Cara is the CEO of Level the Playing Field, a nonpartisan group challenging the Commission on Presidential Debates and the Federal Election Commission to open up the general election presidential debates to an independent candidate. She co-founded and co-leads The Committee for Ranked Choice Voting, the historic campaign that made Maine the first state in the nation to adopt ranked choice voting for its state and federal elections. She is the CEO of The Chamberlain Project and the volunteer executive director of The Chamberlain Project Foundation, entities that support ranked choice voting in Maine and around the nation.
Cara is also a partner in Smart Campaigns, and for the last 12 election cycles has provided research to many of the toughest, closest, and hardest-fought elections in the country. In 1994, Cara was the lead researcher for Charles S. Robb in his campaign against Oliver North in Virginia. In 1996, she directed the research efforts for Senators John Kerry and Joe Biden, and in 2000 she helped Maria Cantwell in her first winning campaign for US Senate in Washington State. Cara and her partners directed comprehensive research efforts for the gubernatorial campaigns of Tim Kaine (VA) and Deval Patrick (MA).
Cara has served as a research consultant on four presidential races, including John Kerry’s 2004 primary and general election campaigns. Cara was part of the senior management team at Americans Elect from 2010-2012. In 2012, she served as a senior advisor to Angus King in his successful independent campaign for US Senate.
