About that debate…

And the results of our experiment

I don’t have a TV in my tiny studio apartment in D.C., so I watched the debate on my laptop while eating some chicken I had thrown in the air fryer and some pasta I hadn’t finished from lunch.

Within three minutes, I was getting text messages from friends.

Within 15 minutes, I was getting phone calls from reporters.

By the end, my inbox was flooded, my social media was going wild, and I was just letting calls go to voicemail. I’ve never been on the receiving end of anything like it - and I’m just a freshman member. I can only imagine what it was like for folks in leadership.

The next morning I rode my bike to the Capitol to cast some votes on a few bills that are going to be dead-on-arrival in the Senate because the Speaker let the right-flank add a bunch of culture war amendments.

On the way there, I got a text from my staff: “Heads up - lots of reporters at the entrance.”

And there were. I had barely put my kickstand down before they started asking me questions. 

Then I walked onto the House floor - and wow. 

Maybe it’s exaggerating to say that every single person there was talking about the debate, but it sure felt like it. I can say that every person I spoke to wanted to talk about it, and that includes members of both parties.

The majority party was in a pretty great mood. Fair to say it was a very different story for the minority party.

By the way, I don’t know the President personally, but some members of the House do, and in speaking with them that next morning it hadn’t become about politics yet - this was about a friend of theirs. They were processing what they saw in a different way, simply because of how long they’ve known him.

When it was time to leave, I had to exit through a phalanx of media that had grown while we were voting. They mostly looked past me, craning their necks to see if someone more controversial was headed their way. I’m not one of their usual suspects.

But most folks weren’t saying much. We’re all back in our districts this week, so my bet is you won’t hear much for the next few days.

These in-district weeks are interesting because members use them to meet with people at home, get a sense for the feelings on the ground, and then go back to D.C. with clear direction. 

I’m hearing a lot from my constituents right now. It’s my job to listen and take their concerns seriously. I am certain this will be the dominant conversation when we all go back next week.

I’ll keep you posted.

Our experiment: the results

Honestly this feels like a million years ago, but last week I sent you an excerpt from my opponent’s last email. 

It was a pretty wild, hyper-partisan rant (that you can see here), so I decided to turn it into an experiment.

I told you about how some consultants have told me to go that direction with my communication because they feel it fits the moment better and will help us raise more money.

So I gave you Choice A for me to adopt my opponent’s style, or Choice B to keep my style.

And HOLY SMOKES it wasn’t close.

You voted with your pocketbooks, and 98.7% of your support went to Choice B.

You also provided some written feedback, including:

“If you start screaming, I’ll stop listening.”

And:

“At first, I read your opponent’s email and thought it was yours. You almost lost me forever. Then I took a closer look and saw you were just quoting him. Relief washed over me. Stay who you are!”

One of you objected to the experiment itself, writing, “I don’t think something like this should be left up to the whims of people reading your newsletter. Don’t change who you are just to appease someone’s stylistic preferences.”

Fair point - but fortunately, thanks to the results, I won’t have to.

Let this be a lesson to political consultants everywhere: It’s ok for elected officials to speak to people with a little nuance, a little complexity, and even substance. It’s what people want!

For those who didn’t get a chance to vote but would like to support a campaign that treats you like a rational, thinking person, I’d appreciate your support. You can contribute here (ActBlue) or here (non-ActBlue).

Thanks, as always,

Jeff Jackson