to them. and what they are facing every single day.

and i think that's one of the most important things that you can do is to remember this is not about you. it is about the people that you are seeking to represent. senator rubio: maybe it's the most important thing to tackle head on. this whole notion of identity. which has become a big issue in american politics. and i think central to many of the debates we have is what some would call identity politics. i remember the summer watching the olympics. some of the events. some i didn't know were sports. senator blackburn: running in high heels should be an olympics. senator rubio: but -- i watched

the olympics it struck me that there were no smiths. not picking on any country. you have to pick on one because you have to find one to use as an example. there were no smiths on any of the spanish national team, spain. but there were fernandezs on team u.s.a. if you looked at team u.s.a. depending on the event and didn't know, that individual could be from anywhere on the planet. the only reason you noa knew they were from because of the team u.s.a. logo. it's not a skin color. never has been. never should have been. it's not an ethnicity. pronunciation of your last name. what's so unique and special about the american identity is that we are literally people from every corner of the planet, who somehow can share the common identity of american. and we take that for granted. look at this room right now. our politics should reflect that. if it isn't, then it's not truly representative. that's the identity that

matters. let me tell you why that matters. if you looked at the people who sort of go through the check out cards, marco, cuban american senator from miami. that says something about me. that's only part of who i am, yes. i am -- i grew up and been raised around a community of exiles and refugees. does that impact how i represent the state of florida? absolutely it does. it's why i hate dictators. why i'm -- i'm not sure where i sit with argentina. it's why i go after -- why i'm so resistant to ideas about how governments can be involved in every aspect of our life because i was raised around people who saw a government divide a society against each other, engage politics in the agenda in every aspect of life, and silence, censor, and punish anyone who dared speak out against them. i am sensitive about that stuff because i grew up around people. that's not the end of my identity. lame a father, husband. a homeowner. the son of a bartender and maid who worked long hours and barely

made more -- today they would be able like they lived in the 70 and 80's, they owned a home and retired with dignity. the american dream. that's part of who i am as well. what's so unique about our system of government is you know the people are governed in china. they are chosen very young, in certain families. they are promoted. for much human history the people who govern the country were the children, son of a king or whoever killed the king. they got to be the king. not here. we're supposed to be choosing our representatives from this country who live in the real world and know what life is like in the real world. if you're part of the country and -- if your party doesn't reflect that, that's not part of that. your life experience should be some of the biggest things that

influence you in the decisions you make on behalf of people. for the republican party to truly be a majority movement in this country it has to reflect that and we need people to run from diverse backgrounds who can bring diverse life experience. that isn't just the color of your skin, it's everything you've grown up with. >> can we talk about policies? >> no. >> we talked about the messengers. we talk about the message. let's bring this discussion to 2021. there are a number of issues out there that have been discussioned that could change our way of life forever if they go through with some of that. talk about some of those policies that reflect republican

values, that should resonate well with female voters, with minority voters, so we can -- that should be actually promoted by our candidates in every single state of the country? >> sure. >> you want me to start? >> yeah. >> if you basically spent years in a country that should be embarrassed about their history, what do you think it's going to -- what do you think you're going to have? and number two what do you think you're going to produce when you do that? we should care about that. i don't care if you spend $3.5 trillion or cut the number of year, you codified socialism by injecting the federal government in every aspect of our life there's no way you're going to root that out. these programs once in place are difficult to remove. i think those are two big issues right there i think they're incredibly consequential over the next year in terms of what we're going to be talk act here.

i think there's going to be an enormous backlash against it. >> if you're looking at running for school district or county council or a state legislature position, in addition to senate and house, one of the issues that should permeate everywhere you are is the issue is education equality. that's closest thing to magic in america is a good education. in the fourth grade i went to four different elementary schools. it was hard for my mom to figure out where to send me to school because there's something transient about poverty. you're moving a lot. so the party, one of the things we should champion, on every single level of government, is quality education in the poorest, most marginalized zip codes in this nation. second thing we should do is remember to protect the tboos that lays the golden eggs. our free enterprise system is the marvel of the world. it is redefined poverty

worldwide. if we are going to be the country that leaves -- leads for another century it's going to be because we prothect goose that lays the golden eggs and it ain't the government. it's a free enterprise system where poor kids like me can grow up and be anything i want to be. part of that is having the margin in your paychecks as well as your schedule to reinvest the most important asset you have, your time, into other people and then your money should follow in that same direction. the two pillars we should always fight for as conservatives, education equality and a free enterprise system that is the marvel of the world. mrs. black burn: and one thing i hope everybody noticed, he didn't say capitalism, he said free enterprise. that's an important thing to do in communication. one thing to bear in mind and it

