With the upcoming 2024 elections, junior William Hanna knew they had to involve themselves in politics over the summer break. From the third week of June to the second week of August, Hanna interned for the campaign of Betty McCollum, the congressional representative for Minnesota’s fourth district.
The task at hand for the summer focused on using the McCollum campaign’s resources to attach her name to local Democratic candidates.
“She wins by like 70% of the vote every single time, and so the biggest concern was not getting Betty elected, because that’s kind of a given in Minnesota politics,” Hanna said.
Activities done to help keep the Democratic majority in the State House and State Senate involved typical campaigning activities such as marching in parades and knocking on doors, but the internship also allowed Hanna to be able to experience the process on a personal level, such as meeting McCollum herself.
“We got to have lunch with her at a restaurant and just chat about stuff,” they said. “It was just really awesome to just be able to ask her about stuff, and talk to her because she’s so smart and so experienced, and hear how she thinks about things.”
The internship came with other educational opportunities due to the fact that it was part of a nationwide internship program, one of which was the ability to connect with like-minded people interested in politics in and outside of the state.
“It was really fun to have a group of people that were as engaged as I am, and to be able to volunteer with them,” Hanna said. “We had a group chat, and so we would all be out door-knocking at the same time… and every time one of us had a funny interaction, we just sent off a text, and then we’d all like, look at it and laugh.”
Hanna encourages students interested in politics to consider participating in an internship, citing how important the help of volunteers is in campaigns. “It can seem scary to get involved in politics, but you can make a big difference,” they said.
