The Finish Line
Nearing the finish line literally and metaphorically!
I started this campaign in late February, going door to door personally collecting signatures on the nomination papers to get my name on the ballot, well before most people were even contemplating the November election (aside from Trump and Biden staffers).
Even though I had enough signatures to obtain ballot access well before the spring submission deadlines, I realized that as an independent, first-time candidate I had a responsibility to the residents of Waltham to continue making myself available at public events and at their front doors throughout the summer and all the way into October.
Campaign by the Numbers
Contrary to the advice of seasoned politicians (including independents, Democrats, and former Republicans), I didn’t chase campaign donations or target my outreach exclusively to so-called super voters. Instead, I knocked on every door as I canvassed a street regardless of party affiliation or voting record. Thankfully along the way, I met some excellent volunteers who also joined me in knocking doors and handing out postcards to neighbors, friends, and family!
2024 Campaign by the Numbers: Knocked over 1,100 doors (over 2,300 registered) / 250 doors were answered (over 550 registered voters) / Mailed over 2,100 postcards (over 4,500 registered voters) / Over 10,000 text messages sent by the Forward Party to registered voters in the district / Over 8,000 early voters (~5,000 mail in and over 3,000 in person) out of ~26,500 in the district.
Postcards to Frequent Voters
In early October, once registered voters started receiving mail-in ballots (even ahead of the Waltham League of Women Voters’ candidates debate), I knew it was a race against the clock, and there weren’t enough hours in the day to reach everyone in-person. I used the generous donations I had received during the campaign and (with the help of some volunteers) started mailing out as many postcards as the I could afford to Waltham voters who had voted most frequently over the past 5 years.
Postcard that was mailed out with a typo on the back side. (See Typo for Charity)
Greeting Early Voters
As in-person early voting began on Saturday, October 19th, I spent as many hours as I could spare (I still had to work my day job!) when the polls were open to greet voters from across the street, respecting the 150’ campaign rules at polling places.
I waved at voters entering the parking lot to the in-person early voting location accompanied by my handy “campaign sign tower” when the polls were open and I wasn’t at work.
Sponsoring & Attending Public Events
On Sunday, October 27th, I spent the day as an event sponsor at the Waltham Land Trust’s Western Greenway 5k, greeting runners at the finish line, offering free water and lawn chairs to relax in after the race. This capped off a full campaign season of attendance at dozens of public events in Waltham, including booths at the Sheep Shearing Festival at Gore Place and Riverfest on Moody Street as well as informally attending a variety of other events (see Nextdoor app and the Campaign Trail).
As an event sponsor: I caught up with registered voters at my campaign tent after runners finished the Western Greenway 5k hosted by the Waltham Land Trust.
The Starting Line
In some sense, Election Day on Tuesday, November 5th will mark the finish line of a long campaign season. However, in another sense, I view Election Day as the starting line. Win or lose this November, I have committed to 2 things:
In 2026, I will run again for the State Representative position.
Next year, even though I won’t be on the ballot, I will be proactively supporting non-incumbent candidates for City Council in the municipal election. (If you are considering a run or know someone who should, please contact me!)
One of the core reasons I decided to run for Waltham State Rep with the political designation of Forward this year is that: I believe it is important for our democracy that every incumbent face at least 1 serious and capable challenger in every general election. We need to end the trend of unchallenged incumbents and the primary-to-office pipeline in Massachusetts politics.
This is true no matter how much time any individual incumbent has spent in office, how much you agree with the ideals of any particular political party, and regardless of how well incumbents might be delivering for their constituents. Without constant pressure, a lump of coal — though it has other uses — will never turn into a diamond.