Every election offers hope and renewed possibility for supporters in their chosen candidate, and when that much hope arrives at events there are myriad moments, richness, and color to capture. It’s a treasure trove for visual exploration, and so I try to arrive well before and stay long after candidates have departed.
For me the real magic rarely occurs on stage, but lives in the periphery, with quiet moments that can be quirky, offbeat, and even comical.
One of the most astounding aspects of covering a campaign are the interactions with the supporters, those unforgettable individuals who often travel great distance and volunteer long hours, working to elect their chosen candidate. The passion and persuasion they have voicing their beliefs enlightened me as to the pulse of the populace, which is the gift from covering politics.
Palmetto primary
The South Carolina primary, known as the “first in the south”, is the third primary of the election cycle, where two different primaries, the Democratic and Republican, are separated by a week in February.
With decorum rarely seen during this contentious presidential race, Jeb Bush graciously conceded on election night after a poor showing.
During a cafe stop during one of Hillary Clinton’s “On the Road” events, covered by a very small group of media, a bachelor party also happened to be gathering for breakfast; humorous moments ensued as Hillary was surrounded by men for a group portrait.
Covering the campaign was so much about who I met along the way
- Republican presidential candidate John Kasich, the Ohio governor, holds an event in the USS Yorktown on 19 February.
I happened upon a one-room town hall where the whole community came to cast their votes and then celebrate a four-year-old girl’s birthday in the back
- Bernie Sanders speaks during David Pascoe’s annual oyster roast and fish fry at the Orangeburg County Fairgrounds, 26 February.
Right: Jah’Mir Wright, seven, holds a bouquet of balloons outside of the Cordova Town Hall polling precinct, also a four-year-old birthday party venue, 27 February
- Erica Levine, poll manager at Colleton County Fire & Rescue precinct, registers a voter in Walterboro, 20 February. Below: A family wait in line to at a ‘Breaking Down Barriers’ meeting with Hillary Clinton at Morris College. Right: Republican candidates crossed off a poster in Aimwell Presbyterian church.
In addition to candidate coverage, I worked on a portrait story throughout South Carolina, often called the Palmetto state: A fisherman didn’t believe in government handouts and respected Trump’s work ethic; a preacher believed the country had turned its back on God; a gun shop owner felt neither Republicans nor Democrats liked the direction the country was going; and an 18-year-old university freshman, in the midst of pledging for a sorority, expressed nervousness about voting for the first time.
I’m nervous about voting. This is the first time I can vote and participate on that large of a scale. My one little vote won’t make that much of a difference, but I feel hopeful. After Obama was elected two times, any fresh mind would be important for new ideas. It’s time for a change – Hannah Williams, 19, university freshman
“Donald Trump does talk a good game, but there’s not a lot of specifics. At least he’s voicing the frustration of everybody. Everyone wants to elect a candidate for change, but it doesn’t matter if you are a Republican or Democrat right now; no one is very happy with the way things are going – Mike Jones, 50, gun shop manager
Buckeye primary
Several of Trump’s March rallies in the Ohio primary consisted of his private jet as a dramatic backdrop. It was striking visually and awed his supporters as well. At a dusk event, Trump was illuminated with gorgeous orange light and a backdrop of cerulean skies.
Those rallies in hangars were the loudest I experienced, with the supporters’ chants of “USA, USA, USA”, “lock her up”, and ”build the wall” reverberating off the metal walls.
Ohio governor John Kasich’s victory in his home state prolonged the Republican race. Weeks after his election night victory party I was still finding confetti in the crevices of my lens pouches.
There’s a singular and irresistible energy on the campaign trail. Much can be explained this way
- Bernie Sanders supporters cheer during a rally at the Covelli Center in Youngstown, Ohio
Keystone primary
By April, very few candidates remained. Bernie Sanders vowed to fight on until the summer. Likewise, Ted Cruz and John Kasich refused to exit the race.
My favorite rally this year occurred at a farm expo center in Harrisburg, where a dirt floor normally reserved for showing livestock served as a vibrant rally in the state’s capitol. Just as the crowds began arriving, police officers circled and assembled dozens of plastic handcuffs. At that stage of the campaign hecklers were a common occurrence during Trump rallies. In the sprawling line of supporters outside, a man smoked while wearing Donald Trump themed socks on his forearms, which I originally thought were tattoos. More than 5,000 were not able to gain entry.
- Republican presidential hopeful John Kasich laughs while holding a girl’s doll during a visit to the Penrose Diner in Philadelphia, 25 April
- Texas Senator Ted Cruz speaks during the Pennsylvania Leadership Conference, 1 April. Police officers attach plastic handcuffs before Donald Trump holds a campaign rally at the Pennsylvania Farm Show, 22 April.
- Hillary Clinton leaves with a wave after speaking at the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO Convention in Philadelphia, 6 April
Democratic National Convention
The life of the Philadelphia streets transformed into a mecca for all things election 2016, with far more than just protests, but peaceful demonstrations, art performances, an Occupy movement camp, and street festivals. I explored some of the more unseen aspects of the convention beyond the high security barricades.
