Angela Marrarino: How One Tweet Led to a Career in Politics

You're talking to so many different people.

It was fun. It was fun. It was fun atmosphere. I worked in downtown Cleveland, stuff like that, but I'm not like making a difference in anything. You know, it's not that kind of job where I'm able to actually make a difference in other people's lives.

And that did eat at me even when I did work there. I wanted to do something more and bigger with my life on. You know, this limited time that we have here, I want to do something that matters. And I just, like I said, I had to take that chance.

“So have you felt like with your time at an FB that you've been doing something that matters?”

Oh my goodness, yeah, absolutely. Why do you feel that way? Well, I get to talk to volunteers every day. And I get to show them how to fight back against policies that they feel are restrictive to their lives. But also to fight four policies that will be able to bring them more prosperity and freedom.

And that is so rewarding. Americans are capable of achieving extraordinary things when they have the freedom and opportunity to do so. This is American Potential. Welcome to the American Potential podcast. I'm your host, David from. So we're here at Americans for prosperity's all-staff meeting,

which is just such a great opportunity to bring together people from across the organization. Hundreds of staff members who come together to be inspired by one another, to just enjoy one of those company. But also to strategize and talk about our priorities for next year. And then for this year, and for the future, to try to make America a freer and more embracing a liberty and make people's lives better. And one of the great opportunities that we have for the podcast here is to talk to different staff members who you have dedicated their lives

to getting involved and helping other people get involved and to make a difference in their community and their state and their nation. And so I don't think it's such a great opportunity because we get to talk to these people find their great stories. And it's really ties into what we've been talking about all year long, which is the one small step campaign, which is highlighting the really the story of America, where the founding fathers and other great people through history, took one step, you know, that often a courageous step, but maybe sometimes a small step to get involved, and that cascade in lead to change,

whether it be establishing America in the birth of America or, you know, a man landing on the moon or slaves being freed, and just the civil rights movement, so many different things that we've seen throughout history.

So I'm excited to welcome a staff member who's story I've always loved and who has been doing great work organizing communities in Ohio.

“Such a pivotal state, I mean, so many of you pay attention to politics know that you're in a year out of Ohio is important.”

So I want to welcome Angela Menorino, who is a grassroots engagement director in Ohio. I'm sorry, no, no longer. I was originally hard to a deputy director of grassroots operations in Ohio, and I want to hear a little bit about your story, and how, and then you're originally your early story, but then, and how you got to shine politics and how you got into joined AFP. So tell us about like growing up in your family.

Yeah, welcome. Thank you very much for having me on. So I've been interested in politics since I was about five years old actually, I was very, very young. I come from a Reagan Republican Roman Catholic, very Italian household, my family came here from Calabria. So the most Italian you could think of is how I was raised, so very traditional, very strict.

But my dad was always really interested in politics, and I'm going to age myself a little bit here, but I was in second grade when 9/11 happened.

So that, I mean, it hasn't impact on you, you know, especially such a young age. And my parents are very honest with me about what was going on, and I had questions, and they talked to me. And I started hearing at school in different songs even, you know, no more blood for oil, and you know, time out oil and stuff, and I started asking my dad, what you never talked about oil. So like, why am I hearing all of this other stuff, and my dad explained everything to me, he did not tell me what to think, but he really taught me how to think.

“And would say, hey, this is what other people are saying, this is what I believe, and this is why, what do you think?”

So it kind of like started me from a very young age of questioning things and kind of figuring out my own path and stuff like that, and that's how I was raised. I mean, I was debating my Catholic school teachers in 3rd, 4th grade about, you know, that I racked more and different stuff like that. Did they like that and appreciate it? Oh, no, my dad was a frequent attendee at the school talking to my friends. What did your dad think about you debating your teachers?

He said keep going, as long as I was respectful. Exactly. That was the biggest thing, as long as I was respectful and I did not disrespect anybody in anything I was saying, he gave me the freedom to say whatever I wanted at the time, especially if I disagreed, even if it was an adult, as long as I was respectful.

I think another big like pivotal point in that was my senior year of high school, I took a an honors garment class, and we took a political affinity test.

“Mine popped up as libertarian, and I was like, what is this?”

I've always been a Republican my whole life, like what is this? And so I googled it.

