Flames on campaigns

A behind-the-scenes look at students and alumni working on political staffs

Several Liberty University students and alumni went beyond voting this year and worked for Republican nominees, senators and representative running for office.

These workers’ commitment to their candidates was demonstrated in their 14-hour workdays. For some of these students, their job included watching countless past speeches from their candidate to thoroughly understand his views and even moving across the country to be close to a campaign’s headquarters.

Liberty alumni Cabot Phillips, who spent time as the digital grassroots director for Marco Rubio’s campaign, said the way he did not get burned out by his occasional 100-hour work weeks was by working for a candidate he was passionate about.

STUDENTS AND SENATORS — Liberty Online student Lance Barnett stands next to his district campaign office in Melbourne, Florida. Photo provided

STUDENTS AND SENATORS — Liberty Online student Lance Barnett stands next to his district campaign office in Melbourne, Florida. Photo provided

“If you don’t fully believe in the cause — if you don’t have a purpose that goes beyond just the selfish ambition to advance your career — you’re not going to make it,” Cabot Phillips said.

To Lance Barnett, current Liberty online student and youth director for Rubio’s ongoing Senate campaign, each campaign member has to be willing to be a cog in the campaign’s machine, even when there is minimal supervision.


“You have weekly check-ins, but it is your job to make sure you are taking the initiative, making yourself better, and making it happen,”

Barnett said. “When something goes wrong you need to fix it, and when something goes right you need to do it better the next time.”

For some people there was no next time. Hudson Phillips, Cabot’s brother and Liberty alum who worked for Scott Walker and then Marco Rubio, knew a couple of staffers who were fired after sending one errant tweet.

This level of professionalism was necessary because Hudson Phillips said even one comment from a staffer could go viral and reflect poorly on the campaign.

The shared stress and commitment can create an atmosphere where the staff becomes like family, according to Cabot Phillips.

By going through the thick of it all together, Cabot Phillips said he has developed lifelong friends from the campaign.

Hudson Phillips agreed that the staff became important and special to him.

This was necessary for Hudson Phillips as he had moved to Wisconsin, along with the rest of the staff, solely to work on the campaign.

“We’d hang out on the weekends together and then during the week we were all slaving away at the office together,” Hudson Phillips said.

“We were all we had because we were the only people who could relate to each other because of how long the days were.”

Hudson Phillips said the Rubio campaign knew if they did not win Florida, it was over, but the end of the Walker campaign was more sudden.

“I literally found out over Twitter that I lost my job, and the same with everyone else on the campaign,” Hudson Phillips said.

“They didn’t tell us. It was just like, ‘Oh wow! We just found out on Fox News and Twitter that he was dropping out of the race.’ I still had seven months left on my lease in Wisconsin.”

Even though Rubio withdrawing was more expected, Cabot Phillips said he had never let himself believe Rubio would not win, so he could stay focused.

Cabot Phillips said while he saw people within other campaigns send out resumes once they started losing, he wanted to stay loyal because his dad had told him, “You can never fully trust a man until you’ve seen him remain committed to a cause which he saw was losing.”

While defeat can sting, the aspect of a winner and a loser is part of what Barnett said he enjoys about the process, as he describes himself as a competitive person.

Hudson Phillips said he got involved for the experience and connections but also because there is a need for Christians within politics because of how corrupt it is.

The reputation of dishonesty within politics has developed to the point where Cabot Phillips said some Christians look down on fellow believers because they work in politics.

“I just want people to know that D.C. and the political world is a mission field in and of itself,” Cabot Phillips said.

“There is such a lack of young strong Christian leaders within the movements. … It really is a dark place, so I view what I do as a mission.”

As the November election approaches, Ryan Fowle, Liberty alum and youth director for Tom Garrett’s congressional campaign, said students should first evaluate what they believe and then search for a candidate that most agrees with their views.

Other Liberty alumni who work on the campaign trail include Josh Campbell, who currently works on the advancement team of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and Alex Towers, who previously worked for Ben Carson’s presidential campaign.

Election Day will take place Nov. 8. Liberty students with any questions about the elections can email vote@liberty.edu for further information or to register.

Price is a news reporter.

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