Liam Mays

Last fall, Kansas made history – and headlines – for electing the first Native American woman to congress, Sharice Davids. In what was called a major upset, Davids unseated a long-time Republican incumbent Kevin Yoder for the 3^rddistrict seat, which includes Johnson and Wyandotte Counties.

Her success was largely credited to her ground game, made up of hundreds of volunteers who tirelessly made phone calls, knocked doors, and spread literature around so that everyone could hear about the new candidate.

“These volunteers came together from all areas, some not even in the district to help support a candidate they all truly believe in,” said volunteer Emily Weber.

Sharice Davids talking to supporters at a “Team Sharice” meet-up |Photo by Liam Mays

Davids’ most dedicated supporters were known as “super-vols” meaning super volunteers. Many of these supporters weren’t at all experienced in the political world but said they got involved because they were fed up with how things are being run in D.C.

After Davids’ successful Congressional campaign, many of these super-vols decided to make their own run for a local office. They helped make the Blue Wave happen, and now that they’re running for smaller local offices, they’re creating Blue Ripples. Their experiences on the campaign trail taught them all they need to know how to run a successful campaign.

Jan Faidley, who had a volunteer staging location in her home in the final weeks of Davids’ campaign, is running for Roeland Park City Council. The seat was vacated by fellow Democrat, Becky Fast, who won a seat on the Johnson County Commission. Faidley only had around three months to make her campaign for the special election, scheduled for Feb. 26.

Diane Kehres (left) talking with Jan Faidley (right) | Photo by Liam Mays

“They have also provided the backbone of my volunteer base,” said Faidley speaking about her fellow Davids’ volunteers. “I gained invaluable experience about the nuts and bolts of running a campaign at the federal level – much of which is applicable to any race.”

Faidley has persevered knocking doors through subzero weather and lots of snow.

One person who was a super-vol for Davids and also volunteers for Faidley is Julie Sayers, who is running for City Council in Lenexa. Previously, Sayers “did not really engage in politics at a local level.” But she was inspired by Davids and everyone who came together to help make history, so she decided to run.

“The experience volunteering for the campaign and talking to hundreds of voters on behalf of another candidate showed me that you don’t have to be a lawyer or a political scientist to run for office,” she said. “You just have to be someone who is willing to listen and have the drive to work hard to push forward change on important issues.”

Weber, another volunteer-turned candidate, travelled from Missouri –even though she couldn’t vote for Davids –to help with the campaign. Now, she’s running for State Representative in Missouri.

Weber was influenced as much by Davids, as she was by all the volunteers who came to help.

“It was the support of these people that helped influence me to run,” said Weber.

She said that Davids’ campaign helped her understand what it takes to run a successful campaign.

“It’s a lot of groundwork. I’ve been on other campaigns before this but I didn’t get to talk to a lot of constituents,” said Weber. She said that Davids’ campaign was the first time she got to talk to constituents face-to-face and answer their questions.

The team of committed volunteers and advocates call themselves “Team Sharice.” In addition to helping fellow volunteers get elected, they attend local political events, have joined together to help a homeless shelter in Olathe – and even get together for fun.

(Left to Right) Emily Weber, Julie Sayers, Jan Faidley, Diane Kehres | Photo by Liam Mays

These three candidates aren’t even the only ones that have come out of this community. Holly Whiting Grummert has announced her bid for Overland Park City council this past week and Diane Kehres is considering running in De Soto; both of whom were frequent volunteers for Davids’ campaign.