Road to the White House 2020 Halley Hobbs

Saturday was such a fun day! I met some amazing volunteers and Michael J. Fox!! Saturday the entire class went to the 100 Club Dinner. That was an amazing event where we were able to hear from all the candidates in person. I was so impressed that Pete had the biggest section there. It made me so proud to be on team Pete. I even made some new friends, Lily and Nic. While we were at the 100 Club Dinner, we were able to shake Pete’s hand after he spoke and get a picture with his New Hampshire Political Director. Not to mention they were handing out a lot of free merch! I also met Pat who is one of Pete’s biggest supporters.  

On Friday we did office work in morning for a little bit, then we went to St. Ansel m college for debate visibility. It was so cold but we stood out on the street for about 5 hours before the debate just holding up Pete 2020 signs next to people from other campaigns. It had to be the coldest I’ve ever been in my entire life, but I honestly would not have wanted to be anywhere else. It was an amazing experience! After we got back to the hotel, I watched the CNN debate.

Thursday, we went to St. Anselm college for a tour. It had snowed so much the night before that we had a snow ball fight on our way into the college. Then we went to our Pete office and were assigned our turf for canvassing. I had such a great experience! A lot of Pete supporters in this area. The thing about canvassing is that you are walking for hours in the freezing cold, up and down hills. Maybe one in five houses answer the door, if that. Of the people that answered the door, the majority of them were undecided or had Pete in their top two choices. When you meet an undecided voter, it is up to you to persuade them onto #teampete. Every time that I went out canvassing, I found that I got better and better at talking to people. I have to admit that it was way out of my comfort zone to be the one to start a conversation. Now I feel like a pro. This trip has made me a much more outgoing person. After canvassing we went to the Manchester office to make phone calls for the remain...

On Wednesday we went to the climate forum in the morning to hear Amy Klobuchar speak about her climate platform before she had to fly to Washington to vote on Donald Trump’s impeachment. All 29 of us ran to the State House to meet the governor of New Hampshire, Governor Sununu. We attended an executive meeting. Then we headed back to the climate forum to see the last few minutes of Yang speak. We also were able to take a picture with him. Then we went to our office in Manchester, New Hampshire to make phone calls for the remainder of the day.

Tuesday morning, we visited the state house in Concord, NH. We had a tour of that building then went to the republican headquarters. Tuesday team Pete took over the iamusfsp Instagram page. We also went canvassing in Bedford, NH. Tuesday night we went to the Pete’s town hall in Concord. We helped check people in and the venue then I heard him speak for the very first time in person. Even though I was right next to him there were so many people I wasn't able to shake his hand but just being a foot away from him made me happy and I was able to listen to a conversation he had with a man about helping people with disabilities. I was able to take a picture with Chasten, Pete’s husband, and I further solidified that Pete is my guy. Everything he cares about is what I care about and I believe he is the one with the most realistic and comprehensive solutions to the problems this country and this planet are facing. 

Monday, we went to Pete’s headquarters in Manchester. We had training where we learned how to phone bank and how to canvas. I had never done either before. I have to admit I was a little nervous in the beginning, but then I realized the worst that can happen is they hang up on me or say a few mean words. Nothing I can’t handle! At night we all met at Margaritas, a Mexican restaurant in Salem, NH. We had a taco bar for dinner and churros for dessert. We also called someone that was at the Iowa caucus while watching it on TV. I never understood why Iowa was so hyped up in the media and after watching it I now understand. It is intense and it is a little climatic watching the people trying to convince voters that have to pick a different candidate because they didn’t get more than 15% of the vote.