While most students were studying for midterms or preparing for spring break, one student was overseeing a congressional campaign that won Mississippi’s 1st Congressional District Democratic primary.
Eli Nordstrom is a 21-year-old junior political science major from Oxford. Nordstrom has managed Cliff Johnson’s campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives since January, helping guide Johnson to a primary victory on March 10 against Republican candidate Kelvin Buck from Holly Springs, Miss. According to Ballotpedia, Johnson won with a total of 16,577 votes in comparison to Buck’s 8,536 votes.
“I like to think of myself as the right-hand man to Cliff Johnson in the district,” Nordstrom said. “We’ve got a lot of great people working with us. I don’t want to discount all of their work, but I’m the guy in the district doing the thing.”
Johnson is a first-time candidate for public office while also serving as director of the MacArthur Justice Center and as a clinical professor of law instruction at the University of Mississippi. Mississippi’s 1st Congressional District covers much of northeast Mississippi, including Oxford, Tupelo, Columbus and Starkville.
Despite the victory in the primary, Nordstrom’s focus remains on the people of the district.
“To me, the primary results show that Mississippians are wanting better from their government,” Nordstrom said. “Speaking to the people around the district, I learned that people are tired of the chaos, the unjust wars and the misguided economic policies.”
To some, a student may seem like an unconventional choice to run a campaign, but Johnson felt that Nordstrom as his campaign manager was a no-brainer.
“Our campaign focuses on the humanity of all people and the importance of making sure that government looks out for our neighbors and friends who are struggling,” Johnson said. “Eli (Nordstrom) is deeply committed to those things, and it was clear from the first time I met him that he is a person driven by deeply-held core values. The combination of those convictions, with the fact that he is whip-smart and hard-working, made him the perfect choice.”
Campaign supporter and former congressional candidate Montravious Hall, who previously ran against Johnson before dropping out of the race to pursue other opportunities, also praised Nordstrom’s skills.
“He’s so mature for his age,” Hall said. “He’s so bright and has a very bright future. When you talk to him, you’ll think he was a seasoned guy who’s been doing this for years because he knows what he’s doing.”
Now, with the primary election over, Nordstrom is preparing to step down and help a new campaign manager take over for the general election. Johnson will be facing Republican incumbent Trent Kelly on Nov. 3.
“When Cliff (Johnson) and I initially met, the deal was that he needed someone to get him to March 10,” Nordstrom said. “We weren’t necessarily planning on me staying on until November. The general election requires a full-time staff, and as a student, I wouldn’t have been able to fulfill that. Now, I am helping Cliff (Johnson) as the campaign switches managers. Cliff (Johnson) and I are still on very good terms and mutually agree that this is best for both of us.”
The majority of Nordstrom’s work on the campaign has been in building relationships with the community.
“A lot of what I do is coordinating with our local community leaders who support us to help organize events,” Nordstrom said. “I’ll talk to people in the media to get Cliff (Johnson) scheduled on radio and things like that. I do a lot of volunteer recruitment.”
Nordstrom highlighted key supporters that he credits for Johnson’s success: former Mississippi Senate candidate Dianne Black, Mississippi State University College Democrats President Walker Lake and President of the Mississippi High School Democrats Tyler Crawford.
“Our campaign is very reliant on community leaders who support us to get the word out,” Nordstrom said.
Though he has been successful, managing a campaign while juggling college responsibilities has been challenging for Nordstrom.
“Balancing everything can be tricky,” Nordstrom said. “This semester has been a whirlwind. I think when you do stuff like this you have to make sacrifices.”
Nordstrom believes the change he is making in politics is worth all of his sacrifices.
“You’ve got to have an acceptance that you can kiss normal life goodbye for a while, but the midterms are really important,” Nordstrom said. “I think we have to make little sacrifices in our personal lives for our country. I just view this as my role in being a part of the solution for the country.”
A part of the work that is very important to Nordstrom is encouraging youth through political engagement.
“Part of what we’re trying to do is to get the youth involved and give them a sense that things can change and get better,” Nordstrom said. “That’s something I care very deeply about. I hate seeing people just resign themselves to things getting worse.”
He also emphasized the campaign’s focus on the financial needs of Mississippians.
“Our primary concerns are those bread-and-butter issues like the cost of housing, groceries and health care,” Nordstrom said.
Although he is a student, Nordstrom did not go into Johnson’s campaign without experience. Prior to working on Johnson’s campaign, Nordstrom worked on the Brandon Presley campaign in 2023 as a Lafayette County field organizer.
As field organizer, he recruited, trained and managed volunteers. He also spoke at local campaign events. However, Presley’s campaign was more so a spotlight than a competition because it was an uncontested primary.
“The nature of the elections is a lot different because Brandon Presley was this big ticket headliner for the Democrats in 2023,” Nordstrom said. “He was the name on everyone’s mind, and we didn’t have a contested primary. We were able to just build the infrastructure for the general election.”
Presley’s campaign was Nordstrom’s official political debut, but his family built his foundation in politics.
“My family introduced me to politics at a young age, probably when I was eight or nine,” Nordstrom said. “I was taught to care about the needs of those who don’t have much. My family was never hesitant to show me the good or the bad parts of our state.”
To Nordstrom, these political opportunities are more than just a way to impress future employers.
“It’s not about the resume. I’m glad to have the experience, so I know how to do things and can continue to help,” Nordstrom said. “I do this because I care about North Mississippi. I care about these people that we talk to and these communities.”
When Nordstrom is not working on campaigns, he enjoys playing music. He is currently the bass player for Yazoo the Band, a jam-band that often covers bands like Widespread Panic, Grateful Dead, Billy Strings and other rock bands. The band also one original song, “Angelina” and is currently working on another original song.
“Being in Yazoo has been awesome and a way for me to take time away from politics,” Nordstrom said. “Being able to travel around the Southeastern Conference and give people a good time playing shows is really fulfilling. It’s a good way to take a break from politics.”
Danial Dear, a junior mechanical engineering major from Jackson, Miss., is Nordstrom’s friend and drummer of Yazoo the Band. Dear and Nordstrom met last spring while preparing to perform at a gathering for Catholic Campus Ministries, the youth organization of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church.
“We became friends pretty quickly,” Dear said. “We had a lot of fun preparing for that gig and left off with plans to try to start our own thing.”
Because of their friendship, Dear sees the more casual and humorous side of Nordstrom.
“He’s very high energy,” Dear said. “I’d say he’s kind of eccentric. He’s going to say exactly what’s on his mind, and he may not realize that it’s in any way comical, but it usually is.”
Despite his strong beliefs and busy schedule, Nordstrom welcomes a conversation with anyone who cares about the well-being of the United States.
“You and I can disagree on any number of issues, but if I can tell you genuinely love this country and care about it, then I can work with you,” Nordstrom said.
