Obama Pride: LGBT Americans for Obama

Name: Chris Armstrong Campaign role: Field Organizer Hometown: Ridgefield, CT Organizing in: Ann Arbor, MI

Q1. What do you do for the campaign? I am the Field Organizer for Washtenaw and Livingston counties in Michigan. My main purpose is to build teams to turn out the voters we need on Election Day to win Michigan. I'm lucky enough to be able organize supporters in Ann Arbor and the students at the University of Michigan—Go Blue!

It’s incredible to watch supporters take leadership roles for this campaign. Their commitment reminds me how important this election is. There are volunteers working from 9-5 and then coming in to make calls or knock on doors for 3 or 4 hours. It’s my job to make sure that our supporters have the resources they need to run this campaign themselves. In my role, I get to see that this truly is a grassroots organization.

Q2. How did you first come to the campaign? After graduating from U of M, I moved to Chicago wanting to help out however I could and began interning with the political team in HQ. I got an amazing look into the intricacies of our campaign through that experience, and that's when I got the opportunity to organize my second home here in Michigan.

Q3. What’s your favorite part of your role? Getting the chance to hear the stories of each of our volunteers. Our President is impacting the lives of the American people every single day, and getting to hear why our supporters are fired up for this election is incredibly inspiring. It is a true privilege to represent a president that Democrats and LGBT Americans are so proud of.

Q4. What’s the most unexpected part of your role? As a field organizer, you should expect something unexpected to happen every day. Each day brings challenges and hiccups that you didn't foresee, which is exactly what makes this job exciting and dynamic. You can never predict what will happen next, so you learn quickly to roll with the punches while maintaining focus on our goal of winning Michigan.

Q5. Tell us a fun fact about yourself: While I was at the University of Michigan, I was elected as the first openly gay student body president at the university. It was a real honor to serve the students in that capacity, and is an even greater honor to organize them to vote in this critical election.

Four years ago, Ed Prouty owned his own HVAC business in New Hampshire. It was tough going, business had dropped away as the economic downturn hit.

“We’re just hanging on,” Ed said back then. “This is the worst we’ve ever seen in the 25 years I’ve been in business.”

With the presidential election heating up that summer, Ed made a small donation to Barack Obama. He didn’t know it at the time, but that donation made Ed the 2 millionth donor to the 2008 campaign. A few weeks later, he got a phone call from the candidate himself.

Four years later, things have changed for Ed.

“My business improved as the economy improved, so much so that I was able to retire five months ago,” Ed explains. “I turned 66 and just knew it was time.

“But if it wasn’t for the upturn in the economy, Social Security, and Medicare, I wouldn’t have been able to retire, and neither would any of my friends.”

Ed now splits his time between Maine and his retirement home in Florida, where he’s enjoying the sunshine and some relaxation after running his own business for 29 years:

“It’s a wonderful, wonderful, place.”

Ed is clear about who he'll be voting for this November:

“When I think about where we were four years ago and where we are now, there’s no choice. Everyone knows that there’s more to improve, but if it hadn’t been for the decisions President Obama made, saving the autoworkers, rescuing the industry, we’d have ended up in the second Great Depression.

“He’s done a great job and we need to let him keep on that path.”

Four years ago, Ed stepped up and pitched in what he could afford, helping to elect Barack Obama. Now, you could be the 2 millionth donor to this campaign: make a donation of $3 or whatever you can afford today.

Donate

“I know firsthand how important it is to support President Obama. I’m a member of the LGBT community, a breast cancer survivor, and I lost my job in the economic downturn. It doesn’t get any more personal than that. Going forward, the candidate that best serves my interests and concerns is Barack Obama.” —Sherie

“I helped him get elected in 2008 and I certainly want to get him re-elected. I think he is doing a great job. Keeping us on the path that we are on is so important. As a labor person, and a union member, I want to work to elect someone who supports labor, and that is definitely President Obama.” —Will