builds on what they've said if you want to talk about a group that we need to bring back to us, you're talking about women. and female voters. and this year as we look out across this country and look at races from the local, state and federal level, the security moms are back in force. and they are going to be showing up. issues of school choice. they are furious about mandates and lockdowns. they think the money should follow the child because it is taxpayer money. it is not government money. that money should follow the child. they are really angry about c.r.t. and now that the department of justice has said if you show up at a school board meeting to ask questions, you're going to be labeled a domestic terrorism, we got a lot of mama bears, papa bears, grandmama bears that are

ready to go fight on this one. so sounds like you know some of those mama bears. are you a mama bear? [laughter] and i think the other thing that weigh into this is, these security mom, they're looking at economic security and inflation. and what is happening to the price at the pump, the prices at the grocery store, chicken fingers are up 30%. that's something that is going to hit the pocketbook. they're angry about how afghanistan was carried out. and the fact that terrorism now is expected to be on the rise. the southern border just makes them crazy. because you're talking about people coming into the country, we don't know who they are. they do not wish us well. they're bringing drugs into our communities, they they are

trafficking women and girls in sex trafficking. there are work crews, there are gangs, i was at the texas southern border last week, they've apprehended people from 88 different gangs. this year. in nine months. think about. that so a lot of the issues are the way you wrap it is talking to women and talking to security moms who love their family more than life itself and are willing to go fight to protect it. >> i would just add, we clearly are all on the same page with these issues. when i was talking about issues we wanted to talk about in our office, i put them in three areas. fighting for taxpayers, fighting for rural america, fighting for safety and security. when you look at what's happening in our country right

now it's a very clear contrast between our philosophical view and the direction the democrats want to take our country. and that's in the only here at the federal level that's down to the local level. for us it's really about how do we frame up these issues, in the news business i talk about it as providing context, perspective and relevance, c.p.r. it's how we frame up the issues, how we make them relevant to the people who are voting on these issues, who are deciding on these issues. what's the context? a lot about storytelling. what does this policy do to your life? how is it going to make it harder for you to live your life. for us right now that narrative is simple. this country is less safe under this administration. everything is costing more. and the policies that are making life harder for rural america are on full display. for us it's about telling those stories, and hitting that home. everywhere i go in the district, people, like i see nods here. people are nodding at home they've may not come out to a

school board meeting. they may not come to my town hall. but they're nodding at home. that i think is really important. we talk about the mama bear, i voted in my scal board election, i hope you all vote in your school board election, all these issues are on the ballot at the local and federal level. >> if i may, before going to congressman young, the fact that you're a mother, that you have young children, does that frame your positioning and messaging in any particular way? connect with those moms that are out there? mrs. hinson: i've got a 10 and 8-year-old boy. they eat their way through house and home so i think you know when i talk about gas prices, for example, i'm a mom who drives a mini van. i talk about filling up my main nee van. i go grocery shopping. i understand. i'm a per ounce shopper, when

you have a budget, the federal government could learn a thing or two from moms on a budget. we understand when things cost more from the detergent to the gas pump. if us it's about framing up that conversation. it affects families like mine and families like yours. they get it because it's affecting their bottom line too. >> i thought i was the only one. i'm glad to hear there's others like me. congressman young. is it different in california? >> everything in california costs more. gas price we just saw like high $3.60, $3.70 a place here, they said that's the national standard but in california everything is $1 more. so the cost of the milk has gone up. gas prices have gone up. groceries. i'm a mother of four.

granted they're a little older than ashley's, i'm also a grandma. now i think about buying diapers. i've never -- it's been a while since i bought diapers now but i just was struck by how expensive everything is these days. so these are the everyday issues we talked to the people about. when we talk about policy, it's not just something we're creating out of no. where some imaginary policies that we think sounds good and will look good. we're talking about the poll sthais will affect the lively hoods of my house, of your house, our families and our friends and our relatives who live here. and policies that we work on has a long lasting effect. so we need to be talking about those at the level that people can understand. a lot of the issues that have already been talked about from education to jobs to creation, so i'm not going to go into all of those except, except to tell you that when people, like

