Politics

The life of a campaign staffer

This is likely the third or fourth post in recent months I’ve begun with the words “It’s been awhile since my last post.” I’m now roughly producing just one post a month, likely an all-time low since I started writing on the web eight (or so) years ago. I’ve always had a good excuse for why I haven’t been writing, but this time I’ve got the best… I’ve become a campaign staffer.

First, I should update those of you who are curious about the result of my last “life update” post. The Vegas job didn’t come through, and while I’m still considering a move to Vegas, or elsewhere, it’s been put off until at least November. Should we win this election, it will be put off indefinitely.

In late February I took on the task of working on the campaign website for Rick Dancer, a Republican candidate for Oregon Secretary of State. While I have a working knowledge of Oregon politics, and am an amateur web designer, I have never taken on a project of this scale; and what has made the project all the more exciting, if not completely daunting, is that I was to work with a clean slate and create a web strategy for a campaign from scratch.

I got hooked up with Rick through Epinoia Café, an online community that my pastor and I formed about two years ago to discuss our questions about God, religion, and life. Rick, then a lead news anchor for one of the local television stations asked if I could help him create a personal blog. I acted as his webmaster up until his announcement to run for office, which is when he asked if I’d continue to work with him.

Without any hesitation, I said yes. I’d been dying to get a true web client to add to my portfolio, as well as a deep desire to get back into the world of Oregon politics.

Rick, while running on the Republican ticket, is a very independent thinking individual; you have to be if you’re a public figure from Eugene, Oregon. Many journalists and bloggers think of him as the “republican sacrificial lamb,” since the last non-democrat elected to one of the states’ three highest offices (Governor, Secretary of State, & Treasurer), was more than a decade ago. But, he is no such thing. As a journalist for more than 20-years he investigated the legislature, politicians, and government agencies. He also strove to give people a voice in their community.

The Secretary of State is most well known for overseeing elections and auditing of the government; the same things Rick did as a journalist. He is committed to ensuring, and increasing, public participation in the governing process. He is no politician; and while most political insiders see that as his weakness, it is his greatest strength.

What it all boils down to however, is Rick is in an uphill battle. He is running as a Republican in a State that hasn’t voted for a Republican in over a decade, in addition to it being considered by media pundits around the country a very bad year to be a member of the party. Additionally, the Oregon Republican Party is in no place to give Rick the financial support it would take to win a statewide seat.

However, I believe that Rick Dancer is the real deal. Not only as a candidate, but as a human being, who more than anything cares about people.

What began as a simple and typical campaign website, turned into a multi-media platform. I’m proud of the strategy that we’ve come up with which has formed rather organically.

My roll has grown from being “the web guy” to “communications guy” to now something more. Spending nearly every hour of my day (save for when I’m working my “real job” at the newspaper) at the campaign office or on the campaign trail with Rick.

It has been a truly awesome experience, and one I plan to continue to keep my blog readers up to date on in the future.

Tags: 2008 election, campaigning, Oregon politics, Rick Dancer