Basically I have to be a jack of all trades but a master of none. So you have to have an idea of what’s going on in communications, with the canvass and the doors and the phones. You have to have an idea of what’s going on with the volunteers, the sign crew, how the brochure-drop is going.
When was your first campaign?
My first campaign would have been a provincial campaign in 2000. Then I managed Bruce Miller’s campaign when he won, and I managed Kevin Taft’s campaign in the spring when we won, and now I’m managing this one. This is my first federal campaign and it scares the bejesus out of me. It’s four times the size of a provincial riding. It’s huge and you only get nine extra days to do it all.
What does your typical day consist of?
During the writ period it is very busy. So I try to be at the campaign office by about 8:30 a.m. It’s the first part of the day that you can kind of get your voicemails answered and any e-mails caught up on. Then at about 9 p.m. we open our office to the public and people start wandering in. Then we have to manage the day-to-day work of the campaign. We needed brochures so it’s a matter of getting and proofing copy, and getting pictures done of Jim, and speaking to the media. It’s a full day. Lately I haven’t been getting home until 10:30 or 11 p.m. The only thing that’s keeping me excited is that I’m not an American doing this for 42 months of the year. I can’t decide if 37 days is a curse or a blessing. Normally I’m a stay-at-home mom — I have two little girls, and my husband works shift work so it causes chaos and havoc in our household when I do this. So everybody has to pitch in a little bit. We have good neighbours that help get the kids home from school and my husband, who just worked the night shift, is at home this morning with my four-year-old. It ain’t pretty, but we can do anything for 37 days. I used to buy him a bottle of scotch as a thank-you gift at the end of every campaign, but somebody pointed out that I should probably be buying it at the beginning.
What do you do when you’re not campaigning?
I can’t remember anymore. I don’t know what I did to fill my days. Honest to God, I can’t remember. I try to be involved with my kids and our communities, and whatever a stay-at-home mom does. I remember that my kids were playing at a neighbour’s house one day and my neighbour tells me that my daughter said, “My dad’s a doctor and my mom’s a Liberal.” So I guess I’m a full-time Liberal.
Will we see you take the helm for the Liberals next election?
I’ve done a lot of elections and I’m telling everybody — and nobody believes me — but this is my last one. I tell strangers, “Hi, I’m Karen and this is my last campaign.” I will always be a Liberal; I grew up a Liberal, and I will always work for my Liberal candidate. But I tell you, this is very intense and high-pressure and it’s someone else’s turn.