And that was like the days of like the Tea Party really forming a rampal, filibustering for 13 hours and stuff like that. So I saw rampal speak and everything, and I was like, oh my gosh, this isn't sane. He lit a fire underneath me that I don't think anybody else could have done, and then yeah, I tweet it on a couple of years later. Like you're doing a great job in his Chief of Staff, direct message to me and said come down and come on down to Kentucky. I want you to work on some fundraisers for us, and that was kind of my, like,

And did you do that? I did, I guess. That's really, yeah, that's pretty amazing, that like it's really crazy. I mean, shown it in one weird way, I mean, you're, you're one small step, I'm getting sucked in. What sort of are getting activated was, you said you responded to a tweet, you said a tweet, and then, you know, all of a sudden, the president's presidential campaigns reach out to you asking you involved.

Yeah, it was really wild. It was one of those things where it's like looking back, I could see how God put all of the pieces together for sure on everything. But of course, I took that opportunity, I'm like, yeah, I will absolutely, I mean, I would be crazy to not do that. And from there, I was just able to just meet so many people and just kind of get involved in different organizations.

“That's how it's able to work on the U.S. Senate campaign and different stuff like that.”

So that's what, like, really got my foot in the door, I guess. Yeah, but it was just a tweet, which is wild. That's great. When you went to Kentucky, like, was it really cool for you? It was the coolest thing. We went to the first one I went to is the Ambassador of Latvia's house, and there was, like, like, this, what kind of was there?

Carly Fioreno is there, Thomas Massey was like, I mean, there were so many people there, and my job was I was collecting checks. I was sitting at a table in the front, and I was collecting the checks of everybody that was walking in. And then as soon as they were done, I was able to go mingle in the, in the fundraiser, like, see everybody speak and stuff and the whole time and like, how is this real? That's all. Like, I was in Ohio yesterday.

Like, what do you mean? I'm just here doing this. So it was pretty cool. That's awesome. Yeah, pretty crazy.

“So you're kind of involved kind of in an out of politics, and, but I know also you're working in the restaurant in just right, and I know that you went to Maine, right?”

And that was that was kind of pivotal. Very pivotal. Tell me about, you know, working on the state Senate race there, like, how that made a difference in your health.

So thankfully, my old boss was really supportive of my political aspirations, so he always would give me a leave of absence without filling my role,

because he was fantastic. That is to this day, I still think. And for that, because I, who knows what would have happened if he wouldn't have, you know? But I was at a y'all con, I think, in Washington, DC, I think, in 2018. And I met Eric Brecky, who's now the leader of the Free State Project in New Hampshire.

But he was running for US Senate at that time against Angus King, who's, you know, he was an independent quote and quote in Maine. Yes. And I met him, and we got some drinks. He had his DC consultant, Jesse Benton, with him, and who's actually ran his brother-in-law, which is really crazy like twist, you know? And they grilled me for like three hours.

I had no idea that this was like an interview type thing, but they grilled me for like three hours. And then they said, hey, we want to offer you a position to come to Maine for, I was there for like six or seven months. I lived with Eric's parents, and said, hey, we want you to work on his campaign. And essentially, I was his like right-hand woman. I was, I went everywhere with Eric. I learned all of, you know, how to work a war room while you're in a debate, for example, how to write press releases.

You know, just all of these different tactics that you use in a campaign.

I was very green. I've never done any of this before, and they took a chance on me and just taught me up on just stuff.

And unfortunately, we lost. But it happens to the best of us, but it all worked out in the end. But yeah, I just-- - So what, from that experience, how did that change you? Well, it was really just heartening, first off, because I saw his own party go against him for a lot of different reasons. And it was really crazy to see how he had so much support going on, but because of past votes that he took in the States on it,

which was like, you voted for constitutional carry and legalization of marijuana in the same term. That made Republicans very, very upset that he voted for the legalization of marijuana. So they started pulling some support from him. And it was just so disheartening. Like, well, he is a Republican, and he's been a very good, obviously, my view. He's been a very good Republican here.

It's introduced some great legislation. And so that was really hard for me to kind of, a hard pill to swallow. That is a reality that can happen in politics when you're working on it. But I think it just put more fire under me, too.

And then Eric was so great at it. So being able to see how he pivots and speeches and debates and just kind of learning from that,

I think, let more of a fire underneath me, because I'm like, wow, a career in this is possible, where I didn't really necessarily think it was. But this is a possibility that I could actually do and praise the Lord that he gave me an opportunity to, you know, kind of start there. But yeah, I mean, I think it just made me realize this is a real thing that can happen. It's not just a dream that I have, you know? Or a hobby.

Or a hobby. Yeah. So you then return, after the campaign loses, you return to the Cleveland area. Yes.

“And you're working on the restaurant industry, remember?”

