Trump dismantled USAID. Now these aid workers are running for office

For much of the past year, the story of U.S. foreign aid has been one of retreat. Programs shuttered, offices hollowed out, careers upended. The dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development and the broader decimation of the global development sector under the Trump administration has been lamented as a historic brain drain — with LinkedIn posts testifying to a bleak job market for those suddenly, shockingly #opentowork. But for a small and growing group of former development practitioners, the collapse of the system they once worked inside has marked the beginning of a different story — not of resignation, but resolve. In the last year, a noticeable number of people who built careers inside USAID’s orbit have decided to do something different: run for political office. At USAID alone, roughly 10,000 people lost their jobs. The agency’s contractor and NGO implementing partners have laid off even more. “To unleash this number of development professionals who specialize in stabilizing economies … the establishment and the solidification of democratic principles — to unleash them on the market is almost like a stupid thing for them to have done,” said Amanda Green, a Democratic Party candidate for Florida’s 2nd Congressional District, who previously worked at Chemonics International, a major USAID contractor hit hard by the U.S. aid cuts. “This isn't a group of people who look at a big problem … and just decide to sit down while it's happening,” she said. Devex spoke to four development professionals-turned-political candidates about their decisions to launch a campaign. While they have sought very different political positions — from Florida to Colorado, city council to the U.S. Congress — their stories share some common threads: a sense of alarm about the state of American democracy, disappointment with existing leaders, and a sense of duty to bring their international experiences to bear at home. Three of them face elections in November — while one already turned a narrow loss into an eventual electoral win. ‘A more fluid environment’ Allison Eriksen worked in USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance for eight years. She had recently begun working on the humanitarian response for Syria when President Donald Trump took office a second time last January. She assumed that program — with its clear ties to U.S. national security and major public profile — would be safe from any potential cuts. She was wrong. Shortly after taking office, Trump administration officials began cracking down on programs and language they believed to be associated with diversity, equity, and inclusion priorities — such as the inclusion of pronouns in email signatures, or diversity-related language in USAID’s funding portfolio — a core pillar of the administration’s “anti-woke” agenda. Eriksen, whose background was in food assistance, was asked to explain why the word “diversity” appeared so often in awards to the World Food Programme. It was because they referred to “dietary diversity,” a standard marker of nutrition, she explained. “I think someone had done a ‘control-F’ search on all of our awards,” she said, referring to the rudimentary text search function. Then, in February, she and her colleagues lost access to their email accounts. Some of them wondered if they had been hacked or if USAID had been targeted by a cyber attack. There had been no warning or explanation. As she watched coworkers severed from the agency seemingly at random, Ericksen scrambled to write waiver justifications to keep her food assistance projects running. Her employment contract was terminated in March. <div style="max-width:540px; margin: 0 auto;"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/DRbKgZbgI_r/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DRbKgZbgI_r/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; 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transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DRbKgZbgI_r/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Allison Eriksen (@allisonformoco)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></div> After losing her job with USAID, Ericksen teamed up with other fired federal workers who went every week to Capitol Hill to explain to U.S. lawmakers what had happened and demand they do something about it. Ericksen said the message they got — even from Democratic lawmakers opposed to Trump’s actions — was to wait for the 2026 midterm elections in November, when Democrats have a chance to retake control of Congress. “What I really took away from doing that was that no one at the national government level really seemed to understand what was going on and how devastating it was, and I felt like that level of government is just not meeting the moment,” she said. “After several months, I finally realized I'm not under the Hatch Act anymore, and I could do something about it,” she said, referring to the U.S. law that prohibits federal employees from engaging in political activity. By the end of the summer, she had decided to run for local office in the state of Maryland, where she lives. She is seeking a Montgomery County Council seat representing District 3, which is home to a large number of current federal — and former — federal employees. Ericksen said that local governments will have to “absorb a lot of the impact” of the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle federal agencies and programs, citing the recent disruption of domestic nutrition programs during last year’s U.S. government shutdown. She believes her time working on USAID’s disaster relief programs abroad has prepared her for situations in which the federal government cannot be counted on to deliver critical services to vulnerable populations at home. “We are so accustomed to the government just working and not having to think about it too much … I think we need to be prepared for a scenario where those things do not happen,” she said. “We need people who are used to working in a more fluid environment than the United States has witnessed,” she said. ‘My own backyard’ Amanda Green did not lose her job at Chemonics International. With responsibilities related to financial analysis, pricing, and seeking compensation from the federal government, she survived successive rounds of layoffs by the Washington, D.C.