Kraig Connor is pretty sure he’s caught “Potomac Fever.”
The catchphrase refers to the heady rush of political activity that can overtake anyone living in the nation’s capital, which lies along the Potomac River. After spending the fall semester working at the American Conservative Union (ACU) in Alexandria, Va., the Keuka senior, who hails from Greece, N.Y., is eager to pursue professional work in the D.C. political scene.
Connor said he first learned of the internship opportunity after he volunteered to serve at the ACU’s annual Political Action Conference last February, a long weekend event that typically draws some 10,000 conservatives together on issues such as lower taxes and reduced government spending, personal responsibility, liberty, and national security. Founded in 1964, the ACU is the nation’s oldest and largest conservative organization.
So this fall found him putting in 9-5 shifts at the ACU with other interns, preparing for mid-term elections, learning about “politics, the political process, the games, and networking in the political arena,” Connor said.
As part of grassroots lobbying work, Connor and other interns created Facebook campaign “ads” for conservative candidates running for a variety of offices across the country. In addition to regular office work like updating contact and donor lists, the interns were also responsible to track the accuracy of claims or comments made by opposing candidates.
“You’re looking for something the other political side said or did and to call them out – both sides are doing that,” Connor said.
The two weeks leading up to Election Day were packed full, with shifts that ran from 9 a.m. – 10 or 11 p.m., Connor said. Interns kept busy contacting campaign offices of conservative candidates, checking to see what early polling showed. Election Day itself was more like “a big party,” he said, with nonstop calls and most staff attending a late-night party together til 2 or 3 in the morning observing and celebrating the returns.
“After the election, my job was to look at all the candidates we sponsored and find out which ones won and how much (what percentages) they won or lost by,” Connor recalled.
For his January 2011 Field Period, Connor has been working as an intern in the Pittsford office of newly elected U.S. Rep. Tom Reed, who serves New York’s 29th Congressional district. Now, Connor’s focus is shifting to what job opportunities he’ll seek after graduation.
“I’m hoping that, especially with the huge gain for Republicans in this past election, there might be an opening somewhere in a congressional district office or down in D.C.,” Connor said. “At this point, I’d take any job that came my way, but I feel like I’d end up working for a Congressman, rather than a lobbying firm, because there’s more places to go once you’ve worked for a Congressman.”
If Option A doesn’t pan out, Connor said, he hopes to “jump on” a presidential campaign as a campaign staffer. Many who plan to contend for a shot at the 2012 party nominations will be announcing their candidacies in the coming weeks, he said.
-- Submitted by Rachel E. Dewey, communications specialist at Keuka College, and former education and community news for Messenger Post.
Kraig Connor is pretty sure he’s caught “Potomac Fever.”
The catchphrase refers to the heady rush of political activity that can overtake anyone living in the nation’s capital, which lies along the Potomac River. After spending the fall semester working at the American Conservative Union (ACU) in Alexandria, Va., the Keuka senior, who hails from Greece, N.Y., is eager to pursue professional work in the D.C. political scene.
Connor said he first learned of the internship opportunity after he volunteered to serve at the ACU’s annual Political Action Conference last February, a long weekend event that typically draws some 10,000 conservatives together on issues such as lower taxes and reduced government spending, personal responsibility, liberty, and national security. Founded in 1964, the ACU is the nation’s oldest and largest conservative organization.
So this fall found him putting in 9-5 shifts at the ACU with other interns, preparing for mid-term elections, learning about “politics, the political process, the games, and networking in the political arena,” Connor said.
As part of grassroots lobbying work, Connor and other interns created Facebook campaign “ads” for conservative candidates running for a variety of offices across the country. In addition to regular office work like updating contact and donor lists, the interns were also responsible to track the accuracy of claims or comments made by opposing candidates.
“You’re looking for something the other political side said or did and to call them out – both sides are doing that,” Connor said.
The two weeks leading up to Election Day were packed full, with shifts that ran from 9 a.m. – 10 or 11 p.m., Connor said. Interns kept busy contacting campaign offices of conservative candidates, checking to see what early polling showed. Election Day itself was more like “a big party,” he said, with nonstop calls and most staff attending a late-night party together til 2 or 3 in the morning observing and celebrating the returns.
“After the election, my job was to look at all the candidates we sponsored and find out which ones won and how much (what percentages) they won or lost by,” Connor recalled.
For his January 2011 Field Period, Connor has been working as an intern in the Pittsford office of newly elected U.S. Rep. Tom Reed, who serves New York’s 29th Congressional district. Now, Connor’s focus is shifting to what job opportunities he’ll seek after graduation.
“I’m hoping that, especially with the huge gain for Republicans in this past election, there might be an opening somewhere in a congressional district office or down in D.C.,” Connor said. “At this point, I’d take any job that came my way, but I feel like I’d end up working for a Congressman, rather than a lobbying firm, because there’s more places to go once you’ve worked for a Congressman.”
If Option A doesn’t pan out, Connor said, he hopes to “jump on” a presidential campaign as a campaign staffer. Many who plan to contend for a shot at the 2012 party nominations will be announcing their candidacies in the coming weeks, he said.
-- Submitted by Rachel E. Dewey, communications specialist at Keuka College, and former education and community news for Messenger Post.
