Lauren Babb Tomlinson didn’t come from a political family. She came from a family that showed up. Her grandmother raised six kids after being widowed, surviving on Social Security. In turn, Lauren helped care for her grandmother when she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, while still in high school. To say she’s got grit would be a wild understatement.
Now the Chief Public Affairs Officer at Planned Parenthood Advocates Mar Monte, she’s channeling that same instinct into a congressional run in California’s newly created 6th District — a Sacramento suburbs seat that didn’t exist until Prop 50 drew it into being. She’s the only non-career-politician in the race, and she’s running on affordable healthcare, lower cost of living, and safe communities. She’s also doing it with a 15-month-old at home, which means every single day is a masterclass in logistics.
Lauren has spent her career fighting for reproductive rights, equal pay, and expanded healthcare access, including as Chair of the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls. She knows the system well enough to know exactly what’s broken about it. And now she’s betting that a working mom who actually lives these issues is exactly what her district needs in Washington.
We asked her what it’s really like to run for office when someone at home is still in diapers.
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The quick stats:
- Location: Sacramento, CA
- Office they’re running for: U.S. House of Representatives, CA-06
- Kids’ age(s): 15 months
- First time running?: Yes
- Website
What does a typical campaign day look like for you — and where does your family fit into it?
I wake up, make my kid breakfast, get him ready, and off to daycare. Then, I usually return home to run errands like dry cleaning or clean up before call time, endorsement meetings, and more call time, eating, and sometimes putting my kid to bed.
I must be intentional about family time, so I usually reserve 2 evenings a week just for my kid and husband. We also try our best to eat dinner together as a family, but it’s an incredibly hard balance.
Because my kid didn’t sign up to run for office, I try to keep him off the trail. He just wants time to learn and grow; he doesn’t care that I’m a candidate — I’m just his mom.
What’s something about running for office that you didn’t expect — and that you wish someone had warned you about?
The financial impact: I took leave from work to run, which means I’m giving up income to run. It means using savings and cutting costs where possible to have the opportunity to be a public servant. Since we aren’t rich, it’s a challenge.
The viability standard simply revolves around fundraising. The best candidate in the world goes nowhere without the money and resources it takes to get your message out there. It’s incredibly difficult for young women candidates of color to fundraise, and we need to build a better pipeline of donors who invest early.
Has being a mother shaped how you think about the issues you’re running on? If so, how?
Being a mother is why I’m running; I’m constantly focused on how we can make life better for our kids.
Childcare is extremely personal. Parents in this generation are paying such a high cost for reliable child care and we’ve got to create a better balance for working families.
Being a mom is my superpower; it gives me the courage and strength necessary to run for office.
What has been the hardest sacrifice your family has made for this campaign — and how have you handled that as a parent?
Time away from my family. I’ve missed holidays, graduations, birthdays, and events at my kids’ school. Not being able to just do something with my kid without aggressively checking the calendar. I’ve handled it by setting boundaries. I always set time blocks for picking up and dropping off my kid and the occasional date night.
What would you want your kids to take away from watching you do this?
He has a responsibility to do something good in this world, regardless of the sacrifice. Life is not fair or easy, but we get to decide how we show up and what we can do to make things better.
Lauren is endorsed by Vote Mama, an organization dedicated to breaking down the structural barriers that keep moms out of office — and building the kind of political power that actually reflects the realities of American family life. Learn more about Lauren here.
