Longtime Bellingham Democrat shares presidential hug

Maggie Hanson has spoken with Rosa Parks and shaken hands with Nelson Mandela. She has marched in a demonstration with Jesse Jackson and snapped photos with Arnold Schwarzenegger on the streets of New York City.

In October 2015, she received a hug from President Barack Obama.

“I always think, ‘Why is it that at different times in my life I have had these fortunate things happen to me?’” she says.

Hanson, 85, is a lifelong Bellingham resident and an active Democrat. She has involved herself in politics since running a successful student body president campaign at her high school, and has served as a delegate at various Democratic National conventions and as a precinct committee officer for the Washington State Democratic Party for 50 years.

In 2008, Hanson was selected to cast one of Washington state’s 11 Electoral College votes for Obama. She told him about that vote when she met him Oct. 9 at a Seattle fundraiser she was invited to attend. The president responded by embracing her in a hug.

“It was probably the most memorable night of my life,” Hanson says. “I have been meeting famous people throughout my involvement in politics, and that was all very memorable. But I think getting a hug from the president was the most memorable.”

Hanson’s daughters accompanied her to the fundraiser, and she says Obama joked that they reminded him of his own daughters, Sasha and Malia.

Hanson, who is a landlady and manages multiple houses in Bellingham, says she’s a Democrat because she believes the party focuses more on justice and equality than other political parties. Such issues as campaign finance reform, homelessness and economic inequality are important to Hanson.

“I continue to see that the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer, and the middle class is disappearing,” she says.

For those reasons, Hanson considers it necessary for her to stay active in politics as long as possible. She has no plans to slow down, and is supporting Hillary Clinton’s campaign for president.

While a staunch Democrat, Hanson grew up with family members who had different political beliefs, and her closest friends are Republicans. She says she has been able to maintain those relationships by respecting the views of others.

“I find mutual ground with my closest Republican friends,” she says. “I try to stay away from politics with them, and everyone has a right to their own opinions.”

Hanson considers her political involvement one of the great joys of her life, along with her family. All four of Hanson’s children are politically involved, too.

Hanson says all people – young, middle-age, elderly – should be involved in politics because every policy can impact their lives.

“I just hope and pray that more people will become involved and see the importance in politics,” she says. “I’ve seen 10 votes make a difference in an election. Every vote counts.”

This story was originally published December 28, 2015 at 10:15 PM with the headline "Longtime Bellingham Democrat shares presidential hug."