How a Citizen Can Think Like a King

In my mid-twenties, I found myself at a crossroads. Down one path, if I stayed the course as a graduate student in political science, I could pursue a life in academia. Down another path, I could go back to my hometown in Washington state to challenge an eight-year incumbent for a swing-district legislative seat. I chose the latter and won that election by a mere twenty-nine votes out of fifty-two thousand cast. Every vote matters! Over the next dozen years I spent in public service—as a member of the State House and Senate and then my county legislative body—I probably learned more about politics than I would have if I had stayed the course in that political science Ph.D. program.