Blair
In early May, Cody’s campaign announced a fundraiser featuring Marianne Williamson. Known first as a teacher of A Course in Miracles, then as Oprah Winfrey’s spiritual advisor, Williamson had authored multiple bestsellers and dipped into politics with a 2014 congressional run. I was impressed, though I didn’t see much connection between Cody and Williamson. Still, it was a savvy move, the event drew interest from activists and even the county Democratic Party.
Not long after, I got a phone call from Blair, the woman who contributed $15,000 to NCEC and lived on Agua Hedionda Lagoon.
She introduced herself as Cody’s fundraising chair and asked if I would donate $250 for a ticket to see Marianne Williamson. It was a bold ask, she knew who I was. Most in Cody’s camp saw me as an opponent. But Blair was too smooth for that. She framed it as us both wanting “what’s best for Carlsbad.”
She was persuasive. For a moment, I considered it.
Instead, I asked her if she’d also consider fundraising for my campaign. I assumed she was a professional, taking on multiple clients. She politely declined — she was too busy with Cody’s campaign.
By all accounts, the fundraiser was a success. A short write-up ran in the Coast News, though it didn’t include how much Marianne Williamson was paid for the event. I checked the Fair Campaign Practices Commission filings, but nothing was reported. Maybe she waived her fee, or maybe it was just another one of those campaign finance mysteries no one untangles.
That first call with Blair had been unusually pleasant. It lasted long after her pitch was turned down. We talked about our backgrounds. She had worked in corporate sales, which didn’t surprise me. And having worked with high-performing enterprise salespeople in my own real job, I could tell Blair had been one of them. I don’t think she was working at the time — at least not full-time.
Over the next few months, she called now and then. Not to follow up on a donation, and never with a pitch. Just to talk.
Those calls were about our personal lives — mostly hers. I already knew she was a widow. What I didn’t know was that she had become a single mother to two children, one of whom had serious health issues. It felt, sometimes, like she just needed to talk to someone who wasn’t part of the campaign. Someone with no ask.
I never asked her about the Blackburn incident.
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