PEORIA MAGAZINE January 2023

S P O T L I G H T

LEARNING POLITICAL CAMPAIGNING ONE DOOR AT A TIME Bradley students take part in Kansas gubernatorial race featuring BU alum

BY MEL HUANG

O n a sunny Saturday early afternoon just before the November 2022 elections, a nervous Sarrah Denton knocked on the door of a house in Topeka, Kansas. Within a matter of seconds, this Bradley University first-year political sciencemajor turnedwhat she had read and learned about political campaigns into a hands-on experience in a real political campaign -- the race for governor in Kansas, which had been in a statistical dead heat for months. "When we walked away, I was defi nitely shaking from nervousness, but I think I did pretty okay my first time," said Denton. Denton and four of her peers – Emily Brouch, Levi Dearman,MelodyHampton and Azlyn Porter – were taking part in an innovative internship opportunity created by Bradley McMillan, executive director of Bradley’s Institute for

PrincipledLeadershipinPublicService.Of the five, onlyHampton has had personal political and campaign experience, most recently interning in the Washington, D.C. office of Congresswoman – and BU grad – Robin Kelly. McMillan had driven the team of interns from Peoria to Kansas for the week-long opportunity to see politics – past, present and future -- in action. They visited the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, the Brown vs. Board of Education National Historic Park, and the Kansas State Capitol, including a memorable tour of the Capitol's dome. Perhaps the most unique part of this experience was the interaction the interns hadwithKansasGov. LauraKelly, herself a Bradley University alumna and a member of the university’s Centurion Society. One might imagine that before such a close and consequential election, Kelly would be holding rallies or out barnstorming across the vast state, but

no. She was in fact hosting the Bradley interns for pizza and a chat. "I was just really impressed with the fact that she was willing to open the Governor's Mansion to us and sit down and have an hour and a half long conversation with us on a Thursday night, the Thursday before the election," said Hampton. Although much of the conversation focused on non-political topics in a relaxed, comfortable setting, the interns nevertheless took notice of this unique opportunity to converse with an elected leader. ’THE EXPERIENCE ALSO MADE YOU LOOK AT POLITICIANS LIKE PEOPLE‘ — Emily Brouch "It also made you look at politicians like people," said Brouch, "because a lot

64 JANUARY 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE