This month a libertarian activist group claimed 35 election victories for state legislative candidates across the country after knocking on 1 million doors. Using the most effective strategy for getting out the vote, Cliff Maloney, president of Young Americans for Liberty, has been leading the effort to help liberty-minded candidates win nationwide.
“1 million doors knocked and 35 victories for YAL endorsed candidates shows that our new tactic of deploying students for state legislative races is working,” said Maloney in a press release. “Mark my words: YAL will elect 250 state house members by the end of 2022. This is how we mobilize YAL’s national college campus network to build the next generation of leaders and advance the libertarian philosophy.”
YAL secured the majority of its victories in the “live free or die” state of New Hampshire, gaining 25 seats for ideologically principled candidates. This represents a tremendous win for the liberty movement, with the goal of backing candidates of any party grounded in constitutional ideals.
As a former YAL New Hampshire door-knocker, I know how much this means to the students who worked tirelessly for these victories. Working six days a week for months on end, walking upwards of 15 miles a day in 90-plus-degree weather or torrential downpours, volunteers for these campaigns find them intensely physically demanding, yet still richly rewarding.
When we make it to the door, average people see how much work we’ve been putting into our campaigns and really listen. Walking alone for that long, you spend time contemplating your entire life and whether you actually believe in what you’re fighting for. You’ll spend nights discussing religion and philosophy with a cigar and bourbon, waking up early the next morning for a pep talk from campaign coordinators.
These days are some of the best memories of my life, and months later the friends I met on these campaigns have told me they’re addicting. From steak and lobster nights every time we secured a major victory to summer cookouts on the beach, grilling corn and sweet sausage, this rag-tag team of scrubby activists knew how to make the most of their 20s. I’d recommend this job to any young person interested in testing their limits both physically and intellectually, while having a heck of a good time.
Enemies of liberty may look and think these milestones are comparably insignificant when weighed against the masses of lemmings staffing Democratic campaigns, but the vision Maloney has for the future is astounding, and he’s not done yet.
An audacious disruptor, he’s surrounded himself with some of the most dynamic and colorful people in the industry, miraculously marching to the same beat. What’s always impressed me about his leadership is his ability to inspire employees to achieve their dreams, constantly looking for new ways to change the game and challenging others to put their money where their mouth is.
After taking a few days off for holy-matri-Maloney this past weekend, he will soon be back on the road meeting with donors around the country to fund their next efforts.
What most people don’t get to see until you’ve been around him yourself is that he’s not kidding about his dreams, and he’s hungry for more victories. Many people make it to the cold-marble, calculating streets of Washington, D.C., and lose the integrity that makes them human. But the self-respecting warmth emanating from YAL comes directly from the top, driving YAL volunteers all around the country.
This workplace culture is so congenial that the entire headquarters flew out for a day of door-knocking themselves, scouring New Hampshire with every person they had. That is the fiery spirit running Young Americans for Liberty, and soon the entire country will notice.
William Nardi (@williamznardi) is a contributor to Red Alert Politics. He is a student at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and a former intern for the Washington Examiner.
