Jason Ascher, BA '02

Politicial Gypsy 

Jason Ascher, BA ’02 has been living the life of a political gypsy ever since he graduated from UB.  

Naturally enough, Ascher majored in political science. A college internship with New York Senator Charles Schumer’s district office in Western New York piqued his interest in working on campaigns. As Ascher puts it, “It didn’t turn me off. I had always been interested in politics. The first big-name politician I got to follow was Bill Clinton. I considered myself a Democrat, and watching the Republicans ripping him just drew me in.”

After graduation, Ascher began pounding the pavement in New York City and Washington D.C., looking for a job in politics. He didn’t know exactly what he wanted to do, but after eight months, he found a position as field coordinator for the New Jersey State Democratic Party, mostly for senate and congressional races. Ascher recruited and managed volunteers who were manning phone banks and campaigning door-to-door to get out the voters for candidates. The most prominent race on which he worked was Senator Robert Torricelli’s, who dropped out of the race after allegations surfaced that he had accepted bribes.

The lesson wasn’t lost on Ascher: “Nothing is the same day-to-day in a campaign. All at once everything can change.” Nonetheless, he says, “The Torricelli situation was very odd. In most campaigns you don’t worry if you’ll have a job until the primary is over.”

Liebermann presidential campaign

Ascher’s next assignment came in summer 2003 when he got call from Senator Joseph Lieberman’s presidential campaign in New Hampshire. He began as a paid canvasser, then ran the campaign in one of the state’s regions, accomplishing the same sort of activities as he had in the New Jersey races. But now, he also found himself in charge of the candidate’s political contacts, asking them to volunteer and support Lieberman at various events.

Ascher feels he doesn’t necessarily have to support a candidate to support his or her campaign. “Up until the primary, you support a candidate based on your beliefs, but after that, you want to get your party in office,” he says. He did, however, support Lieberman: “After looking at his record, I knew I could trust him to do the right thing.”

The most memorable moment of Ascher’s young career took place during the New Hampshire primaries. It was, he says, “the visibility pit, a roped-off area on the road to the debate building. Staffs of all the campaigns fight to have the most signs visible.” Lieberman’s staff was told they couldn’t get there any earlier than 9 a.m. When they arrived at 9:05 a.m., Senator John Kerry’s campaign had just beaten them, and the two campaigns fought over spots for their signs. “We were also trying to be diplomatic and not block each other’s signs,” says Ascher, “although we blocked the signs of anyone who got there after us. As people arrived – the press, candidates, senior staff – everyone was cheering. You don’t often see a sight like that.”

After New Hampshire, the party sent Ascher and his cohorts to Delaware for primary races. When Lieberman dropped out of the race, Ascher went “back to the drawing board” once again. He moved on to a position with a consulting firm that was doing community organizing in Virginia around the state budget bill. Next were congressional primaries in New Mexico and Buffalo. That’s typical for people who work on campaigns, according to Ascher. “You go job to job to job. Sometimes, if you work for someone who wins, you’ll work for the person you campaigned for.”

24/7

Ascher says the work has taught him how to handle pressure. “It’s 24 hours a day, seven days a week, living and working with same people. You spend at least a 10-hour day in the office. The joke is that if you see lights on in the opponent’s office after you leave, go back to your office and find something to do.”

Ascher enjoys the work: “That’s why I stick with it. Things change minute to minute, and you don’t know what the next hour’s going to bring.” The New Hampshire primary, for instance, brought Al Gore’s endorsement of Howard Dean instead of Lieberman, Gore’s former running mate. “It actually was good for us,” Ascher remembers. “People were angry at Gore so we got a lot of money in on the day before the biggest debate.

Today, Ascher is looking again for work. “I’d like to work as a campaign consultant or work in the White House or Capitol Hill.” Gypsy lifestyle notwithstanding, he ultimately asserts, “You have to like what you do, but it’s like a sport – you have to like to win. Most people in politics have that goal.”

Written by Grace Lazzara
September 2005

Do you have an interesting story to tell? Do you know an alumnus who we should profile?
If so, please contact us at ub-alumni@buffalo.edu.

Read about other interesting UB alumni.