Students spend summer working on campaigns in crucial election year

“There are a lot more young people working in politics and campaigns than someone who isn’t from this world could imagine or know,” 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 in this election,” Patel said. “Just having someone who shares a similar experience with them would be really helpful.”

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

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

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

“I felt I could contribute to meaningful change by supporting candidates who strive to positively impact the community around us,” she said.

As an MSU student, Martin benefits from the campaign even more because the 7th District, where Hertel is running, 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 that’s been 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 electioneering, even when I don’t have to, because it also means a lot to me,” 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’s a lot more face-to-face interaction and relationships in the community that I really value when working on a campaign, compared to legislation, where you don’t really have those relationships,” he said.

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

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

Even in state-level campaigns, the team and people behind each decision play an extremely important role.

“You have a whole team behind you,” Patel said. “You have interns, coordinators, a field manager who oversees interns and volunteers, a social media person. There are just so many things that are happening, but seeing the whole team work together really makes you work even harder.

With each element of his role, LaFountaine learned a lot, and being so involved changed his perspective on politics and campaigns.

“I had a lot of misconceptions about campaigns before I started working in them and how they operated,” he said. “Once I got a better understanding of how they actually contact voters and raise funds, it turned out to be not as dirty as it may have seemed before.”

At the heart of the campaign is connecting with people and the community. Lafountaine said they’re not just looking to win 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 politics stop feeling like something “lofty” and unattainable to him.

“There are a lot of things going on, but everything is more mundane,” he said. “Civilians can get involved in politics by simply sharing an idea with a representative, and then you can even bill for it.”

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

“When you can see how people stand behind politics, when you see that they want the best things for the community that they are a part of… I like being able to be up close and see the good in politics and what can have a good impact,” she said.

Despite the lack of national campaign work, the state of federal politics and the presidential election is impacting 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 creates dialogue and motivates us to be more diligent and strategic in our efforts to engage with the community and address its concerns.”

LaFountaine also noted that if voters are not satisfied with national-level policies, it is important for them to focus on local elections.

“I think people should kind of go back to them (local elections) and put the emphasis on local races and what they can do in their communities to improve things if they don’t feel comfortable with the way things are going at the national level,” he said.

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

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