Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
CAMPAIGNING IN THE AGE OF CORONAVIRUS
Running for office has always had its challenges. Candidates have to adapt — never more so than when a pandemic sweeps the globe, forcing shutdowns and distancing to become the norm.
One example of how to both get your message out and raise funds can be seen in the candidates of the 168th State Legislative District where incumbent Republican Chris Quinn of Middletown faces Democrat Deb Ciamacca of Media.
While their campaigns began pre-COVID, once the virus made its way to Pennsylvania, many things changed.
Ciamacca begun her delve into politics last cycle as she knocked on 3,500 to 4,000 doors for Democratic county council and county judicial candidates from March 2019 through November 2019.
“The good thing was I really got to know the district, I heard a lot of stories,” she said.
Then, the first coronavirus in Delaware County appeared in early March.
“We had to pivot,” Ciamacca said. “We’ve made 15,000 phone calls since June 2.”
The “we” she’s referencing is the Ciamacca Youth Coalition, a group of 35 college and high school students, some former students of the retired Conestoga High School government/ politics teacher and others local kids.
“They meet every Friday online,” she said, adding that she herself hasn’t yet met all of them in-person because of the pandemic. At these weekly meetings, they assign jobs from creating a graphic for an online fundraiser to distributing signs to assembling packages for a 10,000-piece literature drop.
And, fund raising for her looks rather two-dimensional in this era.
On Aug. 25, Ciamacca had an online fundraiser with U.S. Rep. Katie Porter, D-145 of California, with other candidates from around the country. Supporters were also invited to attend from across the United States.
Through Swing Left, she’s had cast members of “Hamilton” volunteer on her campaign on virtual platforms.
“They sang on there,” she said. “They’re doing it again. In September, they’re coming back, they’re singing again.”
And, then, she said there will be another virtual event involving the cast members of “Jeannette,” a Broadway show that has been postponed because of the pandemic. The show is about Jeannette Rankin, the first congresswoman in the United States. Ciamacca said for her fall event, the cast will be performing the first 25 minutes of the show for her.
Ciamacca said she’s also been involved with the Sister District movement, where blue districts, such as those in New York and Virginia, choose candidates outside of their geography and lend support to them. They write postcards and ask residents to help support these like-minded faraway candidates.
“I woke up this morning, I had donations from Hawaii, Utah, I’m talking $5, $2,” Ciamacca said. “You put all these $1 donations together, it’s real money. Never in my life did I think I would wake up every morning saying they’re going to give me $1 or $2 from some distant place.”
It makes her recall her time in the classroom.
“The kids would get really upset,” Ciamacca said.
“They’d say, ‘Why should somebody be able to buy an election?’”
It was the question from another student who also helped propel her to run. It was in February 2018 after the Parkland shooting and during a discussion on the issue, a student asked, “Why do they always care about Second Amendment rights but they don’t care about whether we live or die in this classroom?”
“I thought she was right,” Ciamacca said, turning to Twitter to try to get the National Education Association to be more active. “Teachers unions worry about the salary and, in my opinion, have not done enough about safety in schools.”
Then as her advocacy grew, interviews with Time magazine, BBC, CBS and even Comedy Central followed.
Later that year, she was showing a movie in her classroom called “Virginia 12th” about one of her former students who quit his TV anchor job and ran for state representative – and won – after his fiancé was shot and killed on live television.
Ciamacca said it caused herself to get active and run.
Deep in to her campaign now, even in the COVID-19 world, the candidate said more than 2,000 people have given her an average that is under $50.
“I’m getting the power of lots of people across the country to help me and I have lots of contributors in Delaware County,” Ciamacca said.
Although this is his third time in the campaign cycle, the incumbent has had to make adjustments, as well.
“I had a fundraiser scheduled in March,” Quinn said of an event scheduled for the Ellis Preserve. “We had to cancel our first fundraiser.”
Despite that, he and his team transitioned.
“You’re not able to fundraise the way you traditionally have been,” Quinn said. “It’s more reaching out and asking people to contribute rather than come out to events and ask them to support you.”
He shared some of the ways that reaching out is happening.
“We’re using social media and we’re making a lot of phone calls,” he said. “We’re out now, we’re doing doors now. About a month ago, we started going out and knocking on doors and meeting people. The response has been tremendous.
“It’s a very different feel from my other two campaigns,” Quinn added. “People recognize me at the door and they want to talk. They want to talk about what’s going on. They want to know details. Most of it is about the pandemic – getting their kids back to school, sports, the restaurant industry, their own industry.
“The Pennsylvania governor has been much more restrictive than many other states,” he said. “People seem to be really aware of that.”
He explained that he wears a mask when knocking on doors and even keeps it on walking in between houses.
“I actually carry a small bottle of hand sanitizer with me,” Quinn said, and said he uses it frequently, including in between each house.
He added that after ringing a door bell, he’ll step back 6 to 10 feet from the door to make space for the homeowner to feel safe and comfortable.
“Some people will talk to me through the door,” he said. “Some will step out on their front step. It’s just a good conversation.”
Although more people may be at home because of the pandemic’s impacts, he said it’s about the same amount of people who’ve been answering the door.
However, he said, “People seem very engaged. I feel like they’re following the information on the Pennsylvania website, on my social media. I’m getting a lot of thank yous.”
Quinn also opened a campaign office at the Promenade at Granite Run about two weeks ago in a space conducive to social distancing.
“Everyone that comes in one, we make sure they are wearing a mask and, two, we take their temperature,” the state representative said. “It’s about protecting your volunteers and protecting yourself.”
Quinn explained that the space is large enough so his team can safely socially distance each other as they work the phone banks or any other duties based on the Pennsylvania guidelines.
He said he hopes he gets the chance to represent the people of the 168th district again.
“I haven’t finished what I started out to do, which is to try to help out financiallyu with the state of Pennsylvania,” he said. Noting a $5 billion shortfall, he said, “We’re in a mess right now. I want to put Pennsylvania back on a safe financial footing.”
He also noted legislation he’s been working on including getting someone treated with Narcan to meet with a certified recovery specialist; having one person in a school able to administer medication for epilepsy; and allowing the Delaware County Emergency Services Manager to go to the state Public Utilities Commission to view all the documents related to the Mariner East pipelines to create adequate safety procedures here. He said that would be the first major piece of pipeline legislation in 20 years.
In fact, 25 percent of the legislation backed by the Sierra Club have been bills introduced by Quinn and he’s been backed by the Log Cabin Republicans of Pennsylvania.
In the endorsement, Rob Jordan, president of the state Log Cabin Republicans, stated, “Rep. Quinn has maintained open dialogue and full transparency with our LGBT community on issues from the COVID-19 pandemic response, equal rights, transportation funding and community outreach. LCR also salutes Rep. Quinn for establishing his home office on Baltimore Pike in Media, which is easily accessible to all constituents in all parts of the district. Log Cabin Republicans especially thanks Rep. Quinn for his COVID-19 pandemic response communications and updates, which are so valuable to our community.”
Quinn himself shared what he hopes constituents realize.
“I want people to recognize they’re voting for a Republican,” he said, “but they’re voting for a very environmentally friendly Republican who’s trying to do the right things for our environment and our community.”