When U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris needed field organizers to round up supporters out West, her presidential campaign handed one of the assignments to an activist from Clay County.
Ethan Williams, 28, spent much of the fall in sagebrush country, promoting the Democrat from California.
"I was brought in for my rural experience to take on the small towns in the desert there in Nevada, places like Elko and Battle Mountain and ... Winnemucca," the Corning native said.
Williams had done previous work as political director for Chintan Desai's 2018 1st District congressional campaign.
His new territory stretched more than 300 miles along Interstate 80; all of it sparsely populated.
"I'm from the flatlands of northeast Arkansas, so getting to see the desert and the mountains was a really cool experience," he said.
Distances are different in the Silver State, he said.
"In Arkansas, especially in Corning, it seems like every town is 30 miles away. In Nevada, it's literally hours between towns," he said.
He made his journeys in a 2006 Chevy Aveo, a black subcompact "with hail damage all over" and 160,000 miles on the odometer, he said.
The terrain is arid and inhospitable, especially to Democrats; President Donald Trump captured more than 70% of the vote in Humboldt, Elko and Lander counties in 2016.
While he was there, Williams stayed in the Reno suburbs with a Harris supporter. The only thing she asked was that he provide minimal pet care.
"It was nice to come home after a long stressful day on the campaign and get to take her dog on a walk in a new neighborhood in a new town. I really enjoyed that," he said.
For Thanksgiving, he drove to Las Vegas, 435 miles to the south, and savored the holiday with other members of the Harris team.
Less than a week later, with poll numbers falling and money running out, Harris withdrew from the race.
"It was a sudden and bitter end," Williams said.
The disappointment didn't dilute his enthusiasm for Democratic politics -- or for Harris.
With the race over, he loaded his belongings into his car and headed back to the Natural State, arriving as state Sen. Joyce Elliott, D-Little Rock, was gearing up to challenge Republican U.S. Rep. French Hill.
In April, he was named her field manager.
"I'm managing close to 700 volunteers right now. We're doing phone banks, we have our postcard writers, we also do our text banking," he said. "We're fortunate to have a great candidate like Sen. Elliott who has that inspiring background and that compelling message that really motivates and inspires people," he said.
Williams also secured a spot in the Arkansas delegation to the Democratic National Convention.
But because of the coronavirus pandemic, he's viewing the proceedings on a screen; not in Milwaukee.
"I'll definitely be tuning in over Zoom watching her speech," he said, hours before Harris took the stage. "I'm really excited for this historic moment."
Williams may have inherited his love of politics from his grandmother, a Massachusetts native and a lifelong liberal Democrat.
Arkansas State University also played a key role.
"I first got active in politics my freshman year at ASU. I found out about the Young Democrats -- they had a chapter there -- and I've really just been nonstop ever since," he said.
Desai, whose challenge of Republican U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford two years ago was unsuccessful, portrayed Williams as a talented and trustworthy worker.
"I loved having him on my staff," Desai said Wednesday. "I think he's got a bright political future ahead of him."
Eventually, Williams plans to finish his degree at ASU. Between now and November his focus is on partisan pursuits.
"Donald Trump is just a really horrible president and he's a really divisive figure," he said. "I feel like Joe Biden and Sen. Harris are really the ticket we need to unite the country and get us back to a place where we're respected throughout the world."