We've seen it countless of times. We've even been a part of it. A person comes out of nowhere for no apparent reason to be your best friend, but only when they need something. Wouldn't it be wonderful if a person came out of nowhere for no apparent reason when you needed a friend?
Let me tell you about Andy Hurst, a young Democratic candidate who has seemingly come out of nowhere for the residents of Virginia's 11th Congressional District. He's running against Tom Davis, a Rubber Stamp Republican in Virginia who signed the Subpoena for Terri Schiavo.
I left my government job after many years for a firm named Reed Smith. Andy worked across the hall from me. I didn't see him much, because we both spent a lot of time hunched over our desks. But when he did get out, he got noticed by everyone. He was always making my secretary laugh. Even now, when he walks though the Reed Smith office in Falls Church, he introduces the mail room clerk, the front desk guard, and the partner next door all by name. Each one seems to justify a description from him as "the greatest guy."
I didn't stay long at Reed Smith, but Andy helped me box up my books for my next job and even carried them to my car. He waited interminably to make sure I found my keys when they dropped into one of the boxes during packing. He stayed in touch over the years, and told me he was getting more involved in politics.
He had been going to the local committee meetings, and volunteering as a precinct captain, taking his growing family with him when he could. When local candidates asked for volunteers, he called his own friends and drove them to where they were needed. This is a real commitment in Virginia, where there are elections every year, with primaries in between, not to mention some of the country's worst traffic to get anywhere in NoVa.
Andy became determined to change the White House in 2004, and became the youngest member on John Edward's finance committee. I didn't see him much over that time, and I'm sure his family and many friends didn't either. He was committed to Edwards and his determination to attack poverty, but something bothered Andy. The need to raise money was a constant battle. Andy had started talking about a man named Jack Abramoff who made this worse.
Abramoff is stealing money from these tribes, he told me during an unusual break in his work, with obvious distaste. Have you ever been out to some of those places, in the West, in Arizona? Have you seen how those children live? There is almost no other poverty in our country like there is for Native Americans. And he's stealing from them.
As Andy worked on the campaign, he decided the merry-go-round of campaign financing made it unlikely that politicians would give time and attention to needs of the voters. With Abramoff waving money at Tom DeLay, and Tom DeLay waving it at fellow Republicans, the scene resembled a child's party where all the representatives were fighting under a pinata for the chance to grab the candy. Andy told John Edwards how he felt, and John began encouraging him to run himself, to change business as usual.
Andy decided not to start his official campaign until the one year mark, so fellow Democrats running in Virginia that previous year could seek campaign donations without competition from him. Andy was starting to lay the groundwork, though, and working his contacts while he also managed his regular caseload.
Andy didn't tell us all how much he was working on this, and I didn't realize how demanding it was until last August. My father had died. I had a volunteer gig lined up near Dulles airport, and I didn't want to leave them high and dry. Besides, I thought, the activity would do me good. Halfway through Day 2, however, I called him in his office a short ride away, and told him I would like a break, and a dinner better than the spaghetti the volunteers would be served. I asked him if he could come by. He said he couldn't, so I told him what had happened. "My Dad died," I wailed, thinking he'd give me a few minutes on the phone. But he didn't. He came to the restaurant in 20 minutes, actually ahead of me, with his usual ready smile.
Andy didn't owe me any special allegiance or obligation to drop everything when I asked him to. But he did it, and he's done it again since then. When almost 300 people showed up for his kick-off announcement, I see the loyal friends and co-workers, neighbors and family that have shown up for that and other events, I can see that he's done the same for hundreds of people.
This campaign has a similar selfless feeling about it. It's true he's worried about the effect on his own children of the budget deficit, the War in Iraq, and global warming. But most of us struggle to get through a long day of work and don't have enough left to offer our mornings before 6am, our evenings after 9pm, our vacations, time with our family, and even take a salary cut to do anything about it. Andy has offered his boundless energy and support to his friends and family. With his campaign, he has earned the nickname "energizer bunny," taking his offer to his neighbors all over Northern Virginia.
In these times, the idea that a politician wants to help people is almost quaint. My friend Andy Hurst is not even in office yet, but that's what he is running for, and that desire is fueling his campaign.
Who are your political heroes? Whether it's your all-time favorite or a new candidate who's inspiring you to volunteer this year, we want to hear about it. We'll be publishing the best stories on the blog.
This diary is crossposted at DailyKos
I especially connect with the part in which you refer to Andy introducing you to everyone.
My girlfriend was actually a Republican until I made her come to one of Andy Hurst's events with me, now, not only does she call herself a Democrat, but Voted in the Democratic primary (for Andy and Webb) but has even donated and volunteered for Andy.
One of the main reasons was I introduced her to Andy once, for a few minutes at one of his fundraising events when he had all the right to blow us off for the big donors (we're both students and short on the loot, I was actually there volunteering and when I asked if she could come for free, the campaign immediately said yes). Well, he has remembered her name ever since then. She was impressed.
Knowing Andy, I wasn't so surprised that he would remember her, but it is still impressive that he takes the time to talk to and the effort to care about the "little people" that are supporting him.
To the Readers: Andy really believes that the way to win this one is by knocking on doors and talking to people directly, but even if that isn't your forte, there are many things that you can do to help, please get in touch with thier field staff to help out.
mike[at]hurstforcongress[dot]com
Andy is taking the time to know the people he will serve, and that makes it a pleasure for me to work with him.