Vivaldi Hits The Pavement, What Sandy Adams Taught Me

By Jacob Engels

Walking door to door is one of the most powerful tools any campaign….big or small has at it’s disposal. It’s all about voter contacts, and face to face interaction is often the most effective. From county commission to congress, a strong “ground game” as it’s often called in politics, is crucial.

I learned this working on the campaign of one of my mentors and heroes, Sandy Adams. We never had the fundraising advantage, the most endorsements, or the most paid media…..but Sandy made damn sure we beat our competition on the ground and walked door to door…..EARLY & OFTEN. If it was hot as hell…..we walked. If it was 40 minutes before it got dark……we walked. The most impressive part however, was the fact that Sandy…..who was older than the volunteers & campaign staff….was always outpacing and pushing us to do more, be patient with voters, and prepare for the next walk. We won that primary by 500 votes after being outspent 10 to 1 by our opponents, which is equivalent to one day of walking.

So, when people say “it’s way to early to go door to door”…..it is NEVER too early.

Peter Vivaldi, who officially announced his campaign for congress in Florida’s 9th congressional district to a crowd of over 100 people, will be holding his first campaign “walk” this Saturday. Vivaldi, who has scooped up the endorsements of both Commissioner Pete Clarke and Wanda Rentas, is now working on the other pillar of a great campaign…..the “ground game.” Will he lead by example like Sandy Adams and inspire his team to always walk just one more neighborhood?

SIDE NOTE – In just under a week, Vivaldi has held a successful campaign event, garnered the endorsement of two county commissioners, and has seen his facebook page boom to over 500 likes. Keep an eye on this guy, will he be able to keep the momentum going?