Spring 2025 Fellow
Jessica Millan Patterson is the Chairwoman of the California Republican Party and the first woman, Latina, and millennial to hold the position. Elected in 2019, she has led the party with a no-nonsense approach, moving it onto the offensive against Democrats. Under her leadership, California Republicans have made historic gains.
Throughout her tenure, Patterson has strengthened Republican influence in California, with voters aligning with the party on numerous ballot initiatives. Between 2019 and 2023, over 821,000 new Republicans joined the voter rolls, with nearly $108 million raised for the Party. In 2022 her innovative voter contact program, with 93,000 volunteers, reached over 49 million Californians—a 90% increase from the 2020 cycle. Patterson also championed ballot harvesting and the C.A.R.E.S. system to streamline grassroots efforts, ensuring Republican outreach across the state.
Before becoming Chairwoman, Patterson co-founded and led California Trailblazers, a program that recruits and trains Republican candidates. Modeled after the Young Guns program, Trailblazers has supported more than 180 candidates with structured goals and benchmarks, contributing to an array of successful Republican campaigns. In recent cycles, Trailblazers trained nearly 2,500 candidates and potential candidates, with 69% of current Republican state legislators emerging from the program.
With nearly two decades in Republican politics, Patterson has held leadership roles within the California Republican Party, the Republican National Committee, and for prominent leaders like Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and Senator John McCain.
Study Group- Campaigns, California Style: Running for Office in the Golden State
This four-week study group explores the practicalities of running campaigns in California. Who are the key players, how do political parties play a role, and how do candidates get from the ballot to the Capitol? Students will learn the nuts and bolts of campaigns with specific focus on political strategy, fundraising, communications, data, digital marketing, and grassroots fundraising with the Chairwoman of the California Republican Party.
Wednesdays, 2-4 p.m. PT
March 26
April 2
April 9
April 16