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Erik: What did working on Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk's Senatorial Campaign teach you about
remaining optimistic through failure?
Courtney: I came on board to work for Mayor Kirk at the time, it was probably mid-summer,
and once you get into a campaign, you are in the campaign and it is your life. You may
have a drink but it will be at 1 in the morning and it will be a quick cocktail and you're
going to bed and waking up early and doing everything over again. My capacity within
the campaign was such that I really got to know the mayor and really spend a lot of time
with him and was able to witness fundraising calls and political calls and really see a
side to him that I think don't think many people got to see that were part of the campaign,
especially at my young age. So, the more I knew of him, the more I admired him and liked
him and wanted it to give it my all and so, I remember election day. We got up at 4. I
was on the corner holding up signs and we were going to win. Because we just were. The
polls were wrong. All these other rumors flying around, it doesn't care because how can you
now love this man? I love this man. We're going to win. And he gave his concession speech
-- I'm not sure if this is exactly it, but it was something at like 9 o'clock, it was
pretty early. I ran into a bathroom stall and cried. And then we had the whole campaign,
we all went to some bar in Dallas to sort of drink through the loss. The next day he
was so optimistic and he was so encouraging and so thankful and so proud of the campaign
because of all of us that had been involved. So, I spent the next two weeks in my apartment
doing a lot of reflection and lot -- at first it was very devastating because I really had
thought we were going to win, but then seeing Mayor Kirk after that, he was happy. He was
back. He was with his daughters, he was with his wife, his life was moving on. And I was
like, "If he can get over this, I certainly can get over this."