Laura Chapin
Principal | LKC Consulting
AAPC caught up with new Individual Member, Laura Chapin.
AAPC: What do you love about politics?
Laura: The competition of ideas and the creative process. I’m a writer, and I still firmly believe that without good writing the platform doesn’t matter. It’s old school, but connecting language to ideas and candidates is the foundation of what we do – garbage in, garbage out. And politics attracts all kinds of characters, so you have plenty to write about.
And I love the feeling of accomplishment that comes from achieving a hard-fought win. The two things I’m proudest of as a consultant was the earned media I did in 2013 for what was then Mayors Against Illegal Guns to pass the Colorado gun safety laws in the wake of the Aurora Theater shooting. One of the people I worked with, Tom Sullivan, lost his son Alex in the massacre and was just elected to the Colorado House in 2018. And in 2018, I helped my longtime client NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado elect the Fab 5 – the five pro-choice women who flipped the Colorado State Senate from red to blue. That was a fun election night in Denver.
AAPC: Who do you look up to in the industry?
Laura: I look up to people like Rick and Joannie Ridder, Ray Strother, Sarah Flowers, and Liz Chadderdon – people who have maintained a standard of hard work on meaningful issues and interesting candidates for a long time. Amy Chapman in Michigan was my first campaign manager and a lifelong political mentor. And of course, as a former Barbara Mikulski staffer, Ellen Malcolm and her work with EMILY’s list has fundamentally changed the game for women candidates.
AAPC: What do you love about politics?
Laura: The competition of ideas and the creative process. I’m a writer, and I still firmly believe that without good writing the platform doesn’t matter. It’s old school, but connecting language to ideas and candidates is the foundation of what we do – garbage in, garbage out. And politics attracts all kinds of characters, so you have plenty to write about.
AAPC: What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Laura: Amy Chapman, Clinton Gore re-elect, 1996: “Our job is to turn out Democrats. There’s more of us than there are of them, and if we vote, we win.”
Barbara Mikulski, ‘The Mikulski Method’: “Make the point, illustrate it, make it again.” “Do not explain an abstraction with an abstraction.” “Always be clear about: What is the goal we seek? “We can always guarantee an effort. We can’t always guarantee an outcome.”
Mom: “Your worst fears and your greatest hopes are rarely realized. Life generally falls somewhere in between.”
AAPC: Where do you go when you need to be inspired?
Laura: I live in Colorado, so inspiration is an hour west in the mountains. A good hike in Rocky Mountain National Park or the national forest/wilderness areas around Denver – I like to hike to bodies of water like lakes or waterfalls- clears out the cobwebs. I’ve managed one 14er – Mount Bierstadt – and my goal is at least a couple more. There’s also a really great short hiking/running trail through Red Rocks, which many people don’t realize is a public park. That and a couple rounds on the Red Rocks stairs and you’re good to go.
AAPC: Why did you join AAPC?
Laura: Networking and a chance to connect with others in the industry. It’s especially useful now because I think more and more consultants like me are living and working outside Washington, DC. I’ve done a lot of Colorado work, but I’d like to branch out into other parts of the country.
AAPC: How do you manage high-stress situations?
Laura: I’ve been practicing yoga for 20 years, which I actually started at Joy of Motion and Tranquil Space in DC. Now I have a yoga and meditation class I go to every weekend – it’s my set-aside me time. I also stress bake, which is appreciated by friends and colleagues.
AAPC: Why is being part of a bipartisan organization valuable to you?
Laura: I’ve worked on numerous ballot issues, which are bipartisan by nature. I think it’s interesting to collaborate with people who have a different approach and perspective, and I think it refreshes your own creativity.
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