2015 LC SUMMER MAGAZINE

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his employees, which extended beyond the office into the
living quarters for Troiano, Ruth and other staffers on the
floors above the campaign office.
All of their advertisements and big campaign plans
were created within the walls of their small office
with three other individuals. With a slogan of taking
Congress “Back to the Future,” they spent the campaign
season traveling to events in an old-school 1981
DeLorean.
“Many see the news or talk with others and hear
that our government is ‘broken’ and think that politics
is meaningless,” says Ruth. “But when I wake up every
morning, I know that I am actively working hard to
change that sentiment and bring to our district, and our
nation, a paradigm shift in how the political process
works.”
Both candidates spent considerable time preparing for
debates, which are crucial to gaining support. Vollman
witnessed Marino’s debate preparations first-hand,
gathering with the candidate and other staffers in his
home for three days to pound out their position on key
issues.
“Even with our countless successful meetings and
events, we knew Troiano was gaining support in spite of
his smaller-scale campaign,” Vollman said. “So when it
was time for the face-to-face debate, the campaign staff
took nothing for granted.”
Although Marino won re-election, Troiano managed
to capture 13 percent of the vote — more than three
times the average and higher than any of the 96
independent congressional candidates in the country
who ran in 2014. An impressive end to both campaigns.
“The political science department, especially
Dr. Williamson, had a huge influence on me,” said
Vollman. “Throughout the campaign, I felt prepared to
perform all of my duties because of the skills he and my
other professors had cultivated in me.”
Vollman is currently looking into graduate school
and Ruth works at the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of
Commerce (USHCC), a national trade organization
in Washington, D.C., and plans to pursue a master’s
degree in public administration and policy this fall at
American University. 
This past November, the regional election for a U.S.
representative in the heart of Pennsylvania garnered
national attention when a young, independent candidate
set his sights on toppling the republican incumbent.
Independent Nick Troiano, the youngest candidate to
run for office in 2014, took on Republican Tom Marino
’85, who has served as the U.S. Representative for the 10th
Congressional District since 2011.
The national hype was spurred in part by the political
savvy learned by three of the key players as former
Lycoming students. Alumnus Marino and his rival were
each backed by strong campaign advocates who also had
graduated from the college. Matt Ruth ’14, director of
outreach for Troiano, and Elizabeth Vollman ’14, a good
friend of Ruth and political director for Marino, worked
diligently behind the scenes to support their respective
candidates.
As director of advance and outreach, Ruth managed
Troiano’s daily schedule and coordinated travel and
logistical details of meetings and events, often in concert
with local organizations. He also coordinated incoming
and outgoing correspondence between the campaign and
supporters.
“Our generation has grown up into a century where
our Congress is the oldest, most accepting of special
interest monies, and holds the highest public disapproval
rating,” said Ruth. “I wanted to join a team where I could
be a contributing member to invoke a change to politics.”
Working for the opposing campaign, Elizabeth
Vollman managed the campaign office and coordinated
local campaign events. Between traveling to events with
Marino, she also helped with volunteer recruitment,
outreach and management.
“With such a strong Republican base in the 10th
District, we did not have to work as hard as Troiano
to find and maintain support within the district,” said
Vollman. “The strong existing Republican Party network
in the area allowed us to tap into their resources and
volunteers to augment our own.”
Because Troiano refused to accept funds from special
interest groups, his citizen-funded campaign operated
on a much smaller scale than Marino’s. That meant
Troiano had a much more personal relationship with
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