And then eventually, there was a next step that you applied for job with America's prosperity? No, actually. So I was just managing bars, doing my thing. And this woman that I met on a ballad initiative in Michigan, I mean, now probably, like 15 years ago, or something like that, new Michael Seagrest who works for me. The best people ever. And they were looking for somebody in the Cleveland area. And I think he might have asked, like, hey, do you know what anybody and she said, oh, Andrew lives up there.

So I met with Michael Seagrest in downtown Willowby, where I look like close to where I live. And he talked to me and then he said, hey, let's, let's do the thing. And that's how I got the opportunity to apply. So I didn't even necessarily seek you guys out. That's great.

Why? I know, I remember I was on your interview panel. And I agreed to viewing you and just enjoying our conversation immensely. Because I felt like there was such an authentic desire to be involved for the right reasons.

“And I also could tell you, because you were, I think you had worked on like three in the morning, the morning four, because it was, you know, you're managing a bar.”

And I, you have to work. And I, and I did, but I was pretty impressed by that kind of responsibility and work ethic that you're bringing to it. You know, I think there's a lot of folks who care about what's happening in this country and have an interest in politics and have dabbled in making a difference and trying to make a difference. But it's hard to take that step into like that being your career. Because it's uncertain.

And you know, especially if you don't know the landscape and how it goes. So take me through a little bit like your decision making process to, you know, want to pursue a job with mayor's prosperity and, you know, so your career changing from, you know, hospitality industry to politics. And then like, as it, as you spend time in it, like, what were your thoughts about it? Yeah.

So I talked to my dad a lot. My dad is my absolute best friend. And he was really who I bounced everything off of. So I just kind of said, hey, this is an opportunity that was presented to me. Do I, what do I do?

You know, what's your opinion? Like, I kind of like threw all the cards out there. I was like, what do you think?

“And he told me, like, do you want to be safe your whole life?”

Because I can't.

I mean, I could work in bars and like bars are always hiring.

And it's kind of, you know, never going to go out of business type of thing. So I could do that. And I can kind of stay safe. And I can move up in kind of more of a corporate world. And that's it.

Right. And just kind of like sit on the sidelines and watch policy happen and just kind of have opinions on it. Or you could just take that step of kind of a leap of faith and say, hey, I don't entirely know what this is going to hold. But you'll be part of the decision makers now and you'll be able to actually help impact policy impact politics. Which is something you've talked about since you were, you know, in second grade when you were, you know, talking about foreign policy with me.

That's something you've always wanted to do. You've always wanted to be one of the people that were able to either empower other people.

Like I said, I was debating my teachers, like I wanted other people to be able to see like, hey, this is what's going on. Or to make the decision yourself and help kind of impact it that way. And when he worded it that way, I think kind of that helped make my decision into it. Like, you're right. Like, let's say it doesn't work out. Like, this is a safe, you know, restaurants are safe, but I could always go back to that if it didn't work out. But I will regret it for the rest of my life if I do not take that leap of faith and say, you know what, I know nothing about this. I am very green into this.

Let's give it a shot. You know, like, let's see what it's about. Let's give it a shot. And hey, if I don't even get the job at least I tried, at least I tried, you know, going for it. And then I did speak with my then manager at the time. I'm still very good friends with. And he essentially told me, like, you would be really stupid and not do this. You've talked about it forever. Do it. Like, in you told me, like, if it doesn't work out, I'll hire you back. Like, it's not like you're gone forever. If you really need it, but I mean, go for it. So I think that was the thing was I didn't want to regret anything.

And, but, you know, look, you're kind of hedging in that, hey, I can go back to this restaurant job. So there is, I, so I give advice to my calf, some grown kids and like they're starting out the workforce and figuring things out. I'm like, look, you know, you're young. You don't have a lot of expenses. If you don't have, you know, if you're not married, have kids have a mortgage on it. Like you can take some risk and I encourage you to take risks, but be smart about it. You know, like, if you can, you have something fall back on to, you know, still pay your bills.

“So look, all I care about is like, go chase your dreams and be able to pay your bills. You need to both those at once. You're probably going to go in a pretty good direction because it's going to hit. Yeah.”

At some point. But, um, and I think you were doing that. Your dad was probably kind of like, she's a responsible one. I bet she's, she's going to take care of, take care of what she wants. But, any parent wants to see their kids chase their dreams. Yeah. Because, you know, at least in this generation, I remember I was chasing my dreams. We were done a campaign in the mid-90s. I thought I was, and then I got kind of hooked up with the governor's office. I was like, oh, I'm off to such great start. Then we're going to college.

And like, this is going to be great. We lost our first campaign. I went back to winning tables.

