As a way of narrowing down presidential candidates to determine who will earn the nomination, the 50 states hold a series of primaries and caucuses. One of the first primaries, the New Hampshire primary, is being held on February 11, 2020. Candidates were first able to sign up for the primary on October 30th, starting at 8:30 a.m, at the New Hampshire State House in Concord. The first major Democratic presidential candidate to sign up was Mayor Pete Buttigieg.

The signings are open to supporters of the candidate and on October 30th, I took the day off from school to go to the New Hampshire State House to watch Mayor Pete file for the primary. I arrived at the State House early enough to be among the first people there, aside from reporters. As the first Mayor Pete supporters there, we were able to talk to reporters, and look inside the room and see the desk where the candidates file. As the room filled up with members of Mayor Pete’s campaign and his supporters, there was high energy as everyone waited for him to enter.

Mayor Pete walked down the hall lined with supporters, shaking hands as he moved towards the room. I was able to shake his hand, and my mother ended up in the room where he signed. He took questions from the press after signing. When he left, I was able to be right next to him and walk beside him. As we walked, one of the reporters from NHPR informed Mayor Pete that I had skipped school to watch him sign. He turned to me and asked me what school I go to. I told him, and also informed him that I cannot vote in the election. He still thanked me for going and told me to just keep spreading the word about his campaign.

After signing, he held a rally outside the New Hampshire State House. My mother and I were able to be in the front row while Mayor Pete spoke about his campaign, and how after the Trump presidency, the country will be more divided than it’s ever been. He spoke of how we need a president who will help to unite the country and why he will be able to unite the country. Once he spoke, he went down into the crowd to meet with supporters, and I was able to get a picture with him.

As we went to leave the rally, one of his campaign members told us that Mayor Pete would be at a restaurant across the street to film a podcast. We headed over, and his supporters sat in the basement room so there would be more room and to prevent the recording from disrupting the patrons of the restaurant. There were only about 30 people in the room as he spoke about a variety of the issues being talked about in the 2020 election. Once he finished, he met with people around the room. I asked him a question about the genocide of Muslim people currently happening in China. He explained to me how we can set an example in the country by being more accepting of religions in America and use trade against China until they treat Muslims better. While talking, he managed to keep strong eye contact, making it feel as though he was in the moment and only focused on the conversation we were having.

As the 2020 Presidential Election draws nearer, it’s important to learn more about the candidates and the issues they stand for.