What It's Like on the Campaign Trail

 Hey Mass!

This past semester I have worked on the Maura Healey Campaign for Governor! With the election this past week 11/8, I figured now would be a good time to chat about the timeline, my roles, and the ending of my time on this campaign.

I was hired in early September of 2022, and my day-to-day roles included volunteer recruitment, and canvassing- along with some other tasks that weren't day-to-day. We'll get into those in a little bit!

September: On my first day on the job, I was asked to go to Union Station in Springfield, MA. We were just three days after the primary election and Maura Healey's and Kim Driscoll's first trip to the area since the win. It was a really fun day- I got to help one of governor-elect Healey's media personnel to set up the press conference, along with mingling with other officials who serve Western MA. Kim Driscoll- Lt. Governor-Elect and I were able to have a conversation.

Kim Driscoll, Union Station, September 2022 (Rose McCaffrey)

Call Count: Approximately 900 

Door Count: Approximately 200

October: October is when the campaign and my duties really started to get more intense. On October 1st, I drove from Springfield to Amherst to canvas out there. This canvas had what we call a "kick-off" rally. The main speaker of this rally- at this point, candidate for Lt. Governor, Kim Driscoll. I was able to have my second conversation with her of the campaign. 

Kim Driscoll and myself, Amherst, October 1st, 2022 (Kim Driscoll Campaign Staff)

On October 16th, we opened our Springfield Coordinated Campaign Office. We were joined by Mayor Sarno, almost all of the city council, Jake Olivera- candidate for state senate, and Kim Driscoll. During this party, my boss gave a brief speech and wanted to acknowledge the hard work that I had done on this campaign. I was met with cheers and a standing ovation. Kim Driscoll came over to me and we had another conversation. I taught her what the term Herstory meant, and we chatted about Salem- where she served for 17 years as the city's first woman mayor!

Springfield Coordinated Campaign Office, October 16th, 2022 (Lucas Benjamin)

Just a few weeks later- On October 29, I traveled to Longmeadow, MA. To help launch a canvass with the future Attorney General of Massachusetts- Andrea Campbell. I was able to chat with her about her goals for Mass, and how she was the first black woman to serve as President of the City Council of Boston.

Andrea Campbell and Eric Lesser, Longmeadow, October 29th, 2022 (Rose McCaffrey)

Call Count: Approximately 1500

Door Count: Approximately 200


November: November- only days until the election. The final countdown. On Saturday, November 5th, Springfield welcomed Maura Healey to our campaign office- a rally held courtesy of Hampden County Nick Cocchi. Almost every elected or prospective elected official in the western part of the state was at this rally. We had nearly 200 people show up to our rally. Which is nearly impossible to even fathom that I was a part of the planning phase!

L to R: Carlos Hernandez (Intern), Maura Healey, and Myself, November 5th, 2022, Springfield (Maura Healey Staff)


Elected Officials, November 5th, 2022, Springfield (Rose McCaffrey) 

Stay tuned for my blog post on Election Day!
 

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