Considering a Run for Office?
By David Ashner, Analyst
AAPA State Government Advocacy & Outreach
As a physician assistant, you make an impact on the health of your community every day. But what if you want to take a more direct role in shaping the laws that affect health and health care? Running for office is a great way to positively affect health care in your community. Legislators write and vote on laws that control everything from your scope of practice as a PA to the requirements for hospitals to operate to who is eligible for coverage under your state's Medicaid program. If running for office sounds interesting to you, here are a few things to consider before throwing your hat in the ring.
Timing is everything. If your district has an incumbent who has been in office for twenty years and is always re-elected by huge margins, challenging that person is probably not the best way to launch a political career. That said, the 20-year veteran has to retire sometime, and there are plenty of things you can do in the mean time to position yourself as their successor. Which brings us to...
Build a solid foundation. If your last name is Roosevelt or Rockefeller, you could probably wake up one day and decide to run for office. For the rest of us, it can take years of grass roots political activity before a major party will place your name in nomination. Become a campaign volunteer for candidates whose ideas you support, and donate money to their campaigns if you can afford it. Attend state and local events sponsored by your preferred political party. Become an advocate on health care issues, or any other issue that you are passionate about, so that elected officials think of you when they need advice on a particular subject. All of these things will help you build the relationships that are necessary to launch your own political career.
Work with your allies. Reach out to organizations who share your policy goals. As a PA, a natural place to start might be health care groups. If you support stem cell research, for example, there is nothing wrong with garnering political support from groups who support the same thing. Make yourself their champion, and they will want to invest in your success.
This may seem daunting at the outset, but remember that many PAs in the past have succeeded in the political arena. PAs like Amiel Redfish of South Dakota and Ira Polk of Mississippi were elected Mayor of their towns. PAs Mark Clark of New Hampshire and Mark Hollo of North Carolina have each been elected to their state legislatures. PA Terry Scott is currently the Deputy Mayor of Shoreline, Washington. And PA Karen Bass made history in 2007 when she became the first African American woman to be elected Speaker of the California State Assembly. The assembly speaker is considered to be the 2nd most powerful political office in all of California, second only to the Governor.
So fear not, civic-minded PAs! With the right mixture of patience, determination, and communication, there is no limit to what you can achieve. For more information, contact David Ashner of AAPA's State Government Advocacy and Outreach staff at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
