It’s a strange time to be running for office. Actually, it’s a strange time to be doing anything.
I have been working from home for the past two weeks since the Little Rock School District closed down in an effort to help flatten the curve due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Prior to that, in early March, I was functioning much like every other candidate for local office here in Arkansas: planning fundraisers, making calls to potential supporters, and trying to strategize about policy proposals that might be useful to the people in my district.
Certainly, I was aware of COVID-19. I had listened to the news as it made its way across Asia and Europe and then ripped through cruise ships. “Horrible,” I thought, never really grasping that we would shortly be right in the eye of the storm. Almost overnight, I found myself set up to work from home, advising my clients via teleconference and email, and homeschooling four kids in pre-k all the way to sixth grade. Fundraisers were canceled. Calls all but stopped. The campaign was essentially put on the back burner, replaced by an underlying hum of anxiety and a feeling of helplessness as the world we took for granted simply ceased to exist.
So how does one campaign in the time of COVID-19? Is it even possible? I’ve been pondering these thoughts a lot in the past couple of weeks, and the answer is “it depends.” Traditional campaigning is out. Asking for financial support is complicated by uncertainty, a crashing stock market, and the reality of people losing their jobs. I set those things aside. Then I got really basic—why am I running for state representative? That answer was much easier—I want to help my community and the state I love so much.
By refocusing on public service, we’re gearing the campaign back up. Now, we make calls to check on constituents—what do you need? How can we help? We’re looking at the very real toll COVID-19 is taking on the community and identifying ways to meet those needs or to direct people to valuable resources and factual information. The need changes almost daily, but my volunteers and I continue to adapt to the changing landscape.
None of us knows what the next few months will look like, or what the finish line in November looks like either. The best we can do now is to take care of each other, take care of our health, and wash our hands.
Ashley Hudson is a lawyer, mother of 4 children, wife of a disabled Marine veteran, and the Democratic candidate for state representative, District 32.