Pounding the Political Pavement

by David Safier

Saturday morning I went out knocking on doors for County Superintendent candidate Nancy Young Wright as well as Ron Barber and Richard Carmona. I was way up in the Northwest Territory, around La Canada and Naranja (just south of Tangerine). I was definitely not in solid Blue territory, though I was only knocking on D and I doors.

Here's what I found striking. I felt a sense of comraderie with almost everyone who answered the door. Smiles, like I was a friend. People lingered to talk and were more than happy to take the time to sign Carmona and Young Wright's petitions. It was like we were members of the same club, which gave us a connection even though we had never met.

This was different from past experience. During past elections, people who answered the door were generally friendly, but many were more businesslike and formal. This time, there was more of a "We're in this together" feeling.

This tells me Democrats, even older Democrats in suburban areas, are hungry to feel the right wing hasn't taken total control. They want to be part of the change in Arizona.

I got lots of "Thank you for doing this" comments, more than usual. It was encouraging.