Outside of the glitz and glamour of presidential campaigns, political engagement at the local level can often be the most rewarding experience, prominent New Hampshire Democratic party activists Joan and Tim Ashwell said in a conversation with the Dartmouth College Democrats on Sunday.
Joan Ashwell, chair of the Strafford County Democratic Committee, said working for a small political campaign can often be more enriching than working for large campaigns because volunteers for state-level campaigns often have greater responsibility than those working for national campaigns, according to Tay Stevenson '10, a member of the College Democrats.
The couple also lauded the virtues of local government, noting that small actions can have a large political impact. Tim, currently Town Chair in Durham, N.H., cited as an example his creation of an abortion platform, intended for the town in Iowa in which he lived, that became the state platform, according to David Imamura '10, a member of the College Democrats.
Joan added that a person can make a large impact working for the Democratic party, rather than focusing on a particular Democratic candidate. The New Hampshire Democratic party has been striving to improve the party's structure since 2000, Joan said, which helped the party win several New Hampshire races in 2006.
The couple largely did not discuss the 2008 presidential campaign, but analyzed the recent presidential campaign of Gov. Bill Richardson, D-N.M., Joan said. Although Richardson conducted a flawless campaign, he could not gain his party's nomination due to the prominence of the two "superstars"-- Sen. Barack Obama D-Ill., and Sen. Hillary Clinton D-NY, she said.
Both Tim and Joan are on a list of "a few hundred" of the most important New Hampshire Democrats, Joan said. The members of this list, which include former Democratic governors, senators and congressman, are generally the first people contacted by presidential campaigns for endorsements and references.
"When the presidential campaigns arrive, they want to talk to you," Joan said in an interview with The Dartmouth. "They ask me for all the good political activists in the state."
Anyone with a serious interest in politics can hope to be included in this list, she added.
"If you're very active in Democratic politics, it's very easy to become one of these people" Joan said in the interview. "Go work for a campaign and keep your ears open."
Stevenson said listening to the Ashwells helped him to better understand the experience of being part of the party organization, even though he has previously worked for a presidential campaign.
"You're sitting down with top-flight activists and getting that sense of how it feels to be very committed to party politics," he said.
