Rusty Hills has taught nearly 1,000 students in the 20 years he's been teaching the art and science of political campaigning. Winning campaigns require strategy, voter insight, compelling communication, and a well-executed plan, he tells students. A winning campaign makes governing possible.
“Ideas have consequences. Elections have consequences, too,” Hills says. “If students want to put into practice all the good ideas they learn at the Ford School, then they need a plan to win public office.”
Hills’s popular courses cover political communications and messaging, media, campaign management, polling and research, voter turnout, budgeting and fundraising, and coalition building. He often invites guest speakers with relevant experience in these areas.
If students want to put into practice all the good ideas they learn at the Ford School, then they need a plan to win public office.”
Rusty Hills
“I think there is a deep hunger to demystify the process and understand more about how we go about electing individuals to office,” he says. “Like Toto in The Wizard of Oz, I try to pull back the curtain.”
In 2022, Hills invited the former finance chair of Maryland’s Republican party to his class.
Hills’s student Adam Bressler (BA ’23) saw an opportunity he couldn’t pass up. He handed over his resume and seized the chance to contribute to a major campaign in his home state.
“I always loved following the horse race side of politics,” says Bressler.
That summer, Bressler returned to Maryland to intern with Kelly Schultz’s gubernatorial campaign. As one of only eight staff members, it was “all hands on deck.” He knocked on doors, coordinated volunteers, and made upwards of 5,000–6,000 phone calls or texts each day, using autodial computer software. Some days involved events or parades. Every day brought new challenges and experiences.
“I love following elections online, speculating about campaigns. But that’s not how it is ‘on the ground.’ There are no shortcuts when it comes to voter outreach. It can be grueling.”
Still, Bressler, who currently works as an economist with the U.S. Office of Energy Market Regulation, understands the importance of campaigning. “Regardless of the policy and politics, you can’t govern the way you want without the candidate. Fortunately, we live in a democracy, and we get to campaign and earn the trust of the voters.”
There were a lot of conversations with voters that stick with me. I appreciated the opportunity to be involved in the political process and in my community, informing voters and engaging the body politic.”
Adam Bressler (BA 23)
Bressler says he came to appreciate how humbling the experience was. It pulled him out of his comfort zone, compelling him to walk up to a constituent’s house and engage in conversation with someone who might hold a different perspective. Hearing about what constituents cared about became the most rewarding part of the job for him. “There were a lot of conversations with voters that stick with me. I appreciated the opportunity to be involved in the political process and in my community, informing voters and engaging the body politic.”
Engaging with voters also inspires Kate Anderson (BA ’20), who served as a fundraiser for the Women for Harris-Walz campaign. “There are people who you’d maybe write off if you’re looking at voter demographics and thinking kind of small. But we are all connected, and you never know why someone holds their beliefs or wants to be involved in this election if you don’t ask them,” she says.
At the Ford School she took a campaign finance reform course from renowned political scientist Richard Hall. That same year, her curiosity deepened while volunteering for Senator Gary Peters’ 2020 campaign and witnessing a flood of outside dollars pour intothe state for his opponent. When COVID-19 sent students home, Anderson relocated back to Colorado and immersed herself into John Hickenlooper’s Senate campaign, eager to make an impact on young voters.
On the Harris-Walz campaign, she spent her days communicating with donors, tracking donations, and meeting with volunteers. Approximately 60% of her time was spent on the road staffing fundraising events. “On event days I started early by briefing the principal on who will be at the event and the run of show.” This included several high-profile speakers such as Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Representative Nancy Pelosi, Gwen Walz, and Secretary Hillary Clinton.
Then she turned to event setup, coordinating security and logistics with the Secret Service, blocking off streets if necessary, and checking people in. “Often I feel like a glorified traffic cop, but it can be fun. During one of our event check-ins, David Letterman and I chatted about Michigan football,” she says. After the event and reception, she would go to dinner with the team and then either head to a hotel or take a red-eye flight back to DC.
“You get asked to do a lot of things simultaneously. You have to stay flexible and stay organized to do this job.”
Anderson was a recent guest speaker for Hills’s “Elections & Campaigns” course. She encourages anyone interested in campaigning to “Go for it!” She adds, “It’s a challenge, and can be scary, but the most rewarding experiences are sometimes not the safest bets. Just do it while you are young and have lots of energy.”
Both Bressler and Anderson say that if they could go back in time, they would hit the campaign trail again.
Hills enjoys catching up with former students and watching them apply what they’ve learned in his classes. “I’m so proud of the students who have gone on to work in campaigns or run for public office,” he says.
By Rebecca Cohen (MPP ’09)
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