As promised yesterday, here is the PA installment of my Virginia and Pennsylvania update!
I have to say off the bat that probably the low point of this trip thus far (and hopefully this remains the case, because all things being equal it really wasn’t THAT bad), was driving up from VA to PA. Not only did I run into every traffic snag imaginable (I’m looking at you, D.C., where every hour is rush hour...), but I also got caught in several substantial storms. Like, waterfalls pouring from the sky, zero visibility storms...my least favorite kind of driving, besides driving in ice. By the time I got to my grandmother’s house just outside of Philly, I was basically ready to kiss the ground. Let’s just say, east coast driving, especially where I-95 is concerned, is a little bit of an adventure for someone who typically just gets around on public transit. But I made it! And hey, Hillary is totally worth it.
My first assignment in PA was working with the Delaware County Dems (Delco Dems) on Saturday, where we were canvassing for a downticket special election: Chris Quinn (R) vs. Diane Cornman-Levy (D) for PA House, district 168. I actually got a little bit invested in this race during the very short time I was aware of it and working for it. Cornman-Levy sounds like a fantastic candidate, and I really do hope she gets elected, especially with her priorities re: education and sensible gun regulation. The good news is that the Dems feel good about their ground game and the number of absentee ballots that have been turned in. The bad news is that it’s a special election in the middle of July, so turnout is going to be pretty low—advantage, Republican (BOOOOO!!!).
For this particular canvassing excursion, I had the great pleasure of going around with Elaine Schaefer, PA state rep from the 165th district. We had a fantastic time talking to voters, particularly the ones who hadn’t previously been aware of Tuesday’s election, but who, by the time we finished talking to them, seemed like they at least had the race on their radar. But we also had the chance to discuss the presidential election and women in politics amongst ourselves between houses. One thing that was particularly interesting: Rep. Schaefer mentioned that she had met Diane Cornman-Levy through Emerge PA, an offshoot of Emerge America, which is an organization devoted to training Democratic women to run for office at all levels. I think this organization sounds fascinating...I have no plans of running for office personally, but I kind of want to check it out just to see what it’s about! According to Rep. Schaefer, they teach you how to do things like fundraise, interview, etc., and even better, you don’t have to have a law degree to go through it. (That was literally my first question: “Do you need to have a law degree for this?” and she responded, “Oh god no.”) I thought it was even cooler, though, that it clearly builds up a sense of camaraderie among the women who go through it, given that here was Rep. Schaefer out campaigning on a spectacularly humid, drizzly summer day for her colleague.
Rep. Schaefer and I also played a rousing game of “Profile that House!” in which you try to discern from a house’s landscape features, decor, and vehicles in the driveway whether the occupants are Democrats or Republicans (regardless of what your list may say). Yes, it totally relies on stereotypes, which even I acknowledge break down badly in places like Kentucky. But in case you want to play, here are the telling features as determined by Rep. Schaefer’s extensive field research:
- Fuel-efficient vehicle in the driveway? Democrat. SUV or giant, fuel-inefficient truck in the driveway? Republican.
- Well-manicured, chemically treated lawn? Republican. Lawn taken over by weeds or rain water collector present? Democrat.
- Christian paraphernalia or “Support our Troops”/Veterans decor? Republican. Pagan/Buddhist symbols in the garden? Democrat.
- Children’s toys everywhere? Doesn’t matter, too busy to vote.
It’s funny how often it works, but then again it’s also funny when it doesn’t and people surprise you by going against your expectations. I may have to do a compare/contrast version of this list for the Midwest when we start going out canvassing again! Anyway, fellow Kossacks, I know your Tuesday evenings have been feeling empty and lonesome since the primary ended, but please know that with this special election, I have solved that problem for you this week! Tomorrow night, be sure to watch the results of the Chris Quinn (R)/Diane Cornman-Levy (D) PA House as they face off in Delaware County, PA (District 168).
While electing downballot Dems is key, I did want to put in a solid day’s work for the Hillary campaign specifically while I was in PA. So, on Sunday, I went out to Montgomery County for a voter registration event that I found on the official campaign website’s “Events” page. (If you haven’t used this page yet to find things near you, do it! It’s great!). Ended up having such a blast. At this event, I had the great fortune of meeting Carol, a woman originally from Trinidad who worked on the Obama ‘08 campaign and is now working for HRC in ‘16. The two of us easily passed the four hours we were set up in the grocery store lobby registering voters, exchanging stories from the campaign trail, and sharing how we got involved in political work.
Carol, locally known as the “Queen of Voter Registration” had been registering voters since Obama’s ‘08 campaign. “Obama really taught me that I could make a difference,” she told me in her distinct Caribbean cadence. “I am only one person. But if I do my part, and you do your part, and there are people all over the country doing their parts, together, it all adds up, and we can change everything.” Think about it with voter registration: over those four hours, Carol and I registered 7 voters at our table, a little under two per hour...not too shabby, all things being equal. If you game that out even in a very basic way, say that there were 50 other people doing voter registration that day in Pennsylvania, that’s 350 new voter registrations in one day. Over the course of several months, that can add up really quickly.
I have to say, I was grateful to have Carol with me for the day with the PA voter registration forms. They are definitely among the more bewildering forms I have encountered across several states in that they ask for your Municipality/Township in addition to your city and county. Being from out of state, I have no local knowledge of such things and how they worked. Carol, on the other hand, could easily place street addresses and zip codes in their proper Muncipalities/Townships. Technically you can leave it blank and they go by your zip code/address,but the more info they have, the better. Regardless, PA definitely wins for “most confusing voter registration form,” at least that I have personally seen.
With that, I have departed Pennsylvania for New Hampshire (my first ever visit to the latter!). So far, it is absolutely lovely up here, and I have decided based on my 5-hour stay thus far that I may never leave, between the perfect summer evening temperatures, the wonderful people at the NH Dems office, and the gorgeous New England landscape. Tomorrow, I am off to the joint Hillary/Bernie rally in Portsmouth, followed by what I hope will be a relatively full afternoon/evening of phone calls. Updates and photos to come!
Roadtripping for Hillary is an independent initiative by violining247 to travel across the eastern swing states in an effort to elect Hillary and other downballot Democrats in November. To support this effort, please consider a donation through GoFundMe.