The Booker campaign taught me about listening to voters, wherever they are in KY
On June 30, I joined hundreds of thousands of Kentuckians who mourned the end of a remarkable campaign. For the first time in recent memory, an unapologetic progressive came close to beating a moderate, establishment candidate in a statewide race. Charles Booker’s campaign for U.S. Senate highlighted how eager Kentuckians are for change.
Working for Booker’s campaign taught me three lessons: Rigid hierarchy in a campaign isn’t a prerequisite for success, the divide between poor communities with different racial and geographical backgrounds is arbitrary, and people want to elect leaders who listen to their concerns and grievances.
Anyone who has worked in politics, or watched a few episodes of “The West Wing,” knows that politics revolves around power. This typically manifests in nauseating bragging, false ownership of ideas, and senseless power trips.
Joining Booker’s campaign a few months ago, I expected to encounter these same archetypes. What I found instead was a group of diverse individuals – in background, race, sexual orientation, and beliefs. The collaboration I witnessed was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. When one team member failed to complete an assignment or meet a deadline, another stepped up to help.
Instead of reporting to a fixed supervisor, we adopted group accountability. Without rigid hierarchy, we knew we could more effectively empower a leader who could begin to heal the racial, economic, and political wounds dividing Kentucky.
When Charles Booker announced his run for Senate in January, he had a long road ahead of him. Charles is the youngest Black lawmaker in the state and an outspoken progressive. People were pessimistic about his chances of garnering votes in rural parts of Kentucky. But he was steadfast. He had a vision from the onset of his campaign; a vision of uniting people from all corners of the state to build a movement that could end generational poverty and create much-needed jobs from “the Hood to the Holler” in Kentucky.
This idea that poor communities – no matter where they are located geographically – face the same struggles, is novel for Kentucky. In the midst of a global pandemic, as people are struggling to afford rent, medical bills, and food, Charles’ message resonated. With racial tension at its peak, with Black Americans being murdered in the streets, in grocery stores, in their own homes, we needed a leader like Charles to demand justice. Loudly.
And that’s just what he did. He reminded Kentuckians from all different backgrounds that we are a family. Poverty is an epidemic in Kentucky, but it isn’t inescapable. Charles Booker made it clear that when one of us suffers, we all suffer, and we need to build a movement together to eradicate poverty across our state.
My final takeaway from the campaign isn’t particularly profound, but I think it’s noteworthy. Meeting voters in all parts of Kentucky, it has become clear to me that people don’t feel heard, and politicians aren’t taking the time to listen. We’ve seen it for years, as Mitch McConnell has passed legislation that favors exploitative corporations, while claiming to help his constituents.
There has been a fundamental disconnect between the supposed target of the laws policymakers are adopting and those who are actually realizing the benefits. Republican legislators have capitalized on this disconnect and used it as fuel to slander progressive candidates and elected officials. But organizations like the Poor People’s Campaign, Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, and many other grassroots groups have worked to expose this hypocrisy.
People are eager to advocate for themselves, but few politicians are willing to engage them. When I met Charles for the first time last summer, I realized he is different. He doesn’t just listen to his constituents; he takes time to hear them.
Nobody wants to feel silenced. The recent protests and demonstrations have revealed what a real Democracy looks like in the face of widespread suppression. Charles Booker was with us, shouting in the streets demanding justice. While he won’t be moving on to the general election in November, I know that Kentucky is a better place because he ran for office and reminded us that our voices matter.
Rena previously worked as a communications officer for Charles Booker’s campaign for U.S. Senate. She is a recent graduate of Pomona College and currently lives in Lexington.