Joshua Hebert

Joshua Hebert earned a high school diploma from Acalanes High School. Hebert earned a bachelor's degree from San Francisco State University in 1995 and a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin in 2015. Hebert's career experience includes working as a scientist.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a Reno-born PhD Physicist working in AI who has also worked in film production. I've had a passion for politics and the republic my whole life, and have a history of political and civic engagement. I've worked on campaigns, been a precinct chair, launched a civic society, and founded an anti-gerrymandering group in Texas. I am also bipolar, which has had a huge impact on my life. Learning to manage it has been a life-long struggle, but I have succeeded. That has made me strong, resilient, compassionate, and self-aware. I bring a truly unique perspective to politics.

I am running because the system is broken and the republic is failing, but Democrats keep promising things that the broken system can’t deliver instead of running on fixing it. The first thing we need to do before we can deliver anything real is drive Big Money out of politics. Democrats keep talking about it, but they don’t DO anything; I am tired of waiting. I have a long-term strategic plan for how to do it, and I’m using this campaign to try to launch it. That’s not all I plan to do, but it’s my primary mission.

I’m not wealthy. I’m not well-connected. I have not risen through the ranks. I do not meet the system’s expectations. That means I am not bound by that system, and am able to imagine new solutions. That is what we need—we can’t keep electing the usual suspects and expect different results. We have to look outside the system for new leaders. I hope to convince you I can be one of them.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

We will struggle to deliver anything meaningful until we get Big Money out of politics. This is something that people agree on across the political spectrum, yet the problem has only gotten worse. Democrats have said "overturn Citizens United!" for 15 years, but it's only ever been a slogan: there is no plan. I have a long-term strategic plan for how to do it using a constitutional amendment called the Ban Big Money Amendment. The amendment is not a symbolic gesture—it's the centerpiece of a plan to turn people into single-issue voters on getting Big Money out of politics. It will take a popular movement to get that done, so I am consciously trying to launch one with my campaign.A strong republic needs strong communities—we need to relate to each other American-to-American in order for our system to work, but our communities are falling apart. That is why I am running experiments in mass community-building. One experiment I call "Citizen Saturday:" on the second Saturday of each month, I encourage people to spend a couple hours engaging in their community. I'm not just talking about it, I'm *doing* it in my community, filming it, and will put it up on YouTube. The goal is to inspire imitators, film *them* doing it, and encourage a community-building movement to spread. The communities we want are right outside our front doors, and it takes just one person in a neighborhood to start one.I am running a radically open, honest, and transparent campaign. I am tired of candidates running on broad, vague messages with non-specific plans in order to be as inoffensive as possible, and I think most voters are too because they know it's not honest. I am asking for people's trust, and I feel that they are entitled to know the truth of who I am, what I believe, and what I hope to accomplish. I am unafraid of voters disagreeing with me on some things, because I believe most voters will accept a candidate they like and trust even if they don't agree with everything. Also, I don't presume to have the right answer to everything, and I listen to and learn from everyone. I'm firm in my beliefs, but not rigid.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

• getting Big Money out of politics

• free and fair elections and faithful representation

• good government

• economic inequality (e.g., tax the rich!)

• universal healthcare

• public lands protection

• affordable childcare, housing, and higher education

• fiscal responsibility

• fighting to revive civility and mutual respect

• environmental protection and climate change

• improving mental heath care and awareness

• codifying the right to choose

• accountability for the Trump regime

• AI regulation

• court reform, especially the Supreme Court

• restrain Executive power and restore Congressional authority

• comprehensive immigration reform, including replacing ICE and CBP

• fighting hatred and bigotry

• fighting industry consolidation