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CADEN: I ended up in We the People because Government and U.S. History were really fun and I want to continue doing it. Also because my dad’s in government. I mean, I want to follow in his footsteps one day.

SCHUYLER VANVALKENBURG (WALKING WITH HIS CHILDREN IN A PARADE): Woo!

CADEN: And there he goes.

SCHUYLER VANVALKENBURG: Happy Glen Allen day. You guys – don’t look like you’re having so much fun.

CADEN: Hey, I’m smiling.

CADEN’S SISTER: I love the rain.

SCHUYLER VANVALKENBURG: People are going to get confused.

CADEN: I’m smiling, Dad. I mean it’s wet as hell.

SCHUYLER VANVALKENBURG: How are y’all?

CADEN: My dad is Schuyler VanValkenburg.

SCHUYLER VANVALKENBURG: Hey what’s up? How are you?

CADEN: He’s the current delegate for the 72nd District of the Virginia House of Delegates and a Government teacher at Glen Allen High School.

SCHUYLER VANVALKENBURG: How are you guys? You guys having fun?

CADEN: And we lost him again.

SCHUYLER VANVALKENBURG: I love all the kids being troopers. I love all the kids being troopers. How are y’all?

CADEN: Hey, you’ve got a raincoat. You can put on the hood.

CADEN’S SISTER: I’ll take it off.

SCHUYLER VANVALKENBURG: Woo. What’s up? How’s it going?

CADEN: Off again. I mean, I’m sure Dad’s taught half the kids here.

CADEN: My dad, he’s been teaching for most of my life, um, at various schools and first ran for office in 2017 following the presidential election that year. He’s been doing that since I was 11-year-old.

SCHUYLER VANVALKENBURG (SPEAKING TO A SMALL CROWD): Uh, I’m going to keep it brief because we have a lot of doors to knock. We only have 31 days. Time is scarce, right?

CADEN: Back when I was an 11-year-old, I knew nothing about how the campaigning process worked but I used to think it was mostly just like giving a speech on why you should vote for me. But a lot of it is the more boring stuff.

SCHUYLER VANVALKENBURG (CAMPAIGNING DOOR TO DOOR): Hello. How are you?

VOTER: Good. How are you?

SCHUYLER VANVALKENBURG: Good. My name is Schuyler. Uh, I’m running to be your state senate assembly member. I would love to earn your vote.

CADEN: This year, the campaign’s mostly centered around abortion after Dobbs v. Jackson – Democrats going pro-choice, trying to get a amendment for that in the Virginia state Constitution.

VOTER: You’ve got to win this. You got this down.

SCHUYLER VANVALKENBURG: Yeah, we’re feeling good. We’re doing the work.

VOTER: Yep. You are.

SCHUYLER VANVALKENBURG: That’s why I’m here.

VOTER: You are. You are. And you’re all over the TV. You look fabulous.

SCHUYLER VANVALKENBURG: Yeah.

CADEN: I will go out and some people will say that they’ve seen my dad’s ads. They’re everywhere. It’s absurd.

CADEN (TO HIS DAD): How did canvassing go?

SCHUYLER VANVALKENBURG: It was good. Not a lot of doors opened, but that’s O.K. TV is important, though.

CADEN: Yeah it is.

SCHUYLER VANVALKENBURG: People watch TV.

CADEN: I’ll just quote some of the lines from his ads at him that I think are particularly corny.

ARCHIVAL (POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENT):
SCHUYLER VANVALKENBURG: I’m Schuyler VanValkenburg. When I’m not here, I’m here in a classroom of high school students. Here. . .

CADEN: I’m a teacher, and I represent you here.

ARCHIVAL (POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENT):
SCHUYLER VANVALKENBURG: . . . and here, I put it into action.

CADEN: I’m a teacher. I’m a parent, and I’m a delegate. That stuff, I’ve heard it so many times. It makes me cringe every time. A lot of my life is just focused like what my dad is doing in some ways.

SCHUYLER VANVALKENBURG: We’re going to be gone, so we’ll be back.

CADEN: So figure out dinner is what you’re telling me.

SCHUYLER VANVALKENBURG: Yeah. Figure out dinner is what I’m telling you.

CADEN: O.K.

SCHUYLER VANVALKENBURG: Yeah.

CADEN: But I know he’s doing this because he thinks he can make a difference. It’s really inspiring to see that your dad, who was just a teacher at a public high school is now, like, one of the more important people in the state. It’s just really cool.

(END)