Contributed by Jacob Palmberg
Two and a half weeks ago, I began my position as the campaign manager for the Eileen Patterson for Palmer State House Race. I haven’t known Eileen long; in fact, the day I met her was the same day I agreed to the job. Having been interested in politics for most of my life, finding a campaign flyer in the hallway of UAA Mat-Su, for a fantastically-qualified candidate, seemed like the perfect opportunity to get my foot in the door.
After contacting and meeting with Eileen, I came away with much more than I bargained for, with an offer not to volunteer, but to be her campaign manager. It was a fantastic opportunity that I couldn’t pass up. I knew next to nothing about her, but I was convinced that she was dedicated to her cause and her constituents, and that was all I needed.
After watching Eileen operate for the last few weeks, my mindset about her has become more and more positive. Seeing the lengths she will go to both hear the people she wants to represent and maintain dedication has been legitimately inspiring. She does things that seemingly go against common sense, such as taking time out of our already packed schedule to speak with enthusiastic citizens or refusing support from large organizations like Planned Parenthood and the National Rifle Association, who wanted her to promise unreasonable things in return for that support. As her campaign manager, these things have caused me no end of grief; but as a citizen of Alaska, it has made me overwhelmingly confident that Eileen would serve Alaska in the best, most nuanced way she possibly could.
A quote from a fellow volunteer perfectly exemplified my thoughts when she said, “I don't agree with Eileen on everything, but at least I know she’ll try her hardest to do what’s right.” After everything I have seen, I can say, with confidence and conviction, that the people of Palmer should vote for Eileen Patterson to be their next State House Representative.
For more information or to volunteer go to www.eileenforalaska.com. To contact the campaign, send an email to eileenforalaska@gmail.com.