Alumna reflects on Chocola campaign
Natalie Bailey
News Writer
One of the biggest lessons Erin Casey learned from her experience with the Chris Chocola's congressional run, she said, is to keep your eye on the prize.
"It always helps to have the national spotlight on your race, but I had to focus on the district, on the people my candidate would be serving," said Casey, a 2002 Saint Mary's graduate and finance director of Chocola's winning campaign for Indiana's 2nd Congressional seat.
"It was a very highly contested race. It was very important to people all over the country, but I found that this made it important to see what the end goal was — to get Chris elected. In high-pressure situations, it is important to keep your eyes on the end goal," Casey said.
Casey began working on the Republican congressman-elect's campaign in late February, prior to graduation and has continued her duties since the Nov. 5 win. While finishing her degree in political science and minor in public relations, Casey began working with the finance committee, contacting current donors, looking for potential donors and organizing fund-raisers for Chocola's campaign.
During her time as the finance manager, House Majority Leader Dick Armey, Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, Vice President Dick Cheney and President Bush have come to the area to lend their support to Chocola's campaign. Casey assisted with Cheney's visit and arranged all aspects of the dinner plans for 1200 guests during Bush's September visit to South Bend.
"Having the vice president and president come were very large-scale events that took a lot of time to organize. There are so many things that have to be done for those types of visits," Casey said.
Casey had worked on other campaigns prior to Chocola's, taking a semester off from school in fall 2000 to work on Republican David McIntosh's unsuccessful bid for Indiana governor and working as a finance intern in 1998 for GOP candidate Sue Anne Gilroy's losing run for Indianapolis mayor.
Casey said she finds campaigns thrilling and they keep her interested year after year.
"There is always an excitement to campaigns. You believe that your candidate is going to help the people the most," she said.
Casey will remain in South Bend throughout the next year or two to finish her work with the Chocola administration. She is originally from Indianapolis but she hopes to gain experience outside the state.
"Long term I see myself staying political, working on different races around the country and moving onward and upward," Casey said.
All News Stories for Tuesday, November 19, 2002