-based development contractor. But the repeated insinuations by Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, that U.S. foreign aid was rife with waste, fraud, and abuse were “incredibly offensive to me personally,” Green said, describing the litany of rules and regulations the agency and its partners were required to follow. She was also disturbed by the executive branch “gobbling up powers” and the lack of checks and balances coming from Congress. She tried to get in touch with her own representatives on Capitol Hill, but found them unreachable. So she did what she thought any development professional raised by “a strong-willed village” would do. “I sat under a tree in my front yard one day, and I thought about what was the most audacious way I could ensure these men never were comfortable ignoring me again,” she said. “I realized I could take the weakest one's job.” Despite surviving the aid cuts, Green decided to resign anyway and run for Congress from her home state of Florida. At almost exactly the same time, she and her husband found out she was pregnant. “If anything, it lit a far bigger fire under my ass to do something,” she said. <div style="max-width:540px; margin: 0 auto;"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DRfoko4ki0l/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DRfoko4ki0l/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; 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transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DRfoko4ki0l/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Amanda Marie Green (@amgforcongress)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></div> The district where Green is running includes Florida’s capital, Tallahassee, but is also very rural and usually elects Republicans. Green is running as a Democrat with a message that current elected officials are unavailable and unaccountable to their constituents. She said she spent so much time traveling — and jetlagged — in support of projects aimed at helping vulnerable people around the world that she “didn't really realize how bad things had gotten in North Florida.” “This second Trump administration has woken me up to the reality that people in the U.S. are not okay,” she said, citing food and healthcare deserts and high mortality rates in her district. She believes that the skills she has developed as a development professional over the last decade — in business operations, navigating regulations, and listening to experts — have prepared her to support the most vulnerable people in her home state. “It's almost like they were training me for this — to turn around and focus on my own backyard,” she said. From Pakistan to pickleball Kyle Beaulieu, who worked at USAID during the first Trump administration and left the agency in 2022, was not surprised when the administration moved to dismantle U.S. foreign assistance programs. “When Biden came into office in 2021 and I was still at [USAID], we had a number of conversations with very, very senior USAID people — both appointees as they arrived, and then longtime civil servants — [to ask them], what are we going to do to protect this agency and this sector against a future Trump administration,” Beaulieu said. “They told us verbally, and in writing, that there's nothing we needed to worry about,” he said. “And all of those people are now without jobs.” <div style="max-width:540px; margin: 0 auto;"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQk7V9-jMOR/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; 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transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQk7V9-jMOR/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Kyle Beaulieu (@kyleforlafayette)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></div> Beaulieu, who still works for a federal government contracting firm, decided to run for a local city council seat in Colorado last year. It was not because of what the Trump administration did to USAID and the State Department specifically, but because of the “absence of leadership” he has seen in response to Trump. “That leadership cadre, both in USAID and then certainly across the Democratic Party, they just don't get it — that there's no going back. We have to go forward,” he said. Beaulieu said his career in international development has been “an excellent foundation to run for office. The humility required to fight USAID’s “uphill battle” for influence within the U.S. national security arena was good preparation for taking on incumbent politicians, he said, while the agency’s focus on helping local leaders solve problems in their communities translates well to local politics. While his work on countering violent extremism took him frequently back and forth to Pakistan, his city council candidacy had him meeting with community members upset about the noise coming from their local pickleball courts. His first instinct was — “that doesn't seem like a real problem” — but then he started listening to a diverse range of perspectives on something with a direct impact on people’s lives. “It's super complex, and I think that development awareness, and not kind of approaching things with a very black and white perspective, has been really helpful,” he said. Beaulieu lost his election by less than one percentage point, but ranked highly enough that when a city council seat opened up this month, he was chosen to fill it. ‘Being that local leader’ Brit Steiner was on a pathway to senior leadership at USAID. In 16 years at the agency, she rose from intern to the highest level of general government service, with titles that included director of the agency’s policy office. During Trump’s first term, she had helped to lead the agency’s massive reform effort. Then, in 2022 — while still working for USAID —she moved back home to Ohio. “Everyone was completely shocked,” Steiner said. While living in Washington, D.C., Steiner had remained closely connected with her home state — and became increasingly concerned about its downward economic turn. “I love my home, and seeing my home suffering certainly was part of the draw. Another part of the draw, though, honestly, was thinking about how to practice what I had been trained to do at AID,” Steiner said. Steiner had seen the agency’s sharp focus on locally-led development. “I couldn't help but think about being that local leader,” she said. She began as a volunteer community organizer and started a political action committee in support of a 2023 statewide ballot initiative to secure abortion rights, which was successful. “It was honestly one of the greatest moments of [my] life,” she said. <div style="max-width:540px; margin: 0 auto;"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/DQueZDoEQpw/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DQueZDoEQpw/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DQueZDoEQpw/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Brit Steiner (Candidate) (@britsteinerforohio)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></div> That experience also taught her that political campaigning is “not sexy at all,” and involves “countless hours stuffing envelopes and putting stamps on envelopes and putting together spreadsheets.” “You can't win running for office unless you have an army of volunteers, and you can't get an army of volunteers unless you know most of the volunteers. They want to help other people who've been there in the trenches with them,” Steiner said. She officially left USAID in March 2024, and last year — while watching the Trump administration dismantle the agency where she had spent her entire working life — decided to run for a seat in the Ohio State House of Representatives as a Democrat. “When I talk about why I am, I believe, far and away the most qualified candidate for working at the State House, I draw on every single job and title that I held at the agency, because it trained me for this in so many ways,” Steiner said.