I was born into a life of politics. On January 8th, 1984, my father, Lee Fisher, gave birth to his first child and subsequently, one more campaign volunteer. I grew up in a childhood unlike most others. To this day I have still never witnessed a parade without being in it. I used to have my mom tape every Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade so I could watch them over and over without having to wave or smile once. I remember waving in countless holiday parades, spending Saturday mornings at pancake breakfasts, and always sharing my dad with the people of Ohio.
My dad first caught "the political bug" in his election as 6th grade President of Fernway Elementary School. While that desire to run for office never subsided, he officially began his political career in 1980, at the age of 29. My dad went on to serve the state of Ohio as a State Representative, State Senator, and Attorney General.
In 1998, my dad was the Democratic candidate for Governor of the state of Ohio. I was just a 14 year-old freshman in high school at the time and didn't know what to think of my dad running for such an important office. All I knew was that it was a big deal. Realizing how important this race was, I decided to film the final 30 days of the campaign - just as things really began to heat up. I didn't really know what I was doing - I had no real video experience, I was using basic home equipment and I didn't always know what to look for. I just decided to film my experience of witnessing my dad run for the biggest office in the state of Ohio. My dad went on to lose the election in the closest gubernatorial election in Ohio in 28 years to Bob Taft - the great-grandson of President Taft. I went on to edit the 20 hours of footage that I shot down to a two-hour documentary that I gave to my parents for Christmas.
Our lives settled down after the loss and we began to live a more "normal" lifestyle. My dad ran a non-profit organization in Cleveland, my mom continued running her family's travel agency, my sister went through elementary and middle school and I graduated from high school and went onto college at Syracuse University.
As the end of my senior year at college began to draw near, I was hit with the realization that "I need to get a job!" I was at a crossroads in my life - about to leave the carefree college lifestyle behind for admittance into the dreaded "real world." Coincidentally, my father was at a crossroads of his own. While he was enjoying his life in the private sector, he felt that he was still missing something. He still had an itch to get back into politics. Ted Strickland, the front-running Democratic candidate for Governor, called my father and asked him if he would consider being his running mate in the upcoming election. It was not an easy decision for my father. He would have to leave his job, and in essence, become unemployed in order to run. It would mean more hectic schedules, less time with family and friends, and re-admittance into the crazy world of political life. Needless to say, he accepted the offer and decided to run in this nationally significant race. While my dad decided to leave his job, I still needed to find one. I decided to pull out the documentary I made back in 1998 to show a college friend, John Intrater, what my life was like growing up in politics. I hadn't seen my video in years, and while watching it we both were surprised at how good it was considering that I had no real equipment or experience when I made it. We decided that we should document this upcoming election given the national significance and the unbelievable access that we would be afforded. It was also a perfect way to avoid getting a "real" job!
We graduated from college on May 14 and began filming our documentary, Swing State, on May 19. For the next 6 months, our lives were devoted to filming, interviewing, fund-raising, marketing, and making the best film possible. We went on the ride of a lifetime and our lives couldn't have been more different than it was just a few months before at college. Here I was, interviewing Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Madeleine Albright just months after sleeping in until noon and frequenting frat parties. It was a journey unlike none other and one that I will never forget. Swing State will be the perfect opportunity for all of you to come along for the ride.
--Jason