by Elizabeth Carman
Some call it politics, but Michael Kacmarynski ’14 calls it a career. The recent Central grad wasn’t sure what he was going to do after graduating until his internship supervisor led him to the campaign of the congressman for Iowa’s third district in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Kacmarynski, a political science and economics double-major, initially became interested in politics during the 2008 presidential election. With some help from his academic advisers at Central, Professor of Economics Jessica Schuring and Professor of Political Science Keith Yanner, Kacmarynski developed his passion for politics on Student Senate, College Republicans and Hall Council. He also interned for Senator Chuck Grassley’s office and the Republican Party of Iowa during his senior year.
“I’ve always liked to figure out how things work,” said Kacmarynsi. “Politics influence how society runs, and I want to be a part of that.”
Kacmarynski’s internship supervisor at Senator Grassley’s office led him directly to the heart of politics – the campaign trail. In April 2014, Kacmarynski took on a part-time job as a “door-knocker” for Republican David Young’s campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives, Young for Iowa. With skills acquired from his internships and political involvement at Central, Kacmarynski was eventually promoted to a field representative for five Iowa counties after the primary and Special Convention Day had ended.
“The Special Convention Day was probably the single most exciting day of my life,” said Kacmarynski. And for good reason. Not only did Kacmarynski get a promotion, but the candidate he had spent the past several months campaigning for won the GOP nomination. After finishing fifth in a field of six candidates for the Third Congressional District primary, David Young emerged victorious on the fifth ballot of the Special Convention Day held just two weeks after the primary.
The momentum from that day took Young, and Kacmarynski, straight to Election Day. Kacmarynski was responsible for promoting Young in five counties in southern Iowa. Tasked with overseeing volunteers and staff members, Kacmarynski organized campaign events in the area and worked with the county chairs to promote Young in local parades and festivals. On Nov. 4, all of that hard work paid off. Ringgold County, one of the counties Kacmarynski oversaw, had the highest voter turnout in the state. Young ultimately beat out Democrat Staci Appel with a nearly 11 percent margin. He became Iowa’s Third Congressional District Representative in January.
No matter what happens next in his career, Kacmarynski knows that this field is where he’s meant to be. “It’s politics,” said Kacmarynski. “Especially at the federal level, you get to help shape the course of the country. You get to help people.”
Ultimately, Kacmarynski hopes to stay in Iowa and eventually run for office on the federal or state level, so don’t be surprised if you see this Central alum move from behind-the-scenes campaign work to the political stage within the next couple of years.
