Editor’s Note: This article has been updated and corrected for accuracy. Tighe was incorrectly quoted to have said former mayor when he meant councilwoman, and was also mistakenly called an intern when he has a full- time position with Curtis Bashaw.

As election season continues and Election Day grows nearer, there are some Rowan University students who are more immediately entrenched in the world of politics. 

Specifically, campaign interns at this time of year see an increase in duties, as campaigns ramp up just ahead of the day voters have to turn out. 

Elijah Jamison is a 20-year-old sophomore political science major at Rowan. Jamison is currently a campaign intern for Congressman Frank Pallone, who represents the 6th District of New Jersey, which includes Monmouth and Middlesex counties.

Jamison started his position in mid-July and will be working on his reelection campaign until Election Day on Nov. 5. 

As a campaign intern, Jamison works on many different facets of the campaign as the team is made up of volunteers. 

“I did opposition research. I looked at polling for the election between Kamala and Trump, and polling for him. I had to do some research on like, tweets that he said, possibly years ago. I had to look up some background information on the man to see if he did anything insane back in like, 2006 or something, like he burnt down his house or something. So it’s really deep digging that you have to do when you’re doing campaign work, but it’s super fun,” Jamison said. 

Congressman Pallone has been in office since the 1980s when he started as a moderate Democrat who cared about environmental concerns. He has shifted into more progressive views and is still very passionate about the environment. Additionally, he is a member of the Progressive Caucus in the House of Representatives. 

While some of the campaign work may be tedious, Jamison said he both loves and hates phone banking as one of his duties. 

“Honestly, I hate it at the same time, but phone banking was so much fun to be honest. Like, it’s kind of tedious. You know, cold calling, people…You get so many different responses. Sometimes people would just hang up on you. They’d curse you out…somebody thought it was their drug dealer,” said Jamison. 

In addition to his work on the campaign, Jamison is a full-time student with aspirations to be a lawyer and run for office someday. Although Jamison said it has been a “huge adjustment” taking classes and working on the campaign, he has found some flexibility within his schedule. 

The 2024 Presidential Election will not be Jamison’s first time voting, but he said this election “worries” him. 

“The two candidates are, shockingly, not even a full point behind each other. I think it’s like 48 point something, like 47 point something, and like, it should not be this close,” said Jamison. 

As a young person on a college campus, Jamison believes Rowan is making positive efforts to get students registered and prepared to vote. 

“There’s people that are in Discovery Hall, helping register people to vote by mail or register to vote in general. Also, I have been texting my friends asking if they’re registered to vote too. So I’m just trying to make sure that we’re all up to date,” Jamison said. 

Jamison urges Rowan students to educate themselves on candidates before the election and to form their own opinions. 

“Even if you’re not into politics, I’d recommend doing research on candidates before. Don’t just get your opinion off of TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, from your parents. Do research yourself, because you might see something different than, I don’t know, your best friend of like, eight-plus years. Also, I would recommend taking a politics class too, so you can be more literate in politics,” said Jamison. 

For some young people, the world of politics can feel discouraging. Jamison tells students to do what he did, get involved. 

“Try to be the change that you want to see…Get involved. Write to your representative, write to your congressperson, write to your senator, your state senator, your mayor, write to anyone with power. Let them know ‘I’m not satisfied,’” said Jamison. 

On the other side of the mainstream political spectrum, Noah Tighe is a student who is working full-time for the GOP candidate for U.S. Senate in NJ, Curtis Bashaw.

Tighe is taking a gap semester to work on the campaign. Starting out as a field guy, or someone who organizes events and goes door-to-door to get the word out about the candidate, he is now a “body guy.”

“So basically, his personal assistant. I’m with him everywhere. I mean, today we’re up in Bergen County, a far, far cry from home, for sure… It’s long hours, especially as we get past this post-Labor Day home stretch… especially with this role because I’m with him all the time,” said Tighe. 

Though the days are busy and tiring, Tighe enjoys his role and the work he’s been doing within the campaign. 

“There’s very few career options where you, as a 20-year-old, get to network with so many powerful people in the state. Elected officials, lobbyists, consultants, and county party chairman. I mean, I’ve got them all, and it’s so worth it,” said Tighe. 

He has previously worked on the reelection bid of a member of the State Legislature, though that candidate ultimately lost that election. Despite this, he was able to leverage his connections from his previous position into this current one. 

Though many students who work on political campaigns are political science, history, or law majors, Tighe is different in his status as a management major. He hopes that his work with Bashaw will get him even more opportunities in the future.

“When this election is over, hopefully he wins, and I think he will, it’s a really big opportunity… And maybe I’ll go to DC. Maybe I’ll stay more local…either work in the state legislature after this, or basically use my connections and finagle my way into somewhere,” said Tighe.

One potential path for Tighe is running for office himself, which he’s already doing this election season in Woodstown for an unexpired term on Borough Council, originally deciding to run at the urging of the former mayor of his town. 

“Unfortunately, I’m on the road all the time with this campaign, so I can’t spend too much time there, but towards the beginning of fall, I was able to go back and do some door knocking on my own and do some more of the behind the scenes stuff,” said Tighe.

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