In light of the 2024 election, Rose alumna Anna Rushing wanted to represent her political beliefs by playing a part in the campaign of Jeff Jackson, the newly elected attorney general of North Carolina.

     One day, as Rushing was casually scrolling through social media, she stumbled upon Jeff Jackson’s campaign. She instantly became captivated by his viewpoints and beliefs. Rushing had recently discovered her love for politics while attending North Carolina State University. With this newfound passion, she plans to work in the United States governmental system after graduation, with the help of Jackson and his team.

     “Whenever I looked further into his platform and what he believed in, I found that a lot of his beliefs lined up with my beliefs,” Rushing said. “This is a person that I would want to be associated with and could see myself working for.”

     To take a step into the political field, she participated in Jeff Jackson’s attorney general campaign as an intern in the finance department. The role offered many responsibilities for her to uphold. Some of these were contacting donors, making cold calls and formatting invitations to events.

     “[My role was] pretty much whatever they needed me to do: any little task that they needed,” Rushing said.

     “He's just a normal dude, and he's extremely personable," Rushing said. “I think that he really humanized politicians and made me see that there's a positive side to the politics world.”

     During the election, Rushing was given the opportunity to await the results of their hard work with her team. Suspense had hung throughout the room and silence fell as they were all waiting for the results.

     “We were all just kind of sitting there, and there was a knock on the door, and in comes Jeff and his entire family,” Rushing said. “He came in and was like, ‘We won; we did it.’”

     Before the results were officially broadcast to the public, Jackson, along with his family, welcomed the team in their hotel room and presented them with the big news of his victory. This win was such a huge triumph for Rushing and their team as a whole. From sending invitations to handing out flyers they all knew their hard work had officially paid off.

     “It was such a positive energy in that room and everybody was just happy to have some good news from the night,” Rushing said.

     Reflecting on her time serving on Jackson’s campaign, the main trait she admired most of all was the way in which Jackson portrayed himself. Not just to the public but to everyone around him. Jackson made it very clear that he was a common man and was going to work for and with the people.

     “He's just a normal dude, and he's extremely personable," Rushing said. “I think that he really humanized politicians and made me see that there's a positive side to the politics world.”

     From this opportunity, Rushing came to the realization that not all politics are negative. Although she was met with a few conflicts during her time on the campaign, her experience was an eye-opening experience for her and influenced her to eventually have a job working for him one day.

     “I think the Jeff Jackson campaign was a really positive environment… and I think that it showed me a different side of politics that wasn't negative,” Rushing said. “It was a positive movement, and they wanted to make a difference for the right reasons.”