Students spend the summer working on campaigns during a critical election year

“There are so many more young people working in politics and campaigns than anyone who is not from this world would imagine or know about,” LaFountaine said.

He attributes this to the timing of campaigns that expire in November, and the fact that young people often have a bit more freedom in their schedules. But the impact of getting young people involved in campaign work goes beyond that, he says.

“Campaigns don’t always know how to reach young people, and having that voice in the room allows us to do that better and know what young people care about, especially since we’re voting more often,” LaFountaine said.

Sophomore political theory and constitutional democracy student Jai Patel is working as an intern for John Fitzgerald’s campaign for the 83rd District House of Representatives. A significant part of his role is canvassing, and he believes this role can help turn out young voters.

“A lot of people are turning 18, and a lot of people are going to register to vote this election,” Patel said. “Just having someone who has had a similar experience would be really helpful.”

Sophomore Business Preference student Sydney Martin works as a finance intern for Curtis Hertel’s campaign in Michigan’s 7th Congressional District. She said working on the campaign could be a great introduction to politics for young people.

“When young people are able to… get involved in politics, we have the power to make the world a better place and make it a better place for everyone,” Martin said.

This was one of the reasons why Martin wanted to get involved in Hertel’s campaign at all.

“I felt like I could make a significant difference by supporting candidates who are striving to make a positive impact in the community around us,” she said.

As an MSU student, Martin gets even more out of the campaign because the 7th District, where Hertel runs, includes East Lansing and Lansing.

“It’s an opportunity to get to know my community,” Martin said. “It’s an opportunity, I think, to learn more about Lansing and see the tangible impact of the work being done in politics.”

Patel added that, along with Fitzgerald, he is one of the few people on the campaign trail who actually lives in their district.

“I try to put 120% effort into acquisition, even if it’s not required, because that means a lot to me, too,” he said.

For LaFountaine, connecting with the community is an important part of the campaign. He initially worked as a legislative intern for MacDonell but has taken on a more policy- and research-oriented position.

“There is a lot more face-to-face interaction and relationships in the community, which I really value when working on a campaign, compared to the legislature where there really aren’t those relationships,” he said.

As campaign manager, LaFountaine has a hand in many different elements of MacDonell’s candidacy.

“As a state representative campaign, I feel like there’s a little less staff than some national campaigns… so I feel like I’m in an all-encompassing role,” he said. “I’m making sure we’re applying to the right endorsements, that we have a good budget so we’re not overspending and that we know how much we need to raise… and we’re also targeting voters.”

Even in smaller state-level campaigns, the team and people behind each decision are incredibly important.

“The whole team is behind you,” Patel said. “You have interns, coordinators, a field manager who supervises interns and volunteers, a social media person. There’s a lot going on, but seeing the whole team working together really makes you work even harder.

LaFountaine learned a lot from each element of his role, and his involvement in it changed his view of politics and campaigns.

“Before I started working there, I had a lot of misconceptions about campaigns and how they work,” he said. “Understanding more about how they actually connect with voters and fundraise, it’s not as dirty as it may have seemed before.”

Connections with people and community are at the heart of the campaign. Lafountaine said they don’t just want to get money or votes.

“We’re trying hardest to get our message out and talk about the issues that Sharon cares about, like reproductive freedom, education and infrastructure, making sure people know where she stands,” he said.

LaFountaine also noted that politics looks very different when you are actively involved in it.

“I think the nature of politics when you’re not actively working in it can become really polarizing,” he said. “Having worked there, I think it’s a lot less polarizing than it might seem from the outside. I feel like the conversations I have are always quite cordial, nice and… values-based.”

Patel noted that working on the campaign made him stop seeing politics as something “up there” or unattainable.

“There are a lot of things going on, but it’s all more down-to-earth,” he said. “Civilians can get involved in politics by simply sharing an idea with a representative, and then you can even bill them for it.”

Martin similarly believes that working in politics has given her a more positive perspective.

“When you see the people behind politics, when you see that they want the best for the community that they are a part of… I like being close and seeing the good in politics and the good impact it can have,” she said.

Although he is not working on a national campaign, the state of federal politics and the presidential election are influencing state-level campaigns. LaFountaine said people are more nervous than ever.

“I think people just don’t like the choices they’re making in the first place, and that kind of diminishes those voting effects,” he said.

Martin noted a strong sense of determination given how critical this election year will be.

“More people are politically active and aware,” she said. “This environment fosters dialogue and motivates us to be more diligent and strategic in engaging with our community and solving its problems.”

LaFountaine also noted that if voters aren’t satisfied with national-level politics, it’s important for them to focus on local elections.

“I think people need to kind of go back to them (local elections) and put the emphasis on local races and what they can do in their communities to make things better if they’re not comfortable with the way things are. at the national level,” he said.

If people focus too much on what isn’t being done in the White House or Congress, they may not realize what’s actually happening in their state, LaFountaine said.

“Michigan policy works very differently,” he said. “There is a lot going on at the state level. If you see what the Legislature is doing and passing, there’s a lot of work we can do in Michigan that could happen regardless of who wins the presidency or Congress.”