John Geahan graduated from GVSU in 2008 with a major in political science. If you have a story to share from Campaign 2008, please email Professor Richards: richardm@gvsu.edu
Here is part 1 of John's story, in his words:
“I find myself struggling every day [since Election Tuesday] trying to figure out what I am supposed to be doing with myself. I am not making phone calls, I am not knocking on doors, I am not preparing for tomorrow. It is such a surreal feeling to have free time again. I hate it so much!”
– This conversation happened about 5 times a day after Election Day.
Part 1: An introduction to Campaign Field Work and How I Got There
Good afternoon and hello to you, political scientists! My name is John Geahan, and I am working to return to normal life after a roller coaster ride over the last four months. I was afforded an opportunity to work on Barack Obama’s historical and innovative Presidential Campaign. I worked as a Field Organizer in Michigan and North Carolina between July 5th and November 4th, and I have been asked by Professor Mark Richards to share my experiences and stories with you, covering my ‘short’ trek with the campaign.
I worked as a Field Organizer in Clare, Missaukee, and Roscommon Counties, located in the Middle of the Mitten. These counties were the ‘frontier’ counties to our region, and were located along the US-127 Corridor north of Mount Pleasant. The three counties populated around 71,000 people, averaging out to about 40 people per square mile. There were three “cities” in my turf and five “villages,” as well as a few unincorporated population centers and small smatterings of crossroads that had four way stops and general stores. The area was traditionally conservative, with Missaukee County getting recognition for being one of the top Republican turnout counties in the state. For example: Bush carried the county 66/34 in 2004 and Dick DeVos carried it 68/32. Ironically, Carl Levin wins the county overwhelmingly too, but that’s a different story.
This year, in 2008, we picked up 8 points to bring the margin to 60/40 for McCain. It's places like Missaukee County that we “win where we lose,” meaning places we bring our margins up are the places that help give the overall state numbers a small boost. Those small boosts in a state that are generally red outside Grand Rapids, Lansing, Flint, Saginaw, Traverse City, and Detroit-Metro are what make the elections. Here in Michigan, a landslide would be a 53/47 percent victory. Michigan has always been a tight state; this being true for Presidential Elections, Congressional Elections, Gubernatorial Elections, and in many cases, even local/state elections, but not this year.
The challenges and obstacles I faced were monumental when I first began working on the campaign, from things like wondering ‘how I was going to find enough volunteers to fill team roles’ to ‘finding any Barack Obama supporters period.’ On a daily basis, I would get yelled and screamed at by people who were genuinely offended to be called by “his” campaign, and would be talked down to for supporting the candidate that I did. Sundays were the days I dreaded the most, as people would tell me they were ‘praying for me because I was calling on a Sunday’ or ‘praying my candidate would lose horribly.’
It takes a lot of thick skin and a knack for innovation and adaptability to get started working as an organizer. My first days were days spent wondering how I was going to find supporters in traditionally Republican counties in the Middle of Michigan. The turf I took over had already broken one organizer; he lasted 2 weeks. Knowing this, I knew I was in for the ride of my life.
My Story – How I Ended up On Staff
Let me first preface this by saying that anyone who willingly and enthusiastically agrees to work in the field for a large-scale campaign is either totally nuts or has an unhealthy crush on the person they’re working to elect. In many cases, it is generally a little of column A and a little of column B. But in any case, ask anyone who makes the decision to become an integral part of this insaniTeam, and they will tell you verbatim the same thing: “I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”
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On July 2nd, I got a message on Facebook from a friend I hadn’t talked to since high school, saying that Barack Obama’s campaign had opened up an office in Grand Rapids, and they were looking for volunteers to get involved with the campaign. Volunteer work? I kind of need a job. I don’t know what kind of time I can put into this, I remember thinking as soon as I read through his message. But why not? This kind of opportunity doesn’t exactly fall into your lap every day. I had an extended conversation with my dad about becoming involved with the campaign, even if only on a volunteer level, and it was his advice that really got me into that office.
“John, just remember this. You are still young and you have plenty of time to settle into a career. Go out and do something stupid, and something that may not end up paying you. This is the time to get some real experience. We will support you in whatever you end up doing.”
So July 5, I met with the Field Organizer working Ward 2 of Grand Rapids for coffee to sit down and have a one-on-one meeting. It was initially a ‘find out what I can do consistently with the campaign’ meeting, that eventually broke down into a 2 hour talk about every aspect of the campaign. I walked out of that meeting with an internship on that day, and spent 5 hours in the office that afternoon/evening getting myself familiar with the operation.
Within a week, I was tallying my 16th voter registration form, and my 300th volunteer call. I was becoming somewhat of a ‘regular’ in the office, and was starting to really get comfortable with the entire operation. Within 2 weeks, I was targeting high foot traffic locations in Grand Rapids and organizing voter registration drives in those places. Voter registration has been an integral part of this campaign, and has arguably been the driving force in keeping him in the race. When you look at or hear about all of the new voters registered across the nation, most of those registered within the Democratic Party came from the campaign efforts. Of course, many of the new registrants come from third-party organizations, but most of those registered by the Campaign for Change made up a huge portion of the first-time voters.
And then, July 30th, there came the call for real action. I was talking to the FO I was working with, John “Ed” Carr, and he happened to mention that the campaign was looking to hire 28 people into the Michigan staff. He sat me down with Magdey, who was the Regional Field Director (for a lack of a better term, he was the regional boss), and we talked about the seriousness of what taking a job with the campaign might mean. And by this point, I was already putting in almost 60 hours of volunteer work during the week, going so far as to come in early in the morning or staying late to make sure that all of the data got put back into the system, and would be available for the next days’ activities (if necessary).
And after a quick 20 minute conversation about what working for the campaign would entail, he gave me the staff referral hiring link and I took the next step with the campaign. I got a call on Saturday, August 1 from the Deputy Field Director for the Western side of Michigan, and offered me the job right on the spot. By Tuesday, he said, I would be leaving for job training in Lansing, and would be given a turf assignment by Thursday.
Looking back, my only regret was not getting involved sooner.
This was post #1 in a series of 5 I have planned for the GV PS blog.
Upcoming Posts:
- Day 1 on Staff: The Stories in the Middle of the Mitten
- No, you’re not fired. In fact, you’re going to North Carolina
- Respect, Empower, Include, and the Stories I will Carry On Forever
- Blood, Sweat, and Tears: How I Survived and Advice for Future Field Staff Whackos