It’s hard to wrap your head around the idea of a woman in her 90s who, after deciding that she’s fed up with the current political climate, makes the decision