CAMPAIGNING DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: Michael Bergan (R), House District 55

In the midst of an election year, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted how political candidates typically connect with voters. Over the next few weeks, the Times-Register will share how some local candidates have adapted—how they’re “meeting” constituents and continuing to share their ideas.

By Willis Patenaude, Times-Register

It started with a commitment to serve, community service and the value of working together, and it has led to Michael Bergan seeking a third term as a member of the Iowa House, serving District 55. 

It’s a position he finds “personally rewarding,” working to solve the challenges facing district residents by bringing together diverse ideas and solutions to find common ground. “It’s all about communities working together,” he said. 

It’s a part of his vision to promote “broader based perspectives” on priority issues such as a balanced budget, public safety, education and providing for necessary human services. 

After serving two terms already, Bergan still believes in the mission to “make Iowa a better place,” through continued bipartisanship and constantly being open to alternative solutions. 

As he remarked, “There can be more than one right answer” to solving the issues. 

According to Bergan, one reason this is easier to do in Iowa, as opposed to Washington, D.C, is because Iowa lacks the “polarization” that plagues the national political scene. 

In Iowa, state government is “much more attuned to our localities…able to take a practical approach [to] find solutions that fit all environments,” Bergan insisted.  

Running in a competitive district—Bergan won by just nine votes in 2018—such an approach “is necessary,” he said. 

Although he is optimistic about a path to victory, that path has taken some detours in the political era of COVID-19, which has made it difficult to expand the audience and, more importantly, the base. 

Gone and missed are the days of parades, community events, abundant social interaction, door knocking and face-to-face meetings. Instead, the campaign is looking at “alternative ways to get the message out,” but Bergan admitted, “technology has its limitations,” which stifles some of the communication that is essential in campaigning. 

With those options gone or severely limited, the Bergan campaign has turned to virtual town halls, Q&A sessions and social media (mainly Facebook) to get the message out through posts that discuss the candidate’s achievements and other information relevant to the campaign. They also rely on traditional stalwarts like print, radio and television. 

The impact of this won’t be known until later in the campaign season, as Bergan suggested it’s still too early to tell whether or not it has impacted the campaign one way or another. 

As far as social media goes, with a plethora of options, when asked why the campaign hasn’t expanded beyond Facebook, he said, “I think it may, it just hasn’t at this point.” 

Bergan still believes in the face-to-face approach, even if it is done online, such as Zoom. This is where Bergan finds something positive about the ongoing crisis, because Zoom hasn’t just made contacting voters easier, it’s also made attending and participating in meetings that would not have been possible prior to COVID-19 easier as well. Such meetings are more readily available, since there are no travel requirements and expenses. 

One upshot of attending these meetings, for Bergan, has been the ability to become educated on and find solutions to problems Iowans face, such as access to broadband and how to increase it. It’s an issue Bergan has been aware of, and it’s one that needs to be addressed, specifically because it needs to be expanded more fully into rural areas. There is an economic impact as it pertains to access, and having it makes distance learning more possible, allows for increased telehealth visits for the most vulnerable and makes Iowa competitive across the nation, he said. 

Despite not having a far-reaching presence on social media, Bergan is still always available to constituents, constantly receiving emails and consistently replying to them. Some would assume a staffer is behind the replies, but Bergan actually responds to the overwhelming majority of them. It’s a way to stay connected to the voters and be responsive to their concerns, which include unemployment and Medicaid claims. 

“I want to be available. I am available to constituents,” Bergan stated. 

As for the response to COVID-19, Bergan supports the work of Gov. Kim Reynolds and the “measured approach in rolling out [the] plan,” as well as the continued adjustments as the situation has necessitated. 

All politics aside, Bergan promotes a candidacy of openness and accessibility. He has a willingness to always be there for the public because it provides the most rewarding part of the job, which he said is “helping assist somebody in overcoming some difficulty.”