Stories from the Campaign Trail

HANNA

On a hot summer day a few weeks ago, I canvassed a neighborhood in Brockton.  I rang the doorbell at this one brick house, and a middle-aged man came to the door holding a cool glass of lemonade in his right hand.  As he sipped, we talked about his struggle to educate his kids.  Despite the sky-high property taxes he was paying, Brockton public schools were underperforming, and now teachers were receiving pink slips.  He felt he had no choice and was sending his kids to private school, even though tuition would put a significant strain on his family.  We agreed that everyone was owed a quality public education and that Mac was the best person to fight for more funding down in Washington.  I only wish he’d given me a sip of his lemonade!

DIMITRI

Mac and I canvassed in Braintree earlier this month.  At the end of a particularly hot afternoon, Mac knocked on the final door of the day.  After about a minute, a very kindly old woman opened the door.  “Oh, thank God!  You two are just what I needed,” she said, with us a bit puzzled.  “I need two strong young men right now.”  The woman brought us back to the deck at the back of the house, where an old grill sat, rusted with age.  She told us that her relatives were coming over soon for a barbeque.  There was no gas left and they needed to replace the tank before company arrived.  The tank would simply not come off of the grill.  She handed Mac a wrench, and Mac, all too happy to help, went right to work.  For several minutes, we labored feverishly, trying to loosen the nut that tethered the tank to the grill.  Mac kept trying, even though it was clear that the nut was rusted to the bolt and would not come loose.  We apologized to the very understanding older woman.  Appreciating Mac’s effort, she immediately interjected, “You have my vote, my husband’s vote, and each of my 17 children’s votes.”

LIZ

Mac and I recently canvassed door-to-door together in Stoughton.  Tucked away on the same street, we found two of our strongest supporters of the day – Josh, 16, and Leona, 96.  We stopped at Josh’s house first, looking for his parents.  They weren’t home, but Josh was quick to speak at length about the many issues he personally cared about.  When I asked if he would be interested in volunteering or interning, he jumped at the opportunity.  Mac and I can’t wait for him to come on board!

We continued up the street, discussing how nice it was to meet a young person so engaged in the political process before he even has the right to vote.  We then came to Leona’s door.  She has been an advocate for peace for over forty years, and was worried about the world we were leaving to her great-grandchildren, ages 2 and 5.  She offered to give whatever help she could, explaining that, although she was legally blind, she still stayed engaged, calling Congress to express her opinion.  As we left Leona’s house, Mac and I were impressed by how remarkable it was that these neighbors, separated by 80 years, were united by their concern about the issues facing our nation today and their support for our campaign.

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