Campaigning for Senator

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lg2017

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I'm going to be a senior this year, so this past summer I've been working on congressional nomination applications. One of my friends has been campaigning for a senator this summer and suggested that I do, too. The senator is from my district so I have applied for his nomination. Do you think campaigning for him would raise my chances of getting a nomination from him? It's a bit of a commitment after school, but I'm not doing any extracurriculars in the fall so I'm not too overwhelmed.
 
Most MOC's have a staffer who is in charge of service academy nominations, and committees that actually decide who gets the nominations for each academy, so it is supposed to be more objectively determined; but I certainly don't thing it would hurt to be a familiar face with the Senator and his staff. The reality is that an MOC has complete discretion as to who gets the nominations, and politicians are.....well...politicians. If a MOC has a certain fondness for a candidate, for whatever reason, it wont hurt, that's for sure.

On the other hand, I think your time would be better served studying for and taking the ACT/SAT multiple times, than it would be working on a senators campaign.
 
Depends on how the office is run, but for the most part it won't have a direct impact beyond service in the community type deal. My MOC and senators have staff that decide who the nominations go to it is not political at all and for my MOC she actually has very little say she lets her staff do the choosing
 
If you feel strongly about the MOC and his positions, then certainly campaign for him. But if you only want to do so to improve your chances of receiving a nomination, then it's not authentic. Spend your time doing something for the right reasons, not for political reasons.
 
You might want to inquire and offer to intern for the Senator. You will do legitimate work, although minor in nature, but will become familiar with the staff and you could put it on a resume regardless if you get a nomination or attend an Academy. Campaigning for a politician is not something I would be impressed with on a resume.
 
Getting a NOM is not about who you know or rub elbows with. If you are only interested in becoming a MOC intern to improve your chance of a NOM, the staff will likely see through this and your effort to 'make yourself known' could back-fire on you. You are likely not the first person to have tried this and the staff will be wise to what you are trying to do. The actual NOM interviews typically do not include the MOC, but are made up of a cross-section of others selected for this purpose. Most likely you won't even know who is on the committee until your interview.
 
I agree that MOC will not be there during actual interviews and you will not know the staff selected. The MOC will want to keep at arms length, and should, and will rely on the interviewing staff. But I disagree that you should not do it as it is a legitimate good experience and worthy endeavor no matter what you end up doing in life, certainly better than campaigning on their behalf.
 
Ok...Is it a Senator or a Member of Congress? Senators have states not districts. Your state has 2 of them. These nominations are much harder to get since they get applications from the whole state. If it is an MOC then how competitive is your district? In my DS situation the MOC simply took his committee's recommendations. They went by application, resume' scores and a tough interview done by a panel of 12. But each MOC is different. If your district is not very competitive volunteering and letting them get to know you might be helpful.
 
Brawny, if I remember right, you are from the same district as mine. Are you from TX-04 and did your DS receive his nominations from Congressman Ratcliffe?

If so, do you have any advice for the interview? I have it coming up in November and could use all the help I could get!
 
yes Tx 04...It was a panel of 12. The staff was very nice. DS said they seemed to have read his resume. It was cordial but no cake walk. The panel had alumni of all 3 academies. Just look em in the eye and answer truth. Telling what you think is better than telling what rou think they want to hear
 
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