Haddam Killingworth Graduates On Primary's Front Lines

Madison's Jordanne Anderson, a sophomore at , is in New Hampshire, working for the Santorum campaign during the primary which takes place today. The work she's doing is part of a class she's taking on presidential campaigns, but she's also working because she feels it's part of her civic duty to get involved in the political process.

A political science and criminal justice major, Anderson lives in Madison. Anderson graduated from , and she also spends a lot of time in Higganum. When she's not studying or working the campaign, she's an avid hunter who likes to hunt in Lyme, CT and go shooting at the Blue Trail Range in Wallingford, CT. She also enjoys snowmobiling, snowboarding and spending time with her little sister Celia. 

Anderson has been working non-stop up in New Hampshire, but she took some time recently to answer some questions about how she got involved in politics, what she's learned, and about what kind of advice she might have for those who want to get involved in politics.

Q: You are one of about 28 students up in New Hampshire as part of Professor Scott McLean’s advanced-level Presidential Campaigns seminar. Tell me why you decided to take the seminar and a little about what you learned in the classroom.

A: I decided to take Professor McLean’s seminar because I wanted to learn more about campaigns, since I had hardly any campaign experience prior to taking the class. This was my third class with McLean. I love taking his classes because they are challenging, yet always rewarding. His PO101 (Intro to Political Science class) is the course that switched me from an Undecided/Communications major, to a declared Political Science Major. I also took this class because I think this election is the most important election I may experience in my entire life, and I feel it is my civic duty to be a part of it. In the classroom we learned about campaign tactics and strategies, studying campaign strategists like Karl Rove and David Axelrod. We also learned about the New Hampshire Primary and the importance of it when it comes to electing a party nominee.

Q: Why do you think this election is the most important of your life?

A: What I mean by that is, I feel that if our country does not elect a Republican president, more specifically Rick Santorum, I believe that in a decade or two from now, I may not live in the strongest and most powerful country in the world. This election is critical to preserving the values of America and restoring our country's founding princples, which include limited government and freedom. People came to America from countries all over to world, because we were the only nation that was not ruled by one authority figure. Today, our government has become the "one authority figure" instead of a structure. We are so dependent on other countries for everything we have and need. We need to restore our manufacturing industry, develop an independent fuel economy, and start selling our goods to the world instead of buying everything from other countries.This is why I am fighting so hard to shrink the size of our government and preserve our founding principles.

Q: As part of the class, students are asked to research candidates and choose one to support. What kind of research did you do?

A: Research was a large component of this course. At the start of the course we had to take a survey that matched us to the candidate that best fit our beliefs. Based on our survey results, we were assigned to research the top three candidates and explain why we were matched to them. Then we had to choose our favorite candidate and pick their campaign. I started my fieldwork with the Rick Perry campaign, but have since switched to the Rick Santorum Campaign.

Q: What kind of work are you doing in New Hampshire?

A: We are doing all sorts of work here in New Hampshire. We do a lot of phone banking to collect data and gain support. We also have helped with events, such as town hall discussions. It's a lot of work up here to campaign for any candidate, because the New Hampshire residents expect to have a lot of candidate exposure.

Q: How has your work in New Hampshire affected how you view the political process? Were there any surprises?

A: My work here has really changed my view on the political process. First off, my work up here has given me so much experience with campaigning and politics in general. I think that our political process is flawed and needs to be revisited. I say this because there is too much frontloading in our elections now. By the time Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina happen, the nominee is almost always decided. This may be important to the candidates; however, it is not fair to the nation as a whole. Smaller states, such as Connecticut, do not have a say in the selection process, or in the general election.

Q: What has been the most fun part of your work in New Hampshire so far?

A: The most fun part of my experience here is being exposed to the candidates. I have already met Mitt Romney, and Rick Santorum, and I have seen all the other candidates. It is like a Political Disney World up here. It’s incredible!

Q: What has been the most challenging?

A: The most challenging part of my experience here has been dealing with undecided voters. Many voters here do not want to share who they're voting for, and therefore it's hard to collect data. On the other hand, some undecided voters just want you to give them all the information about your candidate, which can be fun and rewarding, but challenging at the same time.

Q: After this class is over, do you plan to continue your involvement in the political process and, if so, how?

A: I absolutely plan on staying involved politically. I have an internship with the Linda McMahon for Senate 2012 campaign, and cannot wait to be back in Connecticut and help with her campaign. I also have an internship next semester at the Connecticut State Legislature and am interested to see if legislative operations are something I am interested in.

Q: What would be your advice to people who want to get involved in the political process but who are not sure how to do it?

A: My advice to anyone who wants to be involved but doesn’t know how to do it is to contact your local party chairman, or any campaign for that matter, and simply offer to help out. Even if you can make phone calls for one hour, any help is always appreciated and useful. People should be engaged politically, especially in these hard economic times. I believe, it is critical that our voters are informed on who the candidates are and what is going on in the country (even on a local level). Political engagement is important at any level, and it can be as simple as informing oneself by watching the news, reading articles, and learning about the candidate on their website. Or, one can be even more involved by volunteering with a campaign.

To read about HKHS graduate Rebecca Cashman, who's campaigning for Barack Obama, click here.