immigrant, for example, came to america, we came here for the opportunities. the economic opportunities that will not be available from the countries where we came from. the educational opportunities when my parents brought me over here almost 50 years ago, growing up as the youngest of seven kids they knew they couldn't send me to college. i not only got college degree but look where i am right now. this is the kind of opportunity that america provides. we need to be able to tell that story. but you know what, the issue i'm concerned about is the higher education level. this is something i saw in california in the state ledgely is chawr. affirmative action. harvard. yale. they use this very interesting admissions standard and they penalize hardworking students,

asian americans, those from different communities, they have to work extra hard to get into the colleges. it's not based on merit. but because of the background. that's not how it should be. so we need to be able to have a quality education that is available for all because you are working hard. i mean what incentive is there for us parents to encourage our students to work hard because you're not going to get in there because you don't meet that certain criteria. so that's something we need to work on. again, ashley mentioned, it's really important, these stories that we tell, like from the people's perspective that we understand. and senator, i agree with you. more woman power over here. we've got to talk about what people talk about. we're the ones raising kids. we're the ones who understand how much the gallon of milk costs. we need to talk at that level. i think talking about how we as

legislator we need to be mindful of how we spend taxpayers' money. it's not something that's given away. our friends on the left think that everything is just given to you. but there is no value if something is given to you without hard work. so we need to talk to them about the opportunity america provides but at the same time it comes with the cost. that means hard work. that's how we should be talking about our policies. immigration is another thing, i can go on and on. i briefly touched on that. we need to value the legal immigration and anything that undermines the legal immigration because of the border crisis that we see allowing those to cross the border because we have an immigration system that is broken. serves as a magnet. because they think once you cross the border, hide away, nobody will find you. and every 10 years it seems like

we're talking about amnesty. we've got to do this the right way with the right message. that's another issue that i'm very passionate about. hopefully during the time that i'm here in washington in congress we can come up with some sensible, fair, compassionate immigration refor. >> that's wonderful. thank you. through the right leaders network you will be helping -- you'll be mentoring rslc candidates. what are you excited about sharing with them? if you had one of those candidates here with you, what would you tell her or him? >> the list is long. [laughter] mrs. black burn: exactly, the list is long. one thing to remember, we've talked through a lot of things that you want to do. kind of had -- how to prepare yourself for this. but one thing you always have to

remember to do when you shake someone's hand and look them in the eye is ask for their vote. ask for that vote. because the right to vote is one of those precious, precious things that we cherish. we work by the standard, one person, one vote. we work to protect elections and election integrity. so show how important that vote is. how you value that vote. by looking at them, shaking their hand, and saying, and i ask for your vote. >> one thing i'm excited about, joining the right leaders network and serving in the capacity of a mentor now that i'm in office, is the opportunity to recruit, identify and help them along the way and really hold them by their hands

and show them the experience that i had and the challenges that i have to go through to get to where i am today. i want them to see, i won one time irk lost one time, i won one time, i lost one time. we all go through that. but the ability to stand tall and say it's not your fault. the environment was bad. but what do you learn from it? every campaign teaches you a lesson. so i'm excited about sharing all of these things that i did wrong so you don't have to go through it. there's a trail that somebody left and i am building my -- creating my own trail. i want somebody to follow me, walk with me, push me and get pulled by me and work with me so you can create your own path along the way.

i'm excited about showing how to be to the of getting on people's nerves and saying i'm not going to take no for an answer. the maximum you can give to my campaign is $2,900. if you're going to give me $1,000 today you know i'm going to call you again until you max out. how many times do you want to get bugged by me? just get it over with, you're going to do that anyway. just be persistent, right? i'm excited to take somebody under my wing and work as a mentor-mentee. so call my office. [laughter] >> i think the one thing i say, having been a mentee and now looking at an opportunity to perhaps be a mentor, one of the first questions i'd ask is what makes you sad? and then the second question i'm

going to ask you, what really excites you? for me to understand your passion for public service, i need to know huh to motivate you. if you're not motivated, when you're walking by a situation and it calls you, it just kind of stabs you in the side a little bit, you feel empathy for that situation, that is a great opportunity for me to uncover where your motivation comes from. when i understand what excites you, again, it's another chance for me to understand what motivates you. because designing the right atmosphere, the right platform for a candidate is all about where is the pain that motivates you? and where is the success that allows you to reinvest in other people's lives? once we uncover that, then we start building a framework for your success story. and if it doesn't fit your

