Alumni Share Firsthand Experiences on the Campaign Trail

On October 22, three Groton alumni—Allie Banwell ’12, Luke Holey ’16, and Roselle Lovell Smith ’18—spoke on a panel about their experiences working for political campaigns.

Luke is working as a digital associate for one of the most closely watched campaigns in the country—an effort by Democrat Jaime Harrison to unseat longtime South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsay Graham. “Our race is like a toss-up, a coin flip,” he said. To Luke, the tight race has meant long hours, excitement, and intense emphasis on fundraising during his “coffee-fueled push to the finish.”

“We are sort of doubling down,” he said. “I’m reframing content to make sure it’s pushing donations. I’m trying to get stuff that will have higher traction.”

Allie, who has worked on various campaigns and now serves as campaign manager for Kate Schroder, a candidate for Ohio’s first congressional district, discussed the unpredictable nature of a political campaign. “There’s no typical day on a campaign … you wake up and you go,” Allie said. A seemingly routine day can derail quickly, she explained, whether from a story in the media or something said by the president or the opposing candidate.

Allie also spoke about the emotional haul of the campaign trail, after being on it for almost a year. “When you get so close and you can see the end in sight, it’s really exciting, and a lot of the fun stuff starts to happen,” said Allie, who has focused much of her time recently on debate preparation and making sure the campaign runs smoothly. “There gets to a point where there’s not that much else you can do; all your plans are done. You just have to push through to the end.”

Roselle interned this past summer for Dan Feltes, a candidate for governor of New Hampshire. With a laugh she said, “I don’t have a huge amount of experience on campaigns. I’ve only interned on one this summer.” Nevertheless, she explained her desire to enter politics. “I’ve always really been interested in politics, but it was really shaped by my time at Groton ... I think being affected by world affairs is something that happens to you at Groton, but you don’t really feel like you can act on them, even though you’re asked to discuss and critique them,” she said. “So when I was at college, I really knew that I wanted to go into politics as a career, because in my mind it was the easiest way to make real change on issues that matter to me.”

The panelists all acknowledged the impact of COVID-19 on their roles and their respective campaigns. For Allie, the pandemic postponed the primary. “It totally turns your world upside down, and it was a real stressor at first, but every good person on a campaign, and every campaign, has to be nimble,” she said. “Something will always destroy your day, and this is just a grander example of that.” Her candidate’s campaign, like the others, have adapted to the pandemic. “Campaigning is all about reaching people, and if you’re in the middle of a pandemic, how do you do that in a way that’s safe?” Allie asked. “In some ways it’s really encouraged creativity and going back to basics … virtual rallies and rallies that are socially distant, a greater emphasis on phone-banking.”

Luke elaborated on Allie’s point. “Think about how you engage people on social media in a campaign,” he said. “It’s videos of speeches, interviews, crowds, ways to show people you’re excited ... It’s part of the appeal of a campaign. And now, you have to keep people engaged on social media, but your candidate has to be in their basement. It’s forced us to come up with new ways we can show his personality and make him seem human to the electorate. It’s definitely different … It definitely forces you to be creative, but it’s been a really cool challenge.”

Roselle said that, due to the pandemic, her work was entirely online except on primary day. “It’s hard to do the kind of campaign work you want to do while being socially distanced because so much of it is about creativity and community and working with the people who are on the campaign. It was definitely a learning curve,” she said, adding, “hopefully I won’t have to work on a campaign in a pandemic again.”

The alumni panel was one of several virtual events organized to inform students about the election and encourage their involvement. The panelists all cited Groton’s curriculum as a springboard toward their political passions, specifically noting courses by history teachers Stacey Spring and John Lyons. They offered words of advice to all Groton students, encouraging them to get involved now at their local level, whether it be through phone banking, petitioning their representatives, or staying up-to-date on current events and campaign information.—Annie O’Leary ’21

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