The 2016 election was one of the most competitive presidential contests in American history. Late on the night of November 8, 2016, when Donald Trump eked out an Electoral College victory over Hillary Clinton—who went on to win the popular vote by 2.86 million votes—the world responded with shock about both the narrow margin of victory, as well as the signal it sent about the direction of our country. One of the many stories cast aside in the chaotic aftermath of the election was the story of the millions of volunteers who awoke early the morning of November 8th to text, call, and canvass voters across battleground states in America, and the campaign staff who supported them—not just on Election Day, but in the long weeks and months that preceded it.

The 2016 election was one of the most competitive presidential contests in American history. To many observers, it felt like more than a campaign to elect our next president; instead, it was a referendum on the very soul of our nation. Late on the night of November 8, 2016, when Donald Trump eked out an Electoral College victory over Hillary Clinton—who went on to win the popular vote by 2.86 million votes—the world responded with shock about both the narrow margin of victory, as well as the signal it sent about the direction of our country. One of the many stories cast aside in the chaotic aftermath of the election was the story of the XXX volunteers who woke up early the morning of November 8th to text, call, and canvass voters across battleground states in America, and the campaign staff who supported them—not just on Election Day, but in the long weeks and months that preceded it.

The P3 lab is working with the field leaders from the HFA 2016 campaign to debrief, unpack, and extract learnings from the experiences of field staff and volunteers that can help support future campaigns. Hahrie and Liz McKenna are co-leading the project and will produce a confidential report in 2017.