Student Spotlights: Binghamton Students Shaping Local Politics

Running a political campaign is hard work, and the challenge of creating a successful campaign is even greater in a region such as New York’s 22nd Congressional District. Last year, Claudia Tenney defeated Anthony Brindisi by a razor-thin margin in one of the most highly anticipated and contested House elections in the country. When two candidates are separated by as few as 12 votes, the work of each campaign employee is extremely important in securing every possible vote and campaign dollar. Several Binghamton University students had the opportunity to intern for one of these campaigns and be a part of this difficult and historic election.

Julia Stephens, a senior majoring in political science, was one of the interns on Claudia Tenney’s campaign who had a crucial role in its success. She had a wide range of responsibilities, including mobilizing 45 interns and volunteers, canvassing voters, and developing surveys and spreadsheets to maximize campaign strategy. Stephens hopes to one day have a career in politics, and this role was important in confirming this interest for her and showing her exactly what goes into creating a successful political campaign. She also gained valuable experience in policy research and had the opportunity to develop her leadership and teamwork skills since she had a large quantity of work to delegate across the interns and volunteers under her.

As for her favorite part of the internship, Stephens enjoyed the opportunity to meet and connect with voters and her fellow interns. “I enjoyed connecting with voters through door-to-door canvassing and phone call voter contact,” she said. “Getting the opportunity to speak and get to know voters who live in Broome County  on a personal level is what made this internship specifically meaningful to me.”

Other students, such as Michael Bartlett, interned for the opposing campaign. Bartlett is also a senior majoring in political science with a minor in history, and this internship was helpful for his future goals of shaping policy decisions in a think tank or the federal government. While interning for the Brindisi campaign, Bartlett was responsible for opposition research and rapid response. He monitored the social media accounts of the Tenney campaign and used his findings to develop strategic insights that would ultimately be used to shape the Brindisi campaign’s strategy for the general election. 

Similar to Stephens, Bartlett also enjoyed the opportunity to connect with others on the campaign. The weekly meetings allowed him the opportunity to gain professional connections and get to know the people he was working with, even though his internship experience was entirely virtual. Additionally, he was able to develop his research and analytical skills through the work he was doing, and left the internship with a greater attention to detail.

Both Bartlett and Stephens gained valuable experiences working with the Brindisi and Tenney campaigns and highly recommend these opportunities to other students who are interested in politics. “I would advise students who are interested in politics to apply for internships with a local campaign, even if they don’t think they meet all the qualifications,” Bartlett said. “Campaigns are always looking for volunteers and interns, and they are a great way to gain experience in the field and make professional connections.” These students were able to find information about these internships through the political science listserv and followed a straightforward application process. Stephens also advises fellow students to put themselves out there, stating: “Building up the courage to apply to an internship where I did not know much about turned out to be an experience I am grateful for. Internships, specifically in politics, are great ways to gain first hand knowledge while opening up opportunities to network. The opportunity to take lessons from the classroom and apply it to real life situations is something I believe is unmatched.” 

Luckily for future political professionals, Binghamton is located in a rich political region with many opportunities for student involvement. Michael Bartlett and Julia Stephens have helped to shape New York’s 22nd Congressional District and put their talents to use in two extremely important political campaigns, while at the same time gaining valuable experience and knowledge that will be useful in their post-graduate endeavors. 

 

By Julia Sullivan
Julia Sullivan Marketing Graduate Assistant