Reaching Across the Aisle

Popular depictions of Iowa highlight its idyllic cornfields and Midwestern agreeableness. But Kara Chalifoux '18 knows it more for the hefty role it plays in shaping presidential elections.

Early in 2020, Ms. Chalifoux, a junior and political science major at Elon University, was among a handful of students enrolled in the winter term class "The Trail Starts Here: The Iowa Caucuses." Held only in presidential election years, the class offers two weeks of hands-on experience at the Iowa caucuses, allowing political science and journalism students to see the electioneering process up close. For Ms. Chalifoux, that meant everything from canvassing door-to-door to rubbing elbows with high-ranking politicians like former Secretary of State John Kerry (pictured above).

"On my first day, I overheard someone casually mention how [Senator] Cory Booker had just texted him to grab dinner that night," she said. "Where else would you hear that?"

Noteworthy for being the first major contest of the U.S. presidential primary season, the Iowa caucuses are often seen as a strong indicator of how presidential candidates will fare in the upcoming election. Caucusing, which has been used in Iowa since the 1800s, eschews ballot voting for open debate. Voters assemble in churches, libraries, and other public spaces to wrangle over which presidential candidate they support, while politicians make the most of the concentrated political activity by seeking face time with constituents.

"They want to take you to dinner and get to know you," Ms. Chalifoux said. "Voters can bring up topics they care about, and elected officials can elaborate their positions. It's a win-win."

Ms. Chalifoux's political interests began in Steward's Upper School with an offhand comment from her younger brother Michael Chalifoux '20. "We were on a college visit road trip when he casually said, 'Oh, Congressman Dave Brat came to our class and said that anybody who wants an internship should just email him,'" she explained. "And I thought, really? So I emailed him and ended up interning with his campaign three days a week for the entire summer."

Despite working for now-President Joe Biden's campaign — the only student in her class who chose to do so — all of Ms. Chalifoux's previous campaign experience had been with Republican politicians. She believed Biden's views were the most moderate among Democratic candidates, views she felt she would be most able to advocate for with undecided voters.

"I was in the position of canvassing voters who seemed genuinely conflicted over a handful of candidates they felt equally good about," she said. "That made my job more stressful, but a lot more interesting, too."

As she discussed the ins and outs of campaign strategy, Ms. Chalifoux spoke with pride about the Biden team's commitment to not tearing down other Democratic candidates. "We were actually building them up," she said, an approach that served her well among voters weary of political division.

Ms. Chalifoux described her commitment to the campaign as a full-time job...and then some. Her days generally began with 8 a.m. coordinated door-knocks in 20-degree weather, and ended at 10 p.m. after hours of phone banking. Still, Ms. Chalifoux says the experience was an enlightening, if intense, way to see the varieties of political engagement available to the average voter. She advises those who want to become active to take it one step at a time.

"Decide what matters to you and why," she said. "Do your research to figure out where you stand on the issues. Then decide what you can do about it. It's not always about giving speeches or staging protests. Start small."