Phil Weiser for Colorado, Denver, CO
This summer I interned on the reelection campaign of Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser. Phil Weiser has established a strong commitment to justice as well as the protection of the interests and rights of all Coloradans and he is up for reelection in November.
Last summer I also worked for Phil’s campaign, and my role largely centered on conducting research, doing translations and attending events. This summer however, with the election rapidly approaching, I was able to do a greater variety of tasks. One of my goals was to work more closely with the communications team and improve my writing and analysis skills. I helped manage the content calendar and wrote initial drafts of emails sent to supporters. I drafted “creative briefs” of the emails, which required me to look at Phil’s record and tackle a specific issue and explain why it matters to the AG. For example, Phil has been a strong advocate for Coloradans when it comes to consumer protection and has taken on companies ranging from Google to Wells Fargo, so in an email I might describe the work he has done in that area, the settlements he has won for people and include a testimony from someone impacted by his work. Those briefs then went through a review process in which I was given input and edit suggestions. Most political candidates are not as heavily involved with the minute details of their campaigns and may instead delegate the work entirely to staffers. Phil, however, was directly involved with the campaign every step of the way.
This summer I was also able to engage with more voters. I went to two canvases on Phil’s behalf, which involved knocking on people’s doors, hearing about the issues that are important to them and discussing Phil’s work. This was one of the most unique experiences I had—it challenged me in that I had to put myself out there and articulate my convictions to strangers. It allowed me to hear from a wide assortment of people on the issues that they care about, which is an experience that I think will be a great complement to my learning at Williams.
This experience only reaffirmed my desire to pursue a career in law. While this job was more political in nature, I was exposed to the work Phil does as attorney general and the impact he has had on people. It was incredible to work somewhere where I could see my efforts pay off in a real way and in my home state.
I am so grateful to have had this extraordinary experience, and I would like to thank the ’68 Center for Career Exploration and the Estate of George Mead for their generous support on this journey. I greatly appreciate the guidance I have received, the flexibility I was given and the opportunities the ASIP program has provided.