Page 112 of See You Next Tuesday

Anya: Thanks so much, Shawn. Great to see you.

Shawn: So talk to me, Anya! The polls in the early states have looked fairly stable, with Wheeler leading by eleven points. But you’re seeing something different on the ground?

Anya: That’s right. The Sessego campaign is getting a surge of support from tens of thousands of grassroots donors. I think it’s likely we’ll raise more money than Wheeler this quarter.

Shawn: Seriously?! No offense, but that feels impossible.

Anya: It feels impossible because the mainstream narrative has been so solidified for Wheeler, but I’m telling you, that’s not what’s really happening. Polls are notoriously tricky, since it’s so hard to poll cellphone users and especially younger voters. But money talks. Right now the grassroots donors are saying they want Jo Sessego—that’s true both in the early states and across the nation.

Shawn: Why do you think small-dollar donors are supporting Sessego over Wheeler?

Anya: There’s been a sense of inevitability around Andrew Wheeler, a feeling like, well, he was always going to be the nominee, so that’s why he’s going to be the nominee. But we’re getting down to the wire, and people are starting to ask themselves, Wait—do I actually like this guy? Do I actually agree with anything he says? And they’re talking to their neighbors, and their neighbors are feeling the same way. They’re realizing they don’t know a single person who’s given money to the Wheeler campaign, because Wheeler gets a huge majority of his funding from high-dollar donors and PACs.

Shawn: Do you think that really matters to voters? Where a candidate gets their money?

Anya: It absolutely matters. Jo Sessego has never taken a dime of PAC money in her career, and her constituents in Nevada really care about that. Our voters never have to question whether their candidate’s views have been bought and paid for. The only interest we’re beholden to is that of the American people.

Shawn: Are you saying that’s not true for Andrew Wheeler?

Anya: I don’t know Senator Wheeler personally, and of course I don’t know how he makes his decisions. I do know he takes money from corporate lobbies like Big Pharma and the NRA—and then he votes exactly how they want him to. Does he only take money from corporate lobbies he already agrees with? Again, I don’t know—but I find it unbecoming that we have to ask.

Shawn: We’re going to break in a second, but before we do: Is it true you’re dating Wheeler’s campaign manager? Our former colleague Gabe Hunt?

Anya: Um, yes. Yep, that’s true.

Shawn: How does that work, with you hating his candidate so much?

Anya: I want to be really clear, I don’t hate Andrew Wheeler. I respect Gabe and everyone who’s working for Senator Wheeler’s campaign. I think we all genuinely want to do what’s right for the country. But I think the Wheeler campaign wants us to ask which candidate can win instead of which candidate should win.

Shawn: You don’t think whether a candidate can win is a valid question?

Anya: No, I think it’s a stupid question. When people bring up “electability,” they’re usually looking to scare you into voting for a white person, or a man, or both. Electability means keeping things the same, upholding the status quo. By definition, any candidate can win. Our job as citizens is to vote for the candidates who actually deserve our support.

Text message transcript: Anya Katz and Gabe Hunt

December 23

Gabe [9:41pm]: Hey, bad news

Gabe [9:41pm]: I’m keeping some of my teams in the office this week, and if they’re working I’m working

Gabe [9:42pm]: So I don’t think we can do the hotel

Gabe [9:42pm]: Sorry, I know it’s short notice

Gabe [9:42pm]: If it’s too late to cancel, I’ll reimburse you

Anya [9:48pm]: You’re not taking time off at all?

Gabe [9:50pm]: Just Christmas Day

Anya [9:50pm]: We could do two nights then, if you want? You could come to the hotel whenever you’re done tomorrow and leave whenever you have to go on the 26th? Keep at least one day for the giant bed and the giant tub?

Gabe [9:51pm]: I’ll be working from home anyway, so I don’t think it makes sense

Anya [9:52pm]: So you’re very angry with me, yeah?

Anya [9:54pm]: Come on Gabe, pick up your phone