Stories from the Field: 2025
- Jarrek Holmes
- Dec 2
- 4 min read
2025 was our first full season knocking on doors in Colorado’s 8th Congressional District and what happened on those porches, driveways, and living rooms is the clearest proof of why this work matters.
Deep canvassing invites something rare: people telling the truth about their lives. What they’re worried about. What they hope for. What they’ve been carrying alone.
Here are some of the stories that shaped us this year.
Juan: “For a month, all we ate was rice and beans.”
Juan, a Native American man in his 40s, told two canvassers that he had never voted. He’d never believed anyone on the ballot cared about people like him.
About Trump, he said frankly:
“Trump’s a good businessman but terrible at running the country.”
Then he shared what his family went through during the shutdown:
“For a month, all we ate was rice and beans. The food pantries were empty.”
He works full-time. He still falls behind. And yet he keeps showing up for his kids.
By the end of the conversation, something shifted:
“I absolutely will vote in 2026. I’ve got to think of my family.”
This is deep canvassing doing what it does best: helping people connect their lived experiences to their power.
Z.: “I vote and I pray. That’s what I do.”
Z. answered the door while cooking breakfast for her family. Her mother took over at the stove so she could step outside to talk.
She told us her community lives in constant fear of ICE raids:
“They are not just taking people who are criminals. They are taking people who look and speak like me.”
Her daughter worries ICE will come to her high school. Teachers quietly try to protect immigrant students.
Z. works full-time, cares for her mother, and navigates rising electric bills and healthcare hurdles. She votes every election and pushes her kids and nephews to vote too.
When asked how she manages the stress, she said:
“I vote and I pray. That’s what I do.”
Mike: A Heartbroken Social Worker and the Safety Net Eroding
Mike wasn’t even on the list, he was outside tinkering with something when our canvasser Jim waved hello.
He talked about what his wife sees every day in her work at a local social services agency: families losing food stamps and other benefits, and staff forced to tell them why.
It weighs on her. It weighs on him too.
Randolph: Voting With a Disability
Matt and Risa talked to a man named Randolph, the primary caregiver for his brother, who is disabled. He believed his brother couldn’t vote because he can’t sign his ballot.
He can. Legally and completely.
Our canvassers are now helping both brothers make a plan to vote in 2026... for the very first time!
Jacob: From Hostile to Honest
At first, Jacob came out of his garage with a tense expression. But once trust started to form, he started talking about what really bothered him.
He said:
“Trump, you should stop taking credit for things you did not actually do.”
He keeps in touch with friends in the military and worries the country isn’t living up to the Constitution he respects. By the end, he talked about voting for his daughter’s future. His girlfriend, who he said is “even more angry at Trump,” will make sure he votes.
A 39-Year-Old Mother: “I’d vote for my mom.”
This mother told canvassers she usually only votes for president and sometimes guesses down-ballot.
She talked about her own mom’s health issues, rising costs, and pressure on seniors.
By the end, she said she’d be more likely to vote for Democrats in Congress in 2026:
“I’d think about voting for my mom.”
A Few More People We Talked To
A foster parent worried about his foster kids’ future.
A new mom, overwhelmed but trying to stay politically connected.
A young woman who said she would vote for the first time in 2026 because she cares about healthcare and immigration
A man set to become a citizen in December who didn't know naturalized Americans could vote.
A veteran furious that “Trump disrespects the military.”
A woman losing her ACA subsidy whose premiums will jump from $300 to $700.
A construction worker whose business has slowed due to tariffs.
A caregiver who lost all government support during the shutdown.
... Any many more!
How you Can Help
Every conversation helps someone connect policy to their own life. Every story helps us refine our training, our scripts, and our strategy. And every canvasser who comes back week after week is building something Colorado hasn’t seen at this scale before.
Our goals are ambitious but simple:
15,000 deep canvassing conversations by Election Day
1,000 volunteers trained and engaged
$400,000 raised to power the fieldwork, data, and logistics that make it possible
If we reach these goals, we will close the margin of victory in Colorado’s 8th Congressional District. We can do it, but only if we start now and only if we do it together.
Sign up to volunteer: trustbrigade.org/signup
Donate to support the work: trustbrigade.org/donate
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