»Our "inside the beltway" canvass has stories to tell.

Hanging in the Washington DC office is an inspiring quote from Cesar Chavez:

"You knock on twenty doors or so, and twenty guys tell you to go to hell, or that they haven’t got the time. But, maybe at the fortieth or sixtieth house you find one guy who is all you need."

The Washington DC teams have taken this to heart both at the door and on the street. Whether you are on the street flagging down supporters or knocking door-to-door in the suburbs, DC canvassers are going to have great stories. Here are a few…

Robyn Swirling of New York City was canvassing outside the John Kerry for President headquarters in Washington DC when none other than none other than Senator John Edwards walked out of the building! Robyn lightheartedly called out, “hey, do you wanna help beat Bush!?” Senator Edwards flashed his famous smile and gave Robyn a huge hug.

Katya Petrochenkov of Triangle, Virginia, was door-to-door canvassing in Tenleytown near the Grassroots Campaigns office. She was excited to approach a house with a “Re-Defeat Bush” sign in the yard. She came across a Republican baby-sitter and a curious young six-year old boy. He listened attentively to Katya’s explanation about why the campaign to elect John Kerry was so important. The sitter asked that she come back when the boy’s parents were home. Katya returned to an amazing story. The little boy had made a poster that said “NO BUSH!” On his own initiative, he canvassed the street getting signatures of support from his neighbors!

David Ruffin, Director of the street canvass, canvassed a nice woman and her daughter while working outside of Fahrenheit 9/11. David thought the pair looked familiar, though he could not place them. A previously canvassed supporter walked by and asked Dave, “did you see Dick Gephardt?!” Dave enthusiastically queried, “are you serious?” The nice woman he was canvassing confirmed, “Yes, …he’s my husband,” “…and MY dad,” added Chrissy Gephardt. After a moment’s recovery Dave joked, “and I thought I was here convincing YOU to get involved!” Dave was then introduced to Congressman Dick Gephardt, and they had a nice chat about the work of Grassroots Campaigns. Mrs. Gephardt contributed.