Cold, Ordinary Work 

Some of the photos from last week are almost funny.

 

Me standing in a senior living center with a campaign banner. Christmas lights reflecting on my face. Background music playing while I answer questions about Congress.

 

It wasn’t polished. It wasn’t curated. It was real.

 

Earlier that day, we knocked doors. Lower contact rates. Cold weather. Still worth it.

 

This is what democracy looks like most of the time. Not rallies. Not viral moments. Just ordinary, repetitive work—showing up where people are and doing the job even when it doesn’t look impressive.

 

There’s a temptation in politics to chase aesthetics. To optimize for what looks powerful rather than what actually builds power.

 

But the work that lasts is almost always unglamorous.

 

Knocking doors. Listening. Explaining. Coming back again.

 

That’s how trust is built. That’s how movements grow. That’s how surprises happen.

 

You don’t shock the system by yelling at it. You do it by outworking it.

 

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