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To the Editor,

As a young person, I’ve felt frustrated and neglected. Our political leaders have done a lot, but they do not represent me or my generation’s needs, and it doesn’t always feel like they want us to be part of the process. This campaign feels different.

I have been a part of the West Hartford community my whole life, so when I got the opportunity to join Luke Bronin’s Congressional campaign, I immediately felt passionate about Luke’s message and mission for West Hartford and for our whole district. Along with the ten other West Hartford interns on the campaign, I wanted to tell our story of why we are proud to be on Team Luke.

Every morning, we walk into our Park Street office and immediately get caught up in the whirl. We might make final edits to talking points before prepping for a press conference, pick up the phone to answer voter questions, or schedule a visit to a senior center. Our team has 40+ college and high school students from all over the district who believe in Luke’s message and mission.

It’s pretty rare for campaigns to let interns do much more than phone banking and door knocking all day. On the Bronin campaign, however, we are an integral part of the team. We’ve learned how to write memos, plan and coordinate events, and network with local elected officials. Not many of my friends can say they spend their evenings driving a future congressman to community events, collecting and producing social media content, or strategizing voter outreach. This campaign sees value in each intern, and has invested in our own career growth by providing us with opportunities for hands-on learning every day.

We are stuck in a vicious cycle of status quo, and we are told if we just “wait our turn,” we will finally see legislative change. Well, we are done waiting.

Congressman Larson has been in office longer than any of us have been alive, and this is the first time in our lifetimes that there’s been a Democratic primary in our district. If we are fed up with our system, why would re-electing the same representatives over and over again change anything at all?

Luke’s campaign rests on a mission for change; we’re proud to push for that change, and we hope to earn your vote on Aug. 11.

Anabel Dease
West Hartford

Co-signed:
Theo Allen
Patrick Henderson
Grace Mielert
Flynn McGinnis
Atis Watt
Olivia Dardenne
Collin Malloy
Aliya Moss
Moh Palanki
Jack Krieble