All I want for my birthday is ...

a Democratic Congress!

A little background: I've been living out of my truck since September, working for various progressive Democratic causes across the country. In September, I went to Jena. In the fall, I led a grassroots group to save mass transit funding in Charlotte, NC while working on the Democratic coordinated campaign for the local races in Charlotte. In November, I started working in Iowa for Joe Biden. And in January, I moved to Chapel Hill to work for Jim Neal. But I'm turning 23 today on the 23rd, and I'm ready to work for a Democratic Congress the best way I know how - with ActBlue!

What's kept me sane has been the generosity and energy of the volunteers on all of these campaigns. I met some of the nicest people (and best cooks) I've ever met in Iowa, while activists in Chapel Hill graciously opened their houses to me. I owe a lot of friends - some of them bloggers here at Daily Kos - a big thank you for their help (a few of them even thought enough of me to elect me as a Democratic Presidential Elector in NC-12 earlier this week).

So, in the spirit of gratitude - all I want for my birthday is Democratic victory in November!

I've had some spills:

thrills:

and chills:

traveling across the nation over the past 9 months. I've made lifelong friends and I'd be surprised if I didn't make an enemy or two. I've seen amazingly dedicated and creative volunteers, and I've been impressed by how some of my coworkers and friends have dealt with adversity. I won't go into detail out of respect for the friends and family, but on one of these campaigns a volunteer on and good friend of the campaign was murdered. Though I only got to experience the joy of victory on one of the three campaigns, that loss hurt more than any other - much more than any campaign loss. But the amazing people I had the chance to work with prevailed through adversity, whether it was losing an election or losing a friend. It's made me a stronger person and given me hope that a Democratic President and Congress will have the grassroots leaders and activists that they need to govern.

Though I've got a good list of candidates that deserve your support - including personal hero Al Franken - one may stand out to you. It's Kay Hagan, who beat my guy Jim Neal on May 6th in the North Carolina Democratic Primary. I was the political director and scheduler for the Neal Campaign, and though it was a hard and bitterly fought race, Jim has shown amazing leadership by working with Kay for a Democratic victory over "Senator" Elizabeth Dole in November.

That sort of "swords to plowshares" approach gives me hope for the Presidential race, even if I won't get that birthday present today. We need Hagan to win, and the myriad new polls on the North Carolina Senate Race that came out over the past few weeks show a tight race:
Dole 45, Hagan 43
Dole 50, Hagan 46
Dole 48, Hagan 43
Dole 47, Hagan 48

No doubt, this will be a competitive race. As will the races for Al Franken, Larry Kissell, and Roy Carter. So make it a happy birthday - and maybe I'll see you back on the trail in a few weeks.