My name is Sophia Brink, and I’m running for Governor of California because I know this state is capable of so much more. California is the richest state in the nation—yet too many of our families, children, seniors, veterans, the working-class, and the middle-class are being left behind.

Today, single mothers and their children are living in motels and cramped studios. Families are forced to sleep in their cars. Disabled and elderly Californians, along with the heroes who served our country, are left to fend for themselves on the streets. Every few years, wildfires ravage our communities—fires that could have been prevented if our leaders had the courage to take real action. Young Californians send out thousands of job applications only to remain stuck in cycles of unemployment. Families are pushed out of their hometowns, priced out of the housing market, and crushed by endless hours commuting through gridlocked traffic. Meanwhile, crime, addiction, homelessness, and crumbling infrastructure weigh down our cities and towns. Farmers are driven off their land by unchecked development. The rights' of parents continue to slip away. Opportunities are suffocated by policies that don't focus on the long-term. Hardworking Californians who follow the rules, who just want a better life, are left behind while government policies chase headlines instead of results.

I know these struggles firsthand. I am a 28-year-old Republican and a multiracial woman, born in San Francisco and raised in the Bay Area. Raised by a single mother fighting cancer and a sister to a brother on the autism spectrum, I grew up experiencing hardship, perseverance, and resilience. I graduated from UC Berkeley and The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and I have worked inside local County government as a legislative aide for the Democrats. I've seen the dysfunction of a broken system up close. I didn’t read about these struggles in a policy paper. I lived them. And I wrote real resolutions to make a difference: paid safe time leave for domestic violence survivors, the encouragement of mental health support for first responders, flexible work schedules for working moms, the advancement of digital access for the elderly, inclusion of all religious holidays, remote work expansion for the disabled, and the recognition of loneliness as a public health crisis.

While the Democrats want to fight President Trump, I’m focused on fighting for you—for your roads, your rent, and your child’s education. I’m not a career politician. I’m not a wealthy British commenter. I’m a working Californian who knows how broken the system is—and how to fix it. I'm running for Governor to rebuild a California that works for everyone: a California that restores safety, prosperity, dignity, and opportunity. California doesn’t need another career politician with empty slogans. We need real leadership rooted in experience, compassion, and common sense. I believe California can once again be a place where families can thrive, businesses can grow, and everyone has a fair shot at success. I believe in a California where roads are smooth, schools are excellent, rent is affordable, and the American Dream is alive.

I'm not running to fight yesterday’s battles. I’m running to build tomorrow’s future.