Fall 2024... Election Season
I don’t remember exactly when it dawned on me that things might be getting complicated. Maybe it was more of a gradual realization. The whole year had been a steady escalation of excitement and busy-ness as the presidential election ramped up. At first it was all just a fun diversion from what was a very eventful and at times difficult year for us personally. But after Labor Day, as the presidential campaign gained steam, it became more and more consuming. Brian was incredibly busy, and in retrospect all of his hard work paid off, when Trump won the Catholic vote by a significant margin on November 5. The last few weeks leading up to the election were very stressful, though. Brian was traveling every week and the anticipation was growing… or was it dread? We hoped and prayed and worked for a victory. Knowing the election was November 5 felt like a known deadline or end point to all of it, though. We just have to make it to election day, I thought, and then things will slow down. And then there was that day when it struck me that if Trump did win, which we were cautiously optimistic about, things would not slow down at all. Huh. What would it mean? Suddenly Trump and the Republicans would be in charge again… what would that mean for Brian and his career and our family? Surely the work he had done this election cycle and his importance to the campaign would be recognized and lead to even further work and involvement. What that would be remained to be seen.
For months, Brian had been having conversations with RFK Jr. and his staff, building a relationship and discussing everything from Catholic social teaching to specifics on pro-life strategies and positions. In October, he hosted a luncheon in NYC where he interviewed Bobby about a range of topics.
The next day, he flew back home, quickly unpacked and repacked, and we headed back to the airport to go to Phoenix for a family wedding. When we arrived at our accommodations, it seemed our bedroom was already occupied.
Fall continued, mild and warmer than usual. So warm we could sit out on the back porch on October 30. On Halloween, I made my usual “healthy appetizer” for the family gathering, following the theme of the season. The next day, All Saints’ Day, Brian met me and the little girls for confession and Mass and then a quick lunch at our favorite Italian deli. How he managed to squeeze that in, I have no idea, as he told me later he was working on multiple things, including an All Saints’ Day tweet from Trump, and plans for our evening… which were evolving.
We’d decided to drive up to Milwaukee with Sam and Ben for the Trump rally… the excitement and drama was building 4 days before the election. That afternoon, Brian found out we’d be able to meet Trump and get a photo! We were giddy… drove up late afternoon and had to wait for a while, even for the VIP entrance. The strap on my shoe was broken and it kept falling off. We had to park several blocks away and when we got to the arena, Brian said “you brought your license, right?” No!!!! I left my purse in the car because they had said no bags allowed. I did not want to walk all the way back with my stupid shoe, so we decided to just go for it. Thankfully we did not need to show ID to get in.
We had seats right on the floor. They took us backstage at one point to meet Trump, which involved a lot more waiting, but it was worth it in the end for our five seconds of glory.
Then as we headed back to our seats, Brian took this awkward video that we thought was a photo and then when he realized Bobby was being introduced he just walked right past us and filmed Bobby’s entrance. We accidentally almost walked right out to the stage but at the last second realized we had to veer left for our seats.
What a night! We drove home late after the rally (and a quick stop at Trump’s favorite, McDonald’s) and Brian left the next morning to go visit 5 states in the next 4 days. The final push was on to get out the vote! (Not pictured: me stressing out and having emotional breakdowns because of all the things, including having a husband on the go all the time. Even though I was behind him (and TRUMP!) 100%) It’s just, ya know, not easy.
To be continued… next installment: Election Day