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Photo Credit: Uli Seit -
A wall that says “Hillary for” is littered with Post-its that declare “Girls,” “Jobs,” “NYC” and more. Another is decorated with photos of Clinton and her celebrity supporters, from Leonardo DiCaprio to Beyonce to Bellamy Young, who plays former first lady and presidential hopeful Mellie Grant on “Scandal.”
But our tour guide, former Olympic figure skater and Clinton’s surrogate outreach coordinator Michelle Kwan, said one of her favorite walls is the one covered with photos of Clinton’s supporters from around the country. She said it reminds the staff “who Hillary’s fighting for,” adding, “it encourages us in our early mornings, late evenings.”
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The photos, Post-its and Clinton logos that dominate the space are part of what gives the campaign headquarters its youthful, energized vibe. Clinton polled lower than her former opponent Bernie Sanders among millennials during the primary, but you wouldn’t know it from her office, which was buzzing with dozens of twenty-somethings, some of whom worked from their laptops on big beanbag chairs donated to the campaign.
“Somehow, the beanbags keep duplicating,” Kwan said.
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Photo Credit: Uli Seit -
Photo Credit: Uli Seit -
There’s an undeniable quirkiness to the headquarters — it’s not what you’d expect of Clinton’s campaign. Different departments feature silly signs that hang from the ceiling — the digital department, for example, is repped by the tagline “Swipe right for Hillary.”
And the office is dog-friendly. On our tour around the headquarters, we met Winnie, who was very much at home, nestled in her doggy bed on top of one of the desks.
“Winnie’s a very different dog,” Kwan remarked. “She just hangs out.”
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Then there’s the “antique” brown fridge — a surprising find at a high-profile candidate’s campaign headquarters, let alone in this century. It was donated to the campaign.
There’s an element of thriftiness throughout the headquarters, from the donated beanbags to the old refrigerator to the drawings of buses that proudly display the names of staffers who have saved money by taking the campaign bus to D.C. rather than a speedier mode of transportation.
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It’s a “badge of honor” for the staff, said Kwan, who has taken the bus. Other big names who’ve taken the bus from New York to Washington include Clinton’s campaign chairman John Podesta and her campaign manager Robby Mook.
“It’s making sure that we are tight on our budget and that we’re spending it in the right way,” Kwan said.
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Workdays can run long, with some later than others, Kwan said.
“If you come in at 10 o’clock at night, folks are still here,” she said. “The hours are long, but there’s always much to do.”
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Clinton spokesman Harrell Kirstein said that one of the nice things about working for a campaign “is that it feels like every day is different because there’s always something new that’s happening.”
Kirstein said that he joined the campaign because he believes in Clinton and trusts that she cares deeply about the Americans she’d represent as president.
“There’s something that strikes me in her ability to connect with people and remember details about who they are, and what’s important to them, and what challenges they’re facing, and to be able to recall it months later, having met thousands of people. Their personality [and] details about their lives stick out to her — she internalizes them,” he said. “You hear her repeating them a lot on the trail, but it’s always amazing to watch someone’s face light up when they realize that all these months later, she still remembers their story, she still remembers their struggle, it really made an impact on her.”” data-id=”111619353″ data-link=”https://amnewyork.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/20795_image.jpg” class=”wp-image-1.11619353″/>
Photo Credit: Uli Seit
An office in Downtown Brooklyn is with her — Hillary Clinton, that is.
It’s been a year and a half since the presidential hopeful signed the lease at her campaign headquarters at One Pierrepont Plaza.
Operations there show no signs of slowing down as the Democratic nominee heads toward November’s general election.