I’m a Hoover Institution research fellow specializing in national and California politics — the horse race that is the 2016 election, the health of the two national parties and what’s in store for America in what’s shaping up as one of the more unique elections in the nation’s history. Prior to coming Hoover, I served as chief speechwriter to former California Gov. Pete Wilson. Before that, I covered politics as a journalist in Washington, D.C. I’ve also advised numerous political candidates, a few of whom actually won. I was born inside the beltway, but fate and a lot of lucky breaks delivered me to Northern California and Stanford University.