On Wednesday morning after the voting was over, senior Nate Mitchell planned to take a long nap.

“Then I might go to Disneyland, because it’s local,” he joked, employing the line made famous by championship winning NFL players.

Both Mitchell and Biola alumnus Bradley Clarke worked on Gwen Patrick’s campaign for California Assembly, 52nd District.

Patrick is a pastor’s wife and has never held a public office before, but according to Mitchell she has become very popular with the people of Compton.

Mitchell met Patrick last February when he was campaigning for assemblyman in the 60th District. Mitchell said that out of all the people that he met while campaigning Patrick was the only one who stood out to him.

After Mitchell suspended his campaign last spring, he was invited to attend a Patrick campaign staff meeting which led to him being offered the position of chief strategist for Patrick’s campaign.

“It’s probably the best decision I’ve made,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell reinvented the campaign’s entire strategy. “We had to market her and her image instead of her as a Republican,” he said.

On a day-to-day basis, Mitchell said that he mostly attends meetings where he and the other staff members strategize. He also has to approve every speech and appearance by Patrick.

“Since I have to OK everything I get people calling me at two in the morning asking me if something is alright,” Mitchell said.

He said that the campaign really wanted to focus on youth ministry and urban redevelopment, as well as weeding out corruption in the district.

The 52nd District, which includes Compton, is a predominantly Democratic area and if Patrick is elected it will be the first time a Republican woman has won the seat.

Because of the predominance of Democrats in the area it has been an uphill battle for Patrick’s campaign.

“We do non-stop precinct walking and lots of coalition work with churches and organizations,” Mitchell said.

When the campaign needed a fundraising director, Mitchell recommended Clarke, who ended up becoming the assistant campaign manager.

Clarke graduated from Biola with a degree in film but said that he has always been interested in politics. He said that he had gone back and forth between politics and film since high school. Clarke was also involved with student government at Biola where he ran for AS President.

Clarke’s goal was to visit every one of the 77,000 households in the district.

According to Mitchell, the political parties have written off areas like Compton, and the majority of the people living there have never been reached politically before.

“I’m seeing new things every day,” Clarke said. “I am honestly really happy. I’ve been around one type of person for my entire life and it is great to step outside that comfortable area. It’s not even that far away. It’s kind of like a mission trip every day.”

Clarke said that after the campaign that he would love to continue to work in Compton doing some kind of urban ministry. He said that working with the campaign has been a great spiritual experience. He has been able to use his gifts and passions in a place that he believes the church usually misses.

“People have so many needs that don’t necessarily get met by pastors or churches,” Clarke said.

Mitchell agreed that he, too, had learned a lot over the course of the campaign, politically and spiritually.
Patrick declares herself “a woman of God,” and Mitchell said that it was a biblically-centered campaign which is drastically different from most political campaigns.

Mitchell said that as soon as the campaign is over he will begin looking for candidates to run in the next election.

“It never ends,” Mitchell said with a grin.