Bernie Sanders attended the DNC and formally addressed his delegates in hotel ballrooms. Many of these delegates sobbed as he thanked them for their efforts during the primaries.
Philadelphia experienced a record-breaking, prohibitive heatwave during the DNC, with some days reaching 110C on the heat index.
- Greg Rodee, lights sage, joining activists demonstrating outside the Wells Fargo Center, on the third day of the Democratic National Convention
- Jessica Fears and Jesica Butler cry as Bernie Sanders addresses Iowa delegates on the second day. Left: Hillary-themed T-shirts during a DNC-themed street festival on Passyunk Avenue on the third day
- Bernie Sanders reacts during his introduction before addressing New York delegates at Loews hotel on the second day of the Convention
- Waffles T Clown, dressed as a rat, joins protesters demonstrating at the convention. Right: A secret service member monitors activity in the crowd as Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine hold a rally the day after the convention at Temple University, Philadelphia
Luxury flights
In August, I traveled with Hillary in a $40m (£32m) luxury jet with only a dozen other members of the print and broadcast media, while she traveled in her own version, before launching a jumbo jet to share with her staff and the swelling media onslaught the day after Labor Day.
Traveling means being embedded with the secret service from early morning security sweeps all through very long days. But traveling press are afforded the best possible access, more intimate events not otherwise possible to the general press, and VIP treatment in many ways: being fed well, put up in comfortable hotels, and treated with added respect, hardly the typical reality in photojournalism. The camaraderie forged with fellow photographers is something to cherish long after a presidential nominee becomes a president-elect.
I loved the jet’s loo, paneled in faux mahogany and gold touches to either call or flush
- Hillary Clinton holds a rally at John Marshall high school, and a supporter with a sign of support when her campaign returned to Ohio, 17 August
Frequent visitors
Pennsylvania boasts the fifth most electoral votes nationwide, 20, tied with Illinois. In the quest for 270 electoral votes to secure the presidency, the coveted prize of the “Keystone state” saw Clinton, Trump, their running mates or high-profile surrogates, and on many weeks all of these, campaigning throughout Pennsylvania. It has not voted Republican since George HW Bush in 1992, but Trump is fervently contesting it.
Working on a photo-essay of the rust belt, a stronghold of Trump’s, I drove past a derelict home with his surname spray-painted in bold scarlet lettering on the facade. For a region decimated by the collapse of the coal industry, the Republican presidential nominee represents the prospect of renewal and returned prosperity. In fact, Trump campaigns on that exact promise that he will bring back jobs through “clean coal”.
- A Donald J. Trump campaign sign is displayed in the storefront of a firearm pawn shop in Minersville, on 6 June.
For this political junkie photojournalist, being based in Pennsylvania was a boon this election cycle, as both campaigns incessantly traveled the state
- Donald Trump speaking at The Union League of Philadelphia, 7 September. Right: Greg Blank, 53, a Trump supporter, with his boxers at home in Abbottstown. Far right: Chase, eight, and Chloe Joes, seven, speak to a police officer after a Trump event at the Eisenhower hotel
In addition to the state being very much in play this cycle, the DNC was also held in the “city of brotherly love”, rendering the area a hotbed for presidential politics.
- Vice-president Joe Biden campaigns with Hillary Clinton on 15 August in Scranton, Pennsylvania
Trump is criss-crossing the state, with three rallies in as many days remaining before election day. linton will hold her final rally in Philadelphia, with President Obama and Michelle Obama outside Independence Hall.
Final sprint
This final week poll’s have tightened nationwide; travel schedules have taken on a frenetic pace. Concurrently, local campaign offices implement their “get out the vote” strategy.
- Melania Trump makes a rare speech in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, 3 November. Right: Donald Trump’s campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, poses for a selfie with supporters afterwards
Two such headquarters in central Pennsylvania campaign offices evince makeshift venues and intense behind-the-scene efforts, which ultimately will determine who suffers defeat and who prevails.
A rump office located in an ice-rink sports complex features a giant moose-head greeting visitors in the lobby. It opened in spring in small scale and now is a multifaceted large operation, drawing volunteers from a wide area. The Trump Tower command center nicknamed their volunteers Trumpettes.
A Clinton campaign office repurposes an out-of-business pharmacy. Juxtapositions include a baby center converted into a phone bank and a wall of greeting cards converted into a kaleidoscope of campaign posters.
It’s been an exhilarating, enlightening, and inspiring experience, and now sprinting towards the conclusion, it’s astonishing to think that most of the drama is still to occur
Serendipity continues to be a fine friend this election season. On a wrong turn yesterday I came upon a grand juxtaposition of ghoulish Halloween decorations beside an oversized campaign sign.
- Halloween decorations share a lawn with a Donald Trump campaign sign in Mechanicsburg. Left: Twins Jerica and Jerico Strohmeyer, 11, play on their backyard swingset in Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Another morning I awoke in my hotel to see Bernie Sanders had also stayed over, with his bus parked outside. I waited a long time hoping for the Vermont senator to appear. He took alternative transportation that day, unfortunately, but the bus driver showed up. When checking the engine, Sander’s painted slogan was interrupted, of “a future to believe in”, one that has yet to be written.
