In age of Periscope, house party remains campaign staple

CEDAR RAPIDS - In every election cycle there is something new that is going to change campaigns forever.

In 2004, it was Meetup. In 2008, Facebook was the way to connect with voters. In 2016, Snapchat, Instagram, Meerkat and Periscope are new campaign tools.

But even as use of social media applications grows and helps campaigns organize and communicate more quickly with more people, the old-form house party endures.

On a recent Sunday evening, about 150 people gathered in State Sen. Liz Mathis' northeast Cedar Rapids backyard to hear from 2016 Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton. Many lingered after her remarks to chat and pose for pictures with the former first lady and U.S. Secretary of State.

That doesn't surprise Michelle Kleppe, organizing director for Hillary for Iowa.

'Even though there's been a huge push in social media, email and other ways to engage and communicate with people, there is just something real and genuine about sitting with your neighbors and having this conversation,” Kleppe said.

House parties also are a great tool for campaigns.

'When we launched the campaign back in April, we knew we were going to build support one person at a time,” Kleppe said. 'Organizing is about meeting people where they are at, and house parties are a great way to bring new people into the organization.”

The old-fashioned house party may be even more important in the digital age 'because there is so much that we have to sort between fact and fiction,” according to Mathis. 'At this point in campaign, people are starting to search for answers because there has been so much hype and hyperbole.

People want solid answers and at a house party, they get to hear direct from the horse's mouth.”

In Clinton's case, Mathis said the candidate 'wanted to get in front of people who had not met her but might caucus for her.”

Kleppe explains house parties are a 'great way for us to bring new people in, people who aren't committed yet, and have basic conversations with them around the campaign and what's important.”

As a result, Mathis said, 'I had Democrats, Republicans and independents in my backyard - and they all were civil.”

That's one of the advantages of house parties in which the campaigns and hosts control the guest list. Even when an activist wants to press a candidate on an issues, they tend to do it respectfully because they are a guest in someone's home.

For Aliesa Gingerich of Iowa City, a gathering in Adam and Theresa Mangold's Washington, Iowa, backyard provided an opportunity for a one-on-one follow-up with Republican Jeb Bush when she wasn't entirely satisfied with his answer on President Barack Obama's deportation of illegal immigrants.

That informality benefits both candidates and voters, according to Bob Klaus of Cedar Rapids. Along with his wife, Patti, and their daughter, Kelli, Klaus hosted an Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition gathering for Republican Ben Carson earlier this summer. In the past, the Klauses have hosted parties for Michele Bachmann and Mitt Romney.

'I think there's a better opportunity for interaction without the hurry-up atmosphere of a typical campaign event,” Klaus said. 'There's more give-and-take, less formality …

more of a chance to visit with candidate, ask questions or just be there.”

Some people are reluctant to attend a house party because they don't want to be seen as endorsing a candidate. For some people, 'just going to an event is a commitment,” said Klaus.

Mathis thinks it depends on the individual's political experience.

'Some people who have gone to rallies are very comfortable,” she said. 'Some are just interested and curious and are comfortable coming to listen.”

Besides, she added, 'Who doesn't want to meet as former secretary of state, U.S. senator and first lady?”

Hosting a house party has its perks, such as spending time with a candidate, getting a peek inside the inner workings of a big campaign and developing relationships.

Of course, part of the purpose of a house party is to get people to commit to a candidate. When they arrive, visitors are asked to sign in - name, address, phone number. Staffers and volunteers circulate with pledge cards or 'commit to caucus” cards.

'When we have them there in person, we ask people to volunteer, sign commit-to-caucus cards, to commit to working a shift at a phone bank,” Kleppe said. 'A great organizing tool.”

And when the party is over, it really isn't over, Kleppe said, because 'there is a ton of enthusiasm and momentum that gives volunteers an extra boost.”