Spring of 2016
The cold, cold winter had passed, but the spring of 2016 wasn’t so great either. A few fundamentals were in place — I had two solid, experienced consultants helping me. Rene Bishop was giving more practical advice than even Jody had. We had developed a great working relationship, and we were also going to political events, fun and informative, but not related to my campaign. And I was still doing everything myself. I sorely needed a real campaign manager. Hiring one was out of the question, and even a paid student with some experience was more than I could afford. Every dime I raised had to go towards really expensive things like printing and mailings planned for September and October.
Cody, meanwhile, had developed an army. Her volunteers were out knocking on doors and running her now-famous pop-ups, tables under a pop-up canvas cover with literature and one or more campaign volunteers, which had started appearing weekends on the edges of Carlsbad Village. Cody herself never showed up to speaking events alone. There was always a handler or a wing-woman beside her. When she couldn’t attend something, Helen or another surrogate filled in. When I couldn’t attend an event, no one did.
Once, I missed an important North County Democratic Party training due to another campaign event I thought more visible to voters. At that event, I got a panicked phone call from a friendly attendee telling me, "The trainer noticed and announced you aren’t here."
Still, I wasn’t invisible. I made the rounds of club meetings and speaking events where candidates were given a couple of minutes to make remarks. It was there I began to carve out a message, one that reminded people I had been part of the Measure A fight. And I played a greater role than Alice, no matter what story they were trying to sell in my absence.
And I could talk. I started to realize that my only chance to challenge Cody on equal terms would be in front of voters — in rooms where I could tell my own story, face-to-face, with no filter. I found I could establish my Measure A credentials in a few sentences, then pivot to issues that mattered to the audience.
I also understood that most voters — the ones not deeply involved in Measure A — were not fired up about the City Council race. People accepted my flyers politely, but I could almost hear the paper crinkle as they dropped them in the trash. The saying went that voters might spend seven seconds looking at a printed flyer; I figured it was more like four. Maybe less.
Cody’s ground game was effective. I knew her pop-ups and canvassers were building her name recognition in the city. There was no way I could match that. I decided to stop worrying about where they were in their campaign. My only option was to trust my ability to connect with people, tell the truth, and see it through to the end. On my own terms.
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