Working for an Underdog

By Liz Crouse

Last night, I received an email from Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s campaign entitled “The reality of being an underdog in this campaign.” This was no surprise – though he’s polling well in Iowa and New Hampshire, I’m not fooling myself into thinking his road to the presidency is a sure bet or even a likely one. The only other campaign I worked on was for a young lawyer, Wiley Nickel, who was a Democrat in a heavily gerrymandered blue district, so he wasn’t likely to lose. Pete is. I loved working on Nickel’s campaign, but there’s something even more exciting about working for an underdog, especially for the underdog in a presidential campaign.

It struck me on the very first day in the office that the campaign workers are passionate. They’re not on board with his campaign because they know he’ll win, but they fight tooth and nail to get him to win Iowa, and they’re seeing it pay off in the polls. They’re seeing more and more people say “I support Pete” when they knock on doors and more volunteers come into the office daily. In spite of a national polling average of only about nine percent and a New York Times study that gives him only a ten percent chance to win a majority of delegates, the precinct organizers in our office daily step into the cold, into the snow, and into the fear of rejection, all of which are extremely real. Maybe it isn’t in spite of his low poll numbers, but because of them, that they fight so hard. There’s a spark in their eyes and a fire in their bellies.

Yesterday, a young couple came into the office and asked to have a yard sign and to sign up for canvassing. They were greeted with extreme gratitude and humility. Virtually every campaign worker and volunteer smiled from ear to ear and thanked the two new volunteers. I knew in that moment that no volunteer, no organizer, no homeowner who opens the door and signs a “commit to caucus for Pete” card is taken for granted in that campaign. Not one.

Working for an underdog can definitely become disheartening at times. When the Monmouth poll came out that shared results that Biden was now ahead in Iowa, the disappointment in the air was palpable. Realistically, Pete Buttigieg is in fourth place nationally. Most polls are disappointing. But the campaign workers don’t let discouragement keep them down for long. Instead, they treat each poll as a reason to work harder. A reason to make more phone calls. A reason to knock on more doors.

This experience has humbled me, but it has also shown me a passion for the underdog I never knew I had. My high school principal used to read a quote over the intercom in the morning that said, “Everyone loves an underdog, but no one wants to support one. Support one anyway.” I never really understood this; isn’t it easier and more fun to support someone who will likely win? After working on the Buttigieg campaign, I’d argue that it isn’t. I think it’s more fulfilling because every victory, every point in the polls, every signature means that much more. And, I think you’d be hard-pressed to find people more dedicated to any cause  than Julia, Kyle, Sam, Grayson, Kelsey… the list goes on. And that passion is inspiring to be around.

I’m not denying that Pete has less political experience than his colleagues. I’m not denying that many people in our little office on Fleur Drive in Des Moines are young, and some are working on their first campaign. But I can attest that this campaign has the most dedicated and inspired organizers and volunteers that I’ve ever met. 

Whatever happens, I’m proud to work on a campaign of hardworking, humble members behind a candidate we all believe in.