community, that will be obvious as well. we should start with what really excites you and what causes you to pause. and feel the pain that is so obviously in front of you. >> the two pieces of advice i'd give, the first is not really what you see on tv. unlike contrary to what i read on facebook, we don't get our salaries for the rest of our lives. >> what? [laughter] >> look, i'm not telling you it's the worst thing in the world but there are things you give up to do this. people need to be cognizant of that. this is this is something you really want to do, it's never been easier to be an unconventional, nontraditional candidate. i'm talking about -- i'm not talking ethnic or racial identity, i'm talking background. it used to be to run for something you have to be

somewhere else. you have to run if for and that and the other. i think the opposite is true. i think in many ways what's being rewarded by voters is genuineness and awe thenttiesty and we're at a point many american political history where not having held office is the advantage people seem to want people in the process that are new, without that sort of background. so i think a lot of times people are discouraged by running because the first person you talk to is someone who has been involved in politics for 20 years and they give you old school advice about you need to raise a bunch of money, maybe run for something else first. it's -- if you want to do something you should run for it. like don't run for this because you want to run for something else later and you -- whatever you want to be run for it. the worst thing that can happen is you lose. the good news is in america the loser doesn't die. there are countries where the loser in the election literally dies. in america you don't. but i can tell you you can't win if you don't play. and that's an important thing. so most of the time, look, i ran

for president. i didn't win. but i learned a lot. like i'm grateful i did it. because i believe i've been a better senator for it. i was exposed to things and people i had never met before, never seen. there's nothing negative that can come from that. i think in many cases people will win. i think a lot of people get discouraged from running. they look at the people in office and they conclude that it takes a whole bunch of insider stuff they don't have access to. that's not true anymore. it really isn't. >> talked about being a rubio delegate. >> you know, puerto rico and minnesota two of the smart places in america. [applause] >> i would just round that off by say, senator rubio talked about this too and i said it earlier, but authenticity is important. i would preach that all day long to candidates. i think last pedestal that people put candidates on of perfection. it's unattainable.

we're not all going to agree on every issue all the time. and that's ok. and i think it's ok for people to understand that. i knocked 30,000 doors in each cycle as a state representative. i was out there talking to people literally on their doobsteps when it's 95 degrees, you'd be amazed at what people will tell you on their doorstep. i think what people respect again is you tell them where you're at on an issue. i would always tell people i may disagree with you on that, change my mind. i think that's ok to say. you did change my mind you added a perspective i had not considered before. i think making sure that people understand it's ok to be yourself. it's ok to have a position on an issue that's different than someone else. they may still vote for you anyway because they respect the fact that you were honest and forthcoming with where you are on something. i think that's the number one thing i would tell people who are new to the political arena, who all of a sudden see a party platform that is presented to them, they deal with party

activists who want you to deal with every single plank in a party platform. it's ok to have differences of opinion there. i think that's the number one thing i would say to anyone stepping up to run. be yourself and hold true to the things that you are passionate about. >> if i may, we only have five more minutes. i can have one minute from each one of you, no, you can do 15 if you wish. >> i speak in 30-second sound bites. >> closing thoughts. if you had one of those candidates here. closing thoughts. what is it that -- that elevator speech that you're going to give to those people. >> i'll start and we can finish with senator marsha. know your story. build your brand. and know how to give that 30-second elevator speech so you can tell why you're running. very important.

>> i think it comes down to meeting people where they are, go everywhere, all the time. don't be afraid to go talk to anybody. and again if you don't ask the answer is always no. >> i think you have to run like you. you have to be you. don't become a caricature of you that you think you need to become to get elected. it's so much easier to run for office when you're running based on who you are and what you believe you don't have troa mind yourself every morning what to say. >> the stronger your why, the easier your -- >> what? [laughter] >> as we have said earlier, it is remembering that this is not about you, it is about the hopes and dreams of the people that you are seeking to represent. and the more they can see that you and your experience relates

to them, the more authentic and true your campaign and your work as an elected official will be. >> wisdom and insights you have all -- you all have shared with us today. >> i'm going to turn that thing into a poster. [laughter] >> thank you. thank you all for doing this. and i only wish i would have had an opportunity to have you all as mentors when i decided to run. thank you again. [applause] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2021] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy visit ncicap.org]

>> tonight, testimony to examine the united states global climate change that went before the house foreign affairs subcommittee on international development. watch beginning at 8:00 eastern on c-span, online at c-span.org, or watch full coverage on c-span now, our new video app. >> get c-span on the go. watch the day's biggest political events live or on demand any time, anywhere, on our new mobile video app. c-span now. access top highlights. listen to c-span radio. discover new podcasts. all for free. download c-span now today. >> next, a discussion about u.s.-china economic competition hosted by the center for strategic and international studies. it's an hour and a half.