BuddyPress.org

=== do you think i am correct in my assumption that there is another style.css that i am supposed to be importing into the child theme, that i missed? or do you think there is another explanation for why the child theme style is ‘off’? ===

Your mockup style.css is importing from the bp-default theme in BP plugin folder http://electioncandidates.com/wp-content/plugins/buddypress/bp-themes/bp-default/_inc/css/default.css
while the pre-mockup style.css is importing from the bp-default theme in themes folder http://electioncandidates.com/wp-content/themes/bp-default/_inc/css/default.css where the styling has already been revised/customized. Initial scan comparing the stylesheets already shows that min and max width is set to 996px in pre-mockup; while your mockup still has the BP default styling of min width of 960px and max width of 1250px just as an example of the difference.

Copy over the styling of `default.css` and `adminbar.css` from the pre-mockup to your theme’s `/_inc/css/` folder and change the import call
from

/* Inherit the default theme styles */
@import url( ../../plugins/buddypress/bp-themes/bp-default/_inc/css/default.css );
/* Inherit the default theme adminbar styles */
@import url( ../../plugins/buddypress/bp-themes/bp-default/_inc/css/adminbar.css );

to

/* Inherit the default theme styles */
@import url(_inc/css/default.css );
/* Inherit the default theme adminbar styles */
@import url(_inc/css/adminbar.css );


cross fingers