AMUSING, INTERESTING, OUTRAGEOUS, or PROFOUND

Running for office costs money, something the people who favor progressive polices often don’t have Running for office takes time, something to take away from a job to pay for food and bills, and family and hobbies

Also holding office takes time that isn’t necessarily paid. Depends on the position of course, but most meaningful politics is local, and often city council, school board, etc aren’t paid positions. (This is why there’s such a grifter problem in small town politics - if you’re not making money as a member of the library board, why not cut a deal under the table? Of course, in my state that goes up to the gubernatorial level - my governor is banned from practicing real estate in a couple states and benefiting quite well from turnpike scams)

Also, if you are any form of minoritized group, you’ll have to deal with some nasty shit. (I volunteered on a city council campaign where the opponent sent a last minute, vile, illegal mailer outing the candidate as a lesbian. She lost.)

It’s a lot of time, a lot of effort, you’re going to have to deal with shitty people (and annoying ones like myself). It’s really clear why the kinds of people you don’t want in politics are very set up to end up in it - if you’re rich, have no moral qualms, and don’t feel particularly arsed to show up to the job half the time anyway (really popular grift here is holding multiple full time paid elected/appointed positions) - then why not buy a bunch of mailers, blanket the town with paid canvassers, and take an easy route to power?