And I remember my dad, I had done it professionally for like four months. And I was a great experience. I remember I thought, like, oh my gosh, I'm still on my path.

“And my dad's like, calls me up and he's a really good man. And he was like, so Dave, do you think probably about time to get, you know, a job like a bank or something?”

I was like, no, actually no. No, we lost. I'm in politics. But like, I'm paying my bills by weight tables. And then I, you know, within six months, I was working on the governor's, for folks from the governor's team. And then was hiring in the governor's office. And now I'm, you know, planning the state plane within a year. I'm going to do and stuff like doing bill reviews and doing all these things.

I never thought I'd be having chance to do. You know, we're going to downtown Chicago and the governor's office.

And I was like, man, am I so glad that I didn't make that safe choice? Although I think people, you know, I kind of feel like if I feel like there's some degree of like your soul can rot. If you don't want to do what you want, I'm not saying be ridiculous, but, you know, really taking a real assessment. This is where people like your dad and your boss who you had the time can speak into your life and help you understand like what you, you know, are really passionate about it because they can see it in you if they really care about you.

Yeah, and I mean, I always looked at it too of like, you know, being in bars are great. Like it's a, it's a new experience every day.

You're talking to so many different people.

It was fun. Like it was a fun atmosphere. We're downtown Cleveland stuff like that, but I'm not like making a difference in anything. You know, it's not a, it's not that kind of job where I'm able to actually make a difference in other people's lives. And that, that did eat at me, even when I did work there was, you know, I want to do something more and bigger with my life on on, you know, this limited time that we have here. I want to do something that matters and I just, like I said, I had to take that chance to show.

“Have you felt like with your time at an F.P. that you've been doing something matters?”

Oh, my goodness. Yeah, absolutely. What do you feel that way? Well, I get to talk to volunteers every day and I get to show them how to fight back against policies that they feel are restrictive to their lives. But also to fight for policies that will be able to bring them more prosperity and freedom and that is so rewarding. I mean, I get to, I have a volunteer in a county that I work in close to my house and his name is George.

Him and his wife are, you know, in their 80s and they're unbelievably happy that they feel that they have a political home now with Americans or prosperity. They were tired. They felt like they really wanted to get involved. They have all of these different passions and it's so cool to be able to help them teach them how to do or knock, even making calls to like the state center. You're, you know, a state center is office, you know, on behalf of a bill that they're really in support of and just kind of teaching on the importance of getting involved.

But then also teaching folks, this is how you do it. We're not going to leave you alone while you do it. You know, we're going to be there to support you. We're going to, you know, walk with you every step of the way. And I think that's one of the most rewarding parts because I think people get so intimidated and I get it. I mean, you don't, if you don't know, you're looking at a state wrap and you're like, oh my gosh, they're a state wrap, but it's like, no, they're a person and you don't need to be intimidated by them in any way, shape or form.

But we're organization that will stand behind you as well. You know, you're not throwing you to the wolves here. Like, we're going to teach you. We're going to walk through you and then we're going to support you as you do it. So I think that's a really cool thing that we, we do hear that differs from other organizations. And I think that's what I find so rewarding is that we get to teach people how to do that where they thought that that wasn't possible or they felt intimidated or they felt like they weren't smart enough or new enough.

So once we find the people that are passionate and care.

“So as an Italian girl, do you have no sympathy for someone who's not passionate?”

Do you have no space for that, like, okay, you know, be passionate. It's hard sometimes when I hear it, you know? As a hundred percent Norwegian, I very much understand that we're passionate. So you've asked, it's up to that. Well, because it's hard, I'm like, how do you not, you know? But I think the thing that bothers me the most is people that, you know, I think especially now in the age of social media and everything. Everybody has an opinion, right? But nobody wants to take, I shouldn't say nobody, I have a lot of people I want to take action, but a lot of people don't want to take action on that stuff.

So they'll just sit in a room and they'll, you know, every two weeks or something at these groups and they'll complain about things and they'll talk about, you know, a million different things.

I mean, I actually have a solution to help get some legislation going that will actually address your concerns and they're like, well, I don't want to do that. It's like, but you've just said that you don't want this to happen. I'm giving you an outlive here, you know?

“I really think one of the important roles that emergency prosperity plays.”

Especially in states is to help take that person's voice and aggregate it with others and give them courage, because I think courage is the thing that sometimes lacks, you know, it's scary to some people.

I remember my parents, you know, we always talk politics that are table and stuff like that. They're pretty, you know, relatively, you kind of Reagan Republican types.

