Bio

Claire Ragge Anderson was born in Freeport, NY, and lives in Los Angeles, California. She graduated from USC School of Cinema/Television Production with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1995. Following graduation, Claire worked for entertainment-industry giant Walt Disney Studios in the Creative Development Department. In 1998, Claire became a private business owner with the purchase of The GasLite in Santa Monica, which she still owns to the present day.

Claire has a long history of community and political involvement. In addition to running a time-intensive business in a stringently regulated industry, Claire decided to give back to the community she loved so much. She started weekly town hall meetings at The GasLite where local residents could express their concerns to elected officials and community leaders. She also supported the local police by sponsoring the Santa Monica Police Department’s softball team with jerseys and other needed items for several seasons.

As a former Democrat, Claire served in multiple roles for a major presidential primary candidate, including as Southern California regional press coordinator and as chair of the Southern California campaign’s PR committee.

After the lengthy campaign, Claire decided to utilize her filmmaking skills and began producing and directing AMERICAN SECRETS, a historical and political documentary. The documentary’s original concept was to expose the connection between totalitarianism and top Republican politicians and businessmen. However, Claire’s analytical, objective research skills soon uncovered a connection between prominent Democrats and authoritarianism as well. Claire became disillusioned with the Democratic Party, and politics in general, due to the behind-the-scenes working of the government to which she was exposed.

As owner of The GasLite, Claire has witnessed first-hand the downward spiral in the community as inflation rises, crime soars, and government fails to meet its basic obligation—to protect its citizens. Realizing that we cannot count on the same politicians who created these problems to solve them, Claire has decided to take a stand for her community. She has left the Democratic Party, and in order to unite the community to find solutions to the critical issues that confront us, Claire had decided to run as a No Party Preference candidate for U.S. House of Representatives in CA District 36.