The Great Battlefield Supporting Progressive Doctors and Scientists for Public Office with Shaughnessy Naughton of 314 Action
Apr 20, 2026
Shaughnessy Naughton, founder and president of 314 Action and former congressional candidate with a chemistry background, explains growing a pro-science political movement. She discusses recruiting and training scientists and doctors for public office. Topics include early 2018 wins, building a state-to-federal pipeline, targeting clinicians, fundraising growth, and defending science against vaccine disinformation.
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Prepare Candidates Years Before They Run
- Invest in long runway training and wraparound support for nontraditional candidates before they run.
- 314 Action sometimes works with candidates for years to assess readiness and provide targeted campaign needs.
Scaling Enabled Deep Downballot Impact
- The organization scaled from ~10 staff to ~20 and now runs on a multi-million-dollar election cycle budget enabling deeper services.
- New capacity funds communications, down-ballot fundraising, and state coalition work for over 250 scientist candidates.
Use A Narrow Clear Mission To Grow
- Be laser-focused with a clear mission to recruit and elect Democratic scientists and doctors.
- Clarity helped 314 Action convey purpose to donors, partners, and the public and guide program choices.