Three Miss America contestants ran for office this past November. Only one was elected. Starting this month, Lauren Kealohilani Cheape, who won the title of Miss Hawai'i in 2011, will represent the state's 45th District in the House.
Lauren and her family have a history on the Hawaiian islands that goes back 100 years before the state became part of the US in 1959. In 1910, her great-grandfather started Peterson's Upland Farm, which is still run by her family and supplies fresh eggs to the local community.
Lauren's strategy for winning her seat in the state legislature involved staying close to her roots. "I delivered eggs from our farm door to door and talked to people," said Lauren. "It was a truly grassroots effort. Making those personal connections was what made the difference in my campaign."
As a republican running in a highly democratic district, Lauren knew she needed to reach people on a personal level. Cheape's opponent, Democrat Jake Bradshaw, was endorsed by most of the local unions and outspent her by tens of thousands of dollars.
"Other candidates strategize. I personally walked the district three times. Not many candidates are able to do that. I literally walked for 9 hours per day on the weekend and then went to work the next day."
Lauren used NationBuilder to organize her voter outreach. "Voter ID was very important to me. We knew that every vote would count so we concentrated on getting out every single vote. NationBuilder helped me stay organized and communicate effectively with my team."
Lauren's efforts paid off in the end. She surpassed her vote goal of 2,571 votes, receiving 2,626 and won by 86 votes - a margin of just 1.7 percent.
This month Lauren will leave her job as a pharmaceutical representative to start serving in the legislature. "I'm very excited to get started," said Cheape. However, there's one job she's not willing to give up. In true Hawai'i fashion, she'll continue working as a professional hula dancer!