Harmeet Dhillon

Harmeet Dhillon had just wrapped up her latest hit on Fox when the Republican National Committee member from California turned to contemplate her plight as a conservative in the Democratic oasis of San Francisco.

“Republicans in California are truly the forgotten men and women of America,” Dhillon said.

In a state in which Republican voter registration has declined to just north of 25 percent, Dhillon, a lawyer and frequent TV commentator, has become a rare voice for conservative causes in the era of President Trump. She has filed litigation on behalf of Trump supporters who claim police failed to protect them during a protest in San Jose, and on behalf of Berkeley students who accuse the University of California of restricting free speech in its handling of a planned appearance by Ann Coulter and James Damore, the Google engineer fired after writing a controversial memorandum on diversity.

Dhillon gained national attention when she delivered a Sikh prayer at the Republican National Convention in 2016. Last year, she was considered for a job heading the Department of Justice’s civil rights division, interviewing with Attorney General Jeff Sessions. After Trump eventually nominated Eric Dreiband instead, Dhillon said, “It would have been the honor of a lifetime to do that job.”

If Dhillon lived in a state in which she could hold elected office, she acknowledges, “I could have more of an impact directly on policies that we all have to live under … but I can’t because of our party and where I live.

“So, as a result, I feel that the way that I can contribute to the dialogue and influence policymakers, influence citizens, help change things, is through advocacy,” she said. “I consider this to be my job: to weigh in on the issues.”

Dhillon, 49, grew up in a conservative, politically connected household in rural North Carolina, where her family talked politics at dinner and hosted fundraisers for Republicans including then-Sen. Jesse Helms. And she tried herself to become an elected official twice before, running unsuccessfully for San Francisco seats in the California Legislature in 2008 and 2012. She called her first campaign a “personal challenge” and the second a duty to a Republican Party seeking a credible candidate in even the most heavily Democratic districts.

“I’m glad I did it, because I learned a lot of life skills that have served me well professionally, as well as in politics,” Dhillon said.

Too many political operatives, Dhillon said, “haven’t stuck their neck out, they haven’t raised money themselves, they haven’t done the walking, they haven’t really risked their reputations and their personal lives to run for office. And I have done that, so I think that brings some authenticity and credibility when I’m talking to other people.”

Now, Dhillon said, she will run for office again only if somebody is “holding a gun to my head.” Instead, she battles in court and on TV.

“This is my way of contributing,” Dhillon said. “If I’m able to change a few people’s minds, that’s good.” — David Siders

Headshot by Alex Wong/Getty Images. Story photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images.