Evan Wright ’21

John Rocco Calabrese for 29th Assembly, Menomonie, WI

This summer, I had the amazing opportunity to intern for John Rocco Calabrese, a candidate for Wisconsin’s 29th Assembly District. I grew up in a small town about an hour to the north and west of this expansive district’s center, so I got to spend my summer fighting for working people on my home turf. My experience was incredibly fulfilling and grounding, and I gained a great deal of knowledge from my time on the Calabrese for Assembly campaign team.

Much of my enthusiasm for this internship was driven by the candidate I worked for. John Rocco Calabrese is a carpenter and anti-corruption activist who decided to run for the state Senate when an unexpected vacancy opened up in late 2017. I discovered John through his website soon after he kicked off his campaign, and immediately recognized his promise. He ended up losing his primary, but afterwards worked tirelessly on behalf of his former opponent. When he decided to run for Assembly, I told him I wanted to help. Through the support of an ASIP grant from the ’68 Center for Career Exploration, I was soon moving into my new apartment in Menomonie, Wisconsin, the home base of the campaign.

Between the time I arrived, and my departure 10 weeks later, I was involved in almost every aspect of the campaign. My duties were incredibly varied; they took me from one corner of the district to the other and allowed me to gain campaign experience in many different areas. I door-knocked; designed an inexpensive, versatile flyer; updated and improved the campaign’s website; handed out literature in parades; conducted research about the issues, our opponent, and the district; advised John on rhetorical and campaign strategy; worked to get endorsements; helped organize a postcard-writing campaign; and gave my opinion on a myriad of important campaign decisions, to name several of my contributions. The various roles I played working for this small campaign gave me relevant experience that I likely could not have picked up at a larger organization. As an intern at a large campaign, I most likely would have been relegated to a single of the campaign’s numerous branches, and would have remained largely ignorant of the larger machinations of the political machine. Additionally, I would not have been able to participate in high-level decision-making or organizational efforts. When working for John, I played the role of fieldwork director, researcher, campaign manager, strategist, advisor, data analyst, event planner—essentially most positions of paid staffers.

I am particularly proud of my work helping to organize and execute our early canvassing operations. In addition to canvassing several wards of the district myself, I developed easy-to-use sheets for future volunteers. After consulting with the other main canvassing organizer, I created a guide for volunteers to use, and a centralized system of recording interactions with voters. We expect canvassing to be one of the main ways in which we contact voters before the fall election. If my system is fully implemented in the coming months, our ability to reach the people of the district should be greatly increased.

Though we do not have a massive organization, deep pockets, or experienced strategists at our disposal, John’s all-volunteer campaign has generated significant enthusiasm in the 29th District and beyond. Our “A-team” of dedicated volunteers and organizers is made up of ordinary citizens concerned about issues such as health care, money in politics, and the environment. Our politics is one of passion and conviction, driven forward by everyday people dedicated to making the world a better place.

And the people of John’s campaign are truly extraordinary. One volunteer, for example, canvassed almost every ward of Menomonie herself; another with an accounting background became our treasurer. John himself is a steadfast advocate for working people, refusing to take big checks or corporate money, and running circles around the district to get our message out. In my three months there, I met an incredible number of people willing to lend us a hand in any capacity they could, be it by donating, volunteering, or simply spreading the word to their friends and neighbors.

One of the reasons the campaign is generating so much enthusiasm is our message. Of course, there are partisan issues that divide the voters in our district, but many of the issues we are running on are agreed upon by large majorities. For example, our main campaign issue is the fight to rid our politics of the corrupting influence of big money. In local referenda on the subject, about 80 percent of people have supported this effort. Especially in Wisconsin, there is an issue that has superseded partisan fights in recent years: the issue of representation. For nearly eight years, Wisconsin’s political map has been viciously gerrymandered. Additionally, a torrent of big money has flooded into our politics, mostly benefitting a single political party. As a result, this party has a permanent majority in the legislature. Wisconsinites of nearly all political stripes are being ignored by our state and national government. If John is elected, his primary goal is not to win partisan victories, but to restore a government that listens to and works for ordinary people. By running for office, John is trying to restore the promises of democracy, and by working for him I hope to have helped.

Of course, I joined the campaign to fight for working people. However, by doing this internship I also gained valuable skills and knowledge that could make political advocacy my career. During the campaign, I accumulated a great deal of knowledge about multiple elements of a political campaign, as well as a general sense of how to organize one. My interpersonal skills, as well as my communication abilities, have increased dramatically. Overall, I am now a lot more comfortable and competent at operating in the political sphere.

I genuinely enjoyed my time in working for the John Rocco Calabrese for Assembly campaign. This opportunity has reinforced my interest in political science, and has made me more seriously consider working on campaigns as a career. The substantial amount of real-world experience I gained will undoubtedly strengthen my ability to think complexly about political issues, and will likely influence my perspective on the subject in an academic setting. Politics is extraordinarily complicated, and fully understanding it is likely out of reach for even the most intelligent and knowledgeable person. However, I have made significant inroads in my effort to understand our complex, multifaceted body politic, and in the process I have realized that I truly enjoy the process of campaigning to make the world a better place.

Without the support of the ASIP grant, I would not have been able to take this internship. Thank you to my alumni sponsors and the ’68 Center for Career Exploration for this incredible opportunity.