Non-Partisan civic engagement
Mom's Influence
In 1986, at the age of 19, Lawrence Gaughan, lost his mother to cancer. She had instilled in him interests in politics, patriotism and participation in government, particularly on the local level. However, these interests would remain latent for many years while Lawrence pursued his artistic endeavors in acting and directing.
Like many Americans, Lawrence's awareness and interest in politics was rekindled in the aftermath of 911. His first effort to effect change was with the formation of the non-partisan non-profit organization, GOV360, which initially became an established Voter Engagement Foundation in 2010.
GOV360 and Graduate School
GOV360 was founded in Los Angeles with programs supported by private donations and some limited grant funding. Programs included surveys of voters/non-voters, voter outreach, public presentations, YouTube videos, lectures and advertising to raise awareness of the crisis of low voter turnout and lack of civic participation in elections.
After running GOV360 as Executive Director for two years, Lawrence Gaughan decided to go back to school. In 2013 he earned his MA from Pepperdine University's Graduate School of Education and Psychology.
RUNning for office
2014 Congressional Campaign
Immediately after graduation from Pepperdine University, Lawrence Gaughan left Hollywood and returned to his birthplace, Charlottesville, Virginia, where he was encouraged to run for the local Congressional seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Although he had not lived in Virginia for nearly 30 years, he won a contested primary and went on to receive a major party nomination.
Lawrence made the bold move of running his campaign on a very limited budget in order to make a vital point about money in politics. According to Lawrence, "If you want to run for office on the promise of getting money out of politics, start with your own campaign. Even if you lose you win, because you stand for something important".
Lawrence ended up getting about 36% of the vote in the general election. In all of the elections in that district since 2014, the losing campaign has spent an average of 20 times the amount Lawrence spent, only to gain an average of 6 points.
Congressional Candidate
As a candidate for Congress, Lawrence Gaughan garnered over 73,000 votes in the general election. He had the support of political leaders across the state, including Dr. Wm. Ferguson "Fergie" Reid, who was the first African-American elected to the Virginia State Assembly since Reconstruction, former governors Robb, Wilder, Warner, and Northam as well as local officials from both parties. (Here he is pictured with former Lt. Governor, U.S. Ambassador, and Congressman Don Beyer).
charlottesville
GOV360 and Charlottesville
After the 2014 general election, Lawrence Gaughan remained in Virginia, finding occasional acting work. He briefly ran for local office in 2015 before settling into a quiet life near his family.
But in 2017, there was chaos and strife brewing in Charlottesville. During that summer the Lee Statue became a focal point. Whenever people assembled in Lee Park to show support for keeping the statue, they would be attacked by screaming, violent mobs of folks who ostensibly wanted the statue to come down.
So, Lawrence Gaughan dusted off his non-profit and rebranded it as the GOV360 Charlottesville Unity Coalition, in an effort to curtail any further violence from the unrest. He put together civic roundtables with local leaders and engaged in various outreach efforts. The local news covered his efforts. It has since been deleted from the internet, but Lawrence did an interview with the local NBC affiliate on August 9th, 2017, where he pleaded for the prevention of any further violence. His efforts ultimately failed as the tragic events of August 11th and 12th unfolded.
Sadly, Charlottesville remains forever changed, and was often cited by former President Biden as a political flashpoint in our country.
In the aftermath of Charlottesville, Lawrence left Virginia in 2018, moved to Western Washington and began teaching high school. He is mentioned in a book about Charlottesville written by journalist Hawes Spencer, and was credited in a documentary movie for his attempts to save lives and bring about peace.
While GOV360 is still officially recognized as a non-profit by the IRS, the website has been shut down and the organization is not currently in operation.