Never had a yard sign, nothing. So I worked in campaigns yard signs are like the minimum ante to like getting involved in a campaign, you know? And I remember when I went off to college and they, they got a gubernatorial campaign because they really believe this one gubernatorial candidate and they got a sign for the driveway for that sign. And they, like, it was, that was their activism, but for them that was a big step forward. And to me as a campaign guy, I was like, okay.

“This is the minimum, anyone could ever do. And then, but that was a big thing. And I think like them to them being given that public display was a sign of courage.”

It or took, it was a step of courage, because they were saying and declaring what they thought. Now social media wasn't a thing then, as you might be hard to believe, that social media might have nothing back when I was there. But, and so people are a little more accustomed, I think, to kind of spouting off a thing. But I think kind of helping folks kind of have collective courage, like, hey, we're going to stand shoulder to shoulder with these people. And that's going to give some, some, you give me a little more courage to stand up and make our voices heard. And then when we put all those voices together, it can drown out the special and extra things like, it has real power and real force when people can see that being effective in terms of changing policy or politics.

Then they get addicted to it. They want to do it more. And like, I can make a difference here. And this, this thing actually might work the way we wanted to work in. So, and I think like, you know, the grassroots engagement director, you know, who I know you supervise. Now in your deputy doga role, the, you know, those, it's the essential building block of our organization and how we're effective in, in hopefully shaping public policy. Yeah, I agree. So, what, what would you do for somebody who just like supposed to social media or, you know, yells at their TV while they're, you know, watching planes that are spouts in the couch.

But hasn't kind of gotten up off the couch to take some sort of action. Like, what would you say to them to try to get them to engage? Nothing's ever going to change unless people actually get out and do something about it. Right. The government's not going to teach you how to fight against themselves. I mean, we all know that. And an organization like Americans for prosperity will walk you through every single step of it. Whether it's something as simple as making a phone call to a state rap to a state senator to your governor to, you know, whatever in support or, you know, maybe you want to repeal legislation or whatever the case may be.

Who knows that call that you make might be the tipping point and that representatives head of does my whole district think about this now is this something that my entire district is going to care about and is this going to maybe risk my real action. That could be the tipping point. Even going out in something simple like door knocking, I mean, door knocking impacts elections by 7% I mean, that's a crazy number. So even just being able to go speak to your neighbors and say, hey, this is my take on it. You know, I just wanted to be able to, you know, tell you and you know, hopefully encourage you to come out and hit the bulls pulls on may fit or whatever the case may be.

Oh, I'm sorry. Whatever, maybe nothing is going to happen with somebody just complaining at the TV or complaining at the dinner table or complaining in a group that maybe you meet together, you know, once a month. Nothing is actually happening from that you're not going to actually change anything ever.

You know, maybe take a page out of their book literally and do something about it, whether it's as simple as going to your local city council meeting and being updated as to what's going on in your city.

“I'm just taking that dare I say one small step. It is really about taking that step, though, and just getting out of your comfort zone, like you have to be comfortable being uncomfortable, right?”

I mean, that's kind of life in general is you're going to be thrown in uncomfortable situations and it's how you come out of that that kind of defines you as a person in a lot of ways.

So even if you're uncomfortable or maybe you feel like you don't know as much, I mean, if you find your Americans for prosperity chapter in your state too, I mean, like I said, we walk you through it. We don't just educate you and then throw you to wolves. Right. We're going to walk you through it and you're going to have a sea of green behind you supporting you in whatever endeavor that is, whether that is testifying, like whether that is, you know, running for school board, you know, whatever that case may be, you know, we will be there kind of help.

I mean, you and teach you and support you during that. So.

“Well, I would sound up to volunteer for you, right?”

Thank you, Dave.

I'm glad that we got people like, but I'm like, I am really glad when I come to the gathering like our all staff meeting and I see.

I talk to people like you and Tundra colleagues, you know, there's so many wonderful stories and people who are doing what you're doing, you know, you're really blessed to be part of an organization where you folks who are committed, you know, in their soul and in there being to try to advance freedom and liberty and make people's lives better. Yeah. And then trying to help other people along in that journey and to get that those public policy wins, but it's it's fun. I get the chance to help tell the story. So it's a lot of fun for me and it's a lot of fun to talk to you.

Well, best of luck. I appreciate you and congratulations on your upcoming wedding. Hopefully through this airs it might actually have happened. Wow, it's amazing. I might not be a man or even anymore when this airs.

We can always add it. No problem.

It's all good. All thanks so much. It's all much to you. I appreciate it. Thanks.

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