Students document New Hampshire presidential primary

Last week, 29 USF students left for a 10-day trip to New Hampshire to assist in presidential primary campaign efforts through the university’s “Road to the White House” class. 

New Hampshire’s primary is on Feb. 11.

The course only comes around every four years, during the presidential primaries.

The class is worth six credits. The New Hampshire trip counts as three internship credits, while the majority of the semester is spent working on seminar credits.

For the internship portion, the students are divided among eight campaigns, including former Vice President Joe Biden; Pete Buttigieg, former Democratic mayor of South Bend, Ind.; Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.; Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-Vt.; President Donald Trump; Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.; Andrew Yang; and the New Hampshire GOP.

During their trip, the students went to debates, met candidates and spoke to potential voters. 

The following excerpts are from blog posts the students have written throughout their trip.

Rebecca Nero, Elizabeth Warren campaign 

Feb. 6

This was the first day on our campaigns and it was super exciting!!!! We got to meet our campaign supervisors and they were all nice. We were able to canvas and phone bank to talk to the voters. We are mostly targeting all of the undecided voters, something I observed is many people were between Warren and Sanders. Interesting. Overall, a great day, love this journey for me.

Peyton Johnson, Bernie Sanders campaign 

Feb. 6

I am thrilled to announce that in combination with a tour of the non-heated New Hampshire Republican Party, we got to see Senator Bernie Sanders on Tuesday(…) He talked about everything from prison reform to Medicare for All. I began to cry during his discussion about Medicare for All. I need a president who will take care of not only my medical bills, but my pre-existing condition(…) I am beyond proud to be a Sanders supporter. Tuesday was the first time I felt seen in this campaign. The first time I felt someone was looking out for me as an American. Nothing is more American than creating the freedom to live happily. 

Nicholas Pasierb, President Donald Trump campaign

Feb. 4

There are only three of us interning for President Trump, or for the Republican party for that matter, out of the 29 of us so I was sensing some contempt but I figured that was part of politics and was of no big concern. We were introduced to our boss, who is only 23, one year older than me, but it’s okay because he is amazing and a true professional. Since President Trump is looking pretty much like the Republican nominee, we did not have to hit the ground running(…) After lunch, we tried to do some phone banking and we quickly discovered that it is not as easy as it seems(…) We made over 200 calls each, which feels like a big number(…) After we left, we headed to a restaurant to watch the democratic returns come in for the Iowa caucus. However, after about 3 hours there, we left. Guess they didn’t call anything that night which is a shame because many of my classmates stayed up till almost 2 a.m. from what I have heard.

Not me… I was definitely asleep.

Fallia Gregory, Joe Biden campaign 

Feb. 1

I am so excited for this amazing opportunity to intern for Presidential hopeful Joe Biden! I chose him based on his countless years of working for us, the middle class, women, children, students, workers and tackles the tough issues such as immigration, healthcare and college affordability(…) This course will introduce me to Presidential campaigns and all that goes into making it all happen. There will be late nights, sleepless nights, but all of that is in order to fight for what you believe in to make the world a better place for all. Having worked on campaigns previously, I know some of the hard work that goes into them but nothing is quite like a Presidential campaign! Beyond honored for this opportunity and to represent USF St. Petersburg! Go Bulls!

Halley Hobbs, Pete Buttigieg campaign 

Feb. 6

Tuesday morning, we visited the State House in Concord, New Hampshire. We had a tour of that building then went to the Republican headquarters(…) We also went canvassing in Bedford, New Hampshire. Tuesday night, we went to Pete’s town hall in Concord. We helped check people into the venue, then I heard him speak for the very first time. 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.

Samantha Fiore, Amy Klobuchar campaign

Feb. 3

After getting a full night of sleep, we woke up bright and early to be on the vans by 8:30 a.m. to be at our internship placements. Jadzia “Jazzy” Duarte and I made our way to Amy Klobuchar’s state headquarters, where we quickly were given a very important task: putting stamps on Commitment to Vote (CTV) cards.

After putting stamps on all the CTVs, we took a nice walk to the post office, headed back to the office, and helped prepare for all of the events Amy has this week(…) This meant that we packed three different boxes with all the necessary supplies.

After dropping off more CTVs at the post office and grabbing a quick lunch, we headed back to the office to begin making phone calls(…) This was an awesome chance to speak to voters, hear what some of their key issues were in this election (mostly electability and beating Trump) and encourage them to consider voting for Amy.

All-in-all, it was a really fun first day. Everyone in Amy’s office was really kind and appreciative of our help. It was a rewarding feeling at the end of the day knowing we helped contribute, even a little, to a massive presidential campaign for an amazing woman. 

Mitchell Etheridge, Andrew Yang campaign

Feb. 7

Canvassing is the best in the snow!!

To keep up with the students during their trip to New Hampshire, check the class blog on USF St. Petersburg’s website.

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Written by: James Bennett on February 10, 2020.
Last revised by: Kat PiccoloApril 19, 2020.