You missed the biggie
State Legislative Staffer.
Yesterday we got a mailer from a candidate, saw that, and tossed it immediately.
Seriously, a high proportion of California legislature members started out as legislative subcommittee staff, even student interns etc, and moved up through the chairs over the years. Then when they get on the ballot, the public figures 'Well they must know how to get things done, with all that inside experience. Here's a better choice than an outsider who will depend on staff to teach him from scratch'. And of course they pay for polling to learn what the public wants to hear from a candidate - so their public message really does sound like what is needed to 'bring reform to the legislature'.
The reason this works is because they can put in years working for the Dem and Rep state election committees simultaneous with their civil service job, so they have a disproportionate say in who is selected by the party to run in the primaries. Then they select one another - based on years of trust, working together in their day jobs. Pure incest.