A Quieter Campaign

Sarah Jarsbo, age 43, has been an active member of Enhedslisten for almost two years, and now she’s been elected as a member of the city council. She joined the party when its internal conflicts and public controversies were at its peak . She was raised in a family that traditionally supported the Social Democrats and now moved to support the Enhedslisten. She has a background in working with the community, for vulnerable people, organizing events through an association. She entered the party at a time when it needed rebuilding from within. The experience tested her, but she believes the party is changing. While she does not agree with every party position, she sees the party is evolving and capable of growth.“Enhedslisten isn’t the party that it was thirty years ago.” While saying this, she sees a future for the party.

She was on the board of the party in Aarhus, and learnt a lot while working. Some of the members asked her to run for the elections. In retrospect, she thinks that it was because of her background in working with the community.The decision didn’t come easily. There were concerns about time, workload, and her young son weighed heavily on her. Ultimately, she chose to run in order to inspire, influence, and take action. Summing up the election campaign, she thinks,” There are things that could have been done better. All of us were new. But it was a better campaign. It was two jobs. My work and running for the city councils.” 

During the campaign, exhaustion was a constant presence. On many days, there were five to six events in a day, from early mornings to long evenings that drained her physically and mentally. One day, when I met her at Dokk1, Aarhus, she was having her first proper meal of the day there at 18:00 in the evening while also attending an event about climate issues and making the city of Aarhus greener. The campaign required her to engage with a wide range of audiences, from students and working-class voters to business leaders, bankers, and television audiences. Each setting demanded a different form of preparation. Jarsbo recalls feeling particularly nervous ahead of a debate with business representatives. “They aren’t our traditional voters,” she explains. “I had to start a dialogue with them and show that we can work together and that we’re not against them.” She speaks proudly of navigating that exchange successfully. The televised debate remained one of the most nerve-racking moments of the campaign. It was broadcasted live and constrained by strict time limits, it left little room for nuance. Jarsbo focused her arguments on transportation, affordable housing, and environmental sustainability. She believes Aarhus should position itself as a frontrunner in green urban development, beginning with practical measures such as installing solar panels on rooftops.

Most of the time, during the campaign, Sarah was using her bike to travel from one place to another, with a few members and sometimes alone. She personally distributed both her own and the party’s pamphlets, moving between train stations, bus terminals, and public squares. The party members worked either in small groups or individually, handing out flyers across the city. There were party members in the office who were putting posts on social media to disseminate information about the party and candidates. The members would take photos and videos. Most of them were studying, working, or both, but helped voluntarily for the party and cause. Pelle Dragsted, political spokesperson of Enhedslisten and Victoria Velasquez, parliamentarian from the party, joined the campaign in Aarhus. Dragsted distributed flyers alongside local members, while Velasquez participated in public events. There was simplicity in their campaign, nothing extravagant and loud. The members would voluntarily buy some food, especially bread and butter, during the campaign and share it among each other. The party funds were spent carefully and only when necessary.

Jarsbo also participated in protests supporting Palestine and attended an art installation condemning the atrocities in Gaza, causes she personally supports. These events offered further opportunities for dialogue and listening. Most campaign days ended at the Enhedslisten office in Aarhus, where meetings were held to review the day’s activities, refine election strategies, and plan for the next day. Throughout the campaign, she met people from different age groups, young adults, working people and elderly people. She had to talk about issues that resonate with those age groups. Sarah believes the Danish welfare system is bleeding and wants more support for children and old people. She doesn’t want the money from welfare to be revoked and given to private companies for operating Aarhus airport. “I hope we can work well together with the mayor. We aligned in many things, they wanted transportation to be cheaper, to expand the letbane, more buses, two teachers for children in each class and food in school.”

On election night, I saw Jarsbo at city hall as votes were counted. She spent the evening on the phone, speaking with party members and reaching out to representatives from other parties. “I have a way of looking at democracy. It is also about people aligned before the election and how negotiations work on election day,” opines Sarah. 

During the campaign, Sarah focused on the process rather than the result. It’s trust and relationship building during the process. She wanted people to take Endedslisten seriously and responsible after the debacle of the party’s previous tenure in the city council, where they went from three seats to zero seats due to internal conflict. Her group is ready to work together. 

When I met her again after her election, Jarsbo expressed pride that Enhedslisten had maintained its previous results. “Now I want to build on that,” she says. “I want to strengthen alliances and gain more supporters. Politics is about diplomacy and learning how to argue better. We need to prepare for the next election.” For now, she has no plans to seek higher office. Her focus is on Aarhus, implementing the election agenda and taking the party further in the next election. The Enhedslisten board is planning how the three elected members can work together and put their vision in the city council. At the end, Sarah confidently said, “The Campaign always starts before the campaign.”