Election Post-Mortem 2026

Marisa Lagos is a correspondent for KQED’s California Politics and Government Desk and co-hosts a weekly show and podcast, Political Breakdown. At KQED, Lagos conducts reporting, analysis and investigations into state, local and national politics for radio, TV and online. Every week, she and co-host Scott Shafer sit down with political insiders on Political Breakdown, where they offer a peek into the lives and personalities of those driving politics in California and beyond. In 2020, the Washington Post named her one of the top political journalists in California; she was nominated for a Peabody and won several other awards for her work investigating the 2017 California wildfires. She has worked at the San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Examiner and Los Angeles Times.

Raghu has over twenty years of campaign experience and heads our Washington, DC office. A seasoned strategist known for his collaborative style, affable manner, and hands-on approach, Raghu was named to Politico Playbook’s Washington DC Power List as the “Go To Media Consultant” for highest-profile campaigns. In 2020, Raghu played a critical role in helping Democrats take back control of the U.S. Senate, including working on Mark Kelly’s successful race in Arizona and running a critical GOTV independent expenditure in the Georgia run-offs. In the prior cycle, Raghu led the IE effort to help elect Gov. Tim Walz in Minnesota in 2018. Raghu was the first Asian American to be named Political Director of a national party committee – first at the DLCC and then at the DGA. While at the DLCC, he helped flip 30 chambers into Democratic control – the largest partisan Democratic shift in our nation’s history. Raghu also managed the independent expenditure and issue advocacy program for AFSCME, overseeing one of the largest programs in Democratic politics spending over $60 million dollars up and down the ballot working on races across the country. A die-hard Green Bay Packer fan, Raghu lives in Washington DC with his wife Reema and their two daughters.

Charlie Bonner (he/him) is a youth voting rights advocate and communications professional working to engage a new generation of civic leaders. A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, Charlie majored in government and Plan II Honors where his thesis, A Republic If You Can Jeep It, was awarded the Lois Baird Trice Prize for Creative Scholarship after he drove 10,000 miles across the country to interview strangers about democracy. Currently, Charlie runs state-wide communications and outreach at MOVE Texas, a non-partisan non-profit dedicated to empowering young people in civic life and tearing down barriers to the ballot box. As a spokesperson for the voting rights movement, he frequently appears in local and national outlets including The Texas Tribune, The New York Times, National Geographic, CNN and MSNBC.

Erica Prosser brings over 15 years of experience working with campaigns and advancing progressive causes at the highest levels of Democratic politics to her role as Managing Director at Convergence Targeted Communications. In addition to advising candidate, labor, and advocacy campaigns as a direct mail, media, and polling consultant with several major Democratic consulting firms, Erica has been on the ground – working in field, communications, and as manager on campaigns at every level. As a direct mail consultant, Erica has helped craft and execute award-winning mail for major Democratic victories at the Presidential, Senatorial, Congressional, Legislative, and Mayoral levels. Some of the nation’s largest labor and Democratic advocacy organizations rely on Erica’s strategic expertise to effectively communicate with voters and win critical campaigns. Throughout her career, Erica has been committed to building the bench of women leaders and bringing representative voices to Democratic politics. She regularly gives her time to organizations encouraging and supporting women to run, conducting candidate training sessions and mentoring diverse and women candidates and campaign staff. She served as the first Communications Director for Annie’s List, helping elect Democratic women in Texas, and as a senior advisor to advocacy campaigns for reproductive justice organizations. A Pennsylvania native, Erica is a fourth-generation and enthusiastic Penn State Nittany Lion, who also calls Texas home. Erica and her husband Chebon currently live in Los Angeles.

I joined Tunnl in May of 2017 and serve as the Chief Technology Officer. At Tunnl, I lead the data science team, develop new data products for our platform, and direct custom targeting and analytics engagements. Prior to Tunnl, I gained experience in consulting as a Consultant for a Corporate Executive Board. I am a graduate of Randolph-Macon College, where I earned a Bachelor’s degree in History and Georgetown University with a Master’s degree in Mathematics. I currently live in Washington, DC with my wife, my son, and a very excitable Golden Retriever. When I’m not keeping busy developing new approaches to problems in ad targeting and marketing measurement, you can find me at Camden Yards, rooting for the 1983 World Champion Baltimore Orioles.

Digital brand reputation and crisis communications professional with high-level experience as a consultant, campaign manager, spokesperson, and media liaison for corporations and competitive political campaigns.

Shannon Chatlos recently became a partner at SPM after serving as Senior Vice President of Digital and Strategy for a number of years. As SVP, and carrying into her role now as partner, she is the fearless leader of the digital and strategic media team responsible for developing messaging strategies, advertising solutions, and integrated digital strategies for candidates, associations, advocacy clients, and corporations. Her early career in political data deeply informs her expertise in audience development, and as data turned to digital over the years, Shannon has seen it all when it comes to leveraging the platforms necessary for digital execution and success. She has been the lead digital strategist and advisor on dozens of successful statewide campaigns and serves corporate clients in various industry verticals. Since joining SPM, Shannon has led the digital strategy for dozens of congressional and statewide campaigns, including digital for Gov. Larry Hogan, Gov. Asa Hutchinson, AG Chris Carr, Rep. Andrew Garbarino, and Sen. Johnny Isakson. In addition, she contributed to the IE and advocacy efforts for several multi-state Super PACs and associations and has helped achieve hundreds of wins across the country including Sen. Susan Collins, Sen. Steve Daines, Sen. Joni Ernst, and Sen. Thom Tillis. Before joining SPM in 2014, Shannon was the Director of Business Development for right-leaning campaigns and non-partisan organizations/advocacy groups at Resonate – where she implemented digital media campaigns using the company’s unique platform. Before joining Resonate, Shannon held a 12-year position with Aristotle where she partnered with federal and statewide campaigns, Super PACS, and campaign organizations, helping clients build and leverage audiences and coaching them on how to best implement their data to achieve the goals of their campaign. Shannon serves as an advisor for college-level courses and political programs, is a frequent speaker and presenter at conferences, and leads political candidate trainings when possible. She has been an active volunteer for nonprofits and political campaigns since college and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from The University of Georgia. Shannon lives in Annapolis, Maryland with her husband, children, and her French Bulldog, Bumper.