By Mariam Bell – November 27th, 2024

What an amazing, fantastic, absolutely critical win by Donald Trump! I would love nothing more than to sit back and enjoy the show as he and his new Cabinet get to work in Washington, D.C., but this is just the beginning…

We should treat the 2025 election like another Presidential cycle – all hands on deck. Next November we will be electing a Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General and state Delegates. Many critical issues will be at stake, including full-term abortion, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a potential Tysons casino, and non-citizen voting.

While Trump’s euphoria is still in the air, we spend the next few days and weeks going to every house in our area with a Trump sign. Knock on their door and bring muffins. Meet them and invite them to your house for a “porch and politics” get-acquainted session.

Build a local list of “new friends”
I would venture to say that many people had never been involved before or did not work on the presidential campaign, though they voted for Trump. Get their names and numbers, connect with them, and eventually enlist them to help with our upcoming Virginia state elections.

I generally don’t like going to meetings, but please consider even joining an auxiliary organization or supporting issues that are important to you.

Quick story…

I have left all of my Trump signage, car flags, and Dollar Tree bunting on my car. It sort of looks like a parade float. I am getting so many affirming honks every time I drive around!

The first Saturday after the election, while pulling into my local grocery store, I had no fewer than 7 people honk enthusiastically. After I parked, two different women wanted to visit with me and share their excitement about Donald Trump’s victory. The first, a Pakistani woman, started showing me reels of Pakistanis, here and abroad, doing the “happy Trump dance.” Then she wanted to show me her photos taken over a month ago of her in front of the Trump Tower in Chicago. She was my new BFF! The second woman also just wanted to join in and explain how happy she was. Almost without exception after visiting with them, they indicated they had not been involved or volunteered on the campaign. I was slow on the uptake early on and did not get their names or numbers (after telling them this next election for governor and state House and Senate races will be essential).

But I now have started to collect names. These are local people in my neighborhood, shopping at my grocery store in a very blue area.

Last Thursday, I had someone come into the Petco where I was getting my dog’s nails clipped. The man had just picked up some pizzas next door, saw me get out of my car, and came all the way into Petco looking for me. He walked in and said, “There you are; I saw you getting out of ‘that’ car.” We ended up chatting for 30 minutes. Then after he left, the groomer herself took off her mask and said, “I supported Trump too.” We ended up talking for 45 minutes. She’s a neighbor, again, in a very blue area of Fairfax County.

So without any work, just hanging out, running errands with my Trump signage, I’ve been a bit surprised at how it’s been a magnet and drawn people out, giving them permission to give a “high five.”

So if anyone wants any bunting or signage, I have extra 🙂

My closing thoughts… while people are still excited, there is low-hanging fruit, people who would be great resources to loop into growing our Republican base in Fairfax. We will need them to help us win again in November 2025.