Thomas Higdon was a political enthusiast all his life. He kept up on the news, door-knocked on candidates, and volunteered at numerous campaigns.
He had long dreamed of working for the government, but because of his drug use, he and everyone around him felt that was impossible. While attending law school in the mid-1990s, his use of alcohol and other drugs began to become a problem, and in 2014, his drug use forced him to live under an overpass. Although he was now drug-free, he still felt, years later, that his chances of running for office were ruined.
“For decades, I allowed this internalized bias to prevent me from knowing what I was really capable of,” Higdon, now 52, told CBS News. .
That thought remained with him for years. He moved into the field of grassroots organizing and advocacy, but in 2023 he learned about the Recovery Assistance Project’s upcoming “Run for Recovery” program and realized that working in public office might still be possible. .
Building a political boot camp for people in recovery
Courtney Gary Allen started using drugs at a young age, overdosed multiple times before getting sober in 2015, and has run successfully for political office twice. In 2020, she was elected to the City Council of Augusta, Maine. She was re-elected to the same position in 2023. In both cases, I won by a landslide, but the experience made me realize the need for an election bootcamp centered around people in recovery. Similar boot camps are run by major political parties, but she wanted to create a bipartisan space tailored to the unique experiences and needs of the recovery community.
“For the last decade or so, the American recovery movement has placed a huge emphasis on telling our story and advocating and promoting better policies around substance use disorders and recovery efforts. “I think it’s a new chapter in the story of the ‘advocacy movement,'” said Gary Allen, who is also the organizing director of the Maine Advocacy and Restoration Project. “We’re no longer just advocating for policymakers. We’re running to be the policymakers who make decisions on these issues and many more.”
From that idea Run for Recovery was born. The program graduated its first class in August 2024, consisting of five Democrats, five Republicans, and five independents. The 15 participants were selected from all over the country. They met online once a month for a year to thoroughly discuss the implementation of the campaign. Lessons ranged from learning about fiscal law to drafting position statements to preparing to talk openly about substance abuse.
Higdon was one of the selected participants. He said he was taught the technicalities of running for office in a “Run for Recovery” class, even though he had “been involved in campaigning all my life.” But it wasn’t just classroom learning that inspired him. When class started, “I still had that nagging voice in the back of my head telling me, ‘Don’t run,'” Higdon said. Spending time with his classmates helped him change his perspective.
“I can’t tell you how great it was to be with people who wanted to do the same thing,” Higdon said. “There are many reasons why I ultimately won’t run, but fear of what people will say and being stigmatized is not one of them.”
Founder of Mobilize Recovery ryan hamptonHe, who completed the Run for Recovery program and is campaigning for a seat in the Nevada State Assembly, said the stigma is affecting his campaign. He said his campaign has been the victim of attack ads that bring up his drug history and call his policy positions “dangerous drug policy.”
ryan hampton
Hampton said this is a stressful time, but the lessons he learned from his recovery journey and Run for Recovery program are helping him continue his campaign.
“I’m definitely the underdog in this race, but I’m used to it,” Hampton said. “Am I afraid of losing an election? No, I’ve lost more in life than in elections. I’m not afraid of losing. I’m running to win, but we I’m running because I believe our community will win.” I aspire to something different. ”
grow the movement
There is no comprehensive list of all recovering candidates. Gary Allen said he knows of several people in recovery running for office in Maine. Higdon is considering a seat in the Maryland General Assembly. Raquel Garcia, a Run for Recovery graduate and Colorado appointee, is considering campaigning for state office in 2026.
courtney gary allen
Gary Allen expects more Run for Recovery program graduates to launch their own campaigns, encouraging more people in recovery to enter politics, including those who did not participate in the program. He said he would like to see him jump.
“I think we’re on the brink of revelation right now. Not only are people in Reconstruction voting and showing up and advocating, but we’re running for office and we’re running for these seats. I’m going to serve,” Gary Allen said. “We are committed to helping create solutions to drug use across the country, and we look forward to the next few election seasons.”
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