A Democrat walks into the Utah GOP State Convention. She is surrounded by “Make America Great Again” hats and countless variations of elephant cartoons. What does she do? She grabs a red shirt and changes in the bathroom, gearing up for a full day of campaigning. This Democrat ends up spending 16 hours at the State Convention, learning new lessons and confronting her own preconceived notions about those who vote differently from her. This Democrat is me, and I certainly had the adventure of a lifetime.
Some may wonder how I got myself into this situation, and that is unquestionably what I thought to myself several times throughout this unique summer day. A few days prior to the State Convention, I saw a friend post on Instagram looking for campaign volunteers for a Congresswoman running for re-election. I greatly admired this Congresswoman, and she was supported by many common-sense Republicans. Furthermore, I did not want her opponent to win. I had worked on countless campaigns before, and I figured that this would be an opportunity that I would enjoy.
However, being from Tennessee, I had never encountered a caucus system before. Additionally, I had not considered that my first time experiencing a caucus system would involve spending 16 hours with a political party that I did not belong to. Nevertheless, we persisted.
With my prior campaigning experience, I had talked to hundreds of voters in the past. This was different, though, because of the type of voter that the caucus system attracts. Utah is one of only 9 states in the United States that utilizes this structure [1]. Caucuses tend to draw in the most extreme views within a party, with their ideologies not always being the most representative of the typical voter. While Utah also uses a primary, the caucus decides who will advance to this stage [2].
Taking all of this into account, I went into that day with the expectation that I would stick out like a sore thumb. Surely every person would see straight through me and uncover the left-leaning, universal-health-care-loving, DEI-embracing, vaccine-promoting, public-education-investing, and gun-control-advocating individual that I truly am. My expectation could not have been further from the truth.
My day began by connecting with the campaign staff I was there to assist. We instantly bonded, and I discovered that we even held similar views. Our time together consisted of laughing, discussing hot topics, and expressing some of the same frustrations with current politics and rhetoric.
I lost track of the number of the number of individuals with whom I spoke that day, but it must have been near 100. Almost every interaction ended up being positive. The one who sticks out the most in my mind is an older gentleman who reminded me of my grandfather from Tennessee. Interestingly enough, we had the same concerns for the future—education, the economy, making life better for families, and treating one another with kindness—we just approached the solutions to these problems differently. Despite our differences, we were able to find common ground and compromise regarding certain issues.
After finishing my campaign efforts, I was able to listen to all the caucus speeches. It was not these speeches that challenged my preconceived notions, as I am still a Democrat who disagreed with most of the points being made; rather, it was the conversation that I had with the woman in front of me. What began as small talk ended up becoming one of the most fulfilling conversations I have had. I learned about her life, why she is passionate about politics, and how her children and grandchildren were the reason she was there that day. We talked about the importance of women being educated, motherhood, and why more young people should take an interest in politics. At that moment, I truly bonded with someone on the opposite end of the political spectrum, realizing that we most likely had more traits in common than differences.
Throughout the day, I also saw friends and staff from my university—the people who sit next to me in classes and at church. There is a quote that I discovered a while ago. While I cannot find the exact words, it essentially says not to villainize those who voted for Trump. Though I am a Democrat, they are not my enemies, but rather people who have had different experiences that led them to different solutions regarding our nation’s most pressing concerns.
This is something that I will not forget, and every day since then I have made an active effort to better understand those who vote differently from me. That does not mean I have to compromise my beliefs, but I can engage in compromise that benefits all parties involved. As our country seems to be losing the ability to have respectful discourse, we can change this narrative one thoughtful conversation at a time. However, It requires both parties to be willing to reach across the aisle.
A Democrat walks out of the Utah GOP State Convention around midnight. She is surrounded by “Make America Great Again” hats, countless variations of elephant cartoons, and also the new friends that she has made that day. What does she do? She waves goodbye to the grandma she chatted with, those who volunteered with her, and her friends from college who looked just as tired as she was after a day of civic engagement. This Democrat has learned that the opposite sides of the political spectrum are not as different as we are taught to believe, and the sooner we all start to recognize this, the better off we will all be.
