Many had been canvassing for days, if not weeks or months. I met volunteers who'd taken months off of their jobs to work for the campaign, and some who'd only joined a few days prior.
Many were drawn to Rose for the opportunity to help him achieve what many considered impossible: flipping the reddest district in New York City. Jack Donohue, a member of Rose's campaign, admitted that while he disagreed with a few aspects of Rose's platform, this election was bigger than that. According to Donohue, "Max Rose is the blueprint for Democrats across the country," who want to flip historically Republican districts.
As the sun set, volunteers trickled back to Rose's Brooklyn campaign headquarters for a few moments of warmth and to dry off after manning their posts since 8 a.m. Many were still nervous about Rose's chances of winning, and some described being harassed by GOP representatives at polling sites for being too close. A volunteer manager handed out new assignments, sending most to polling sites and others to keep knocking on doors as 9 p.m. (when voting stops in New York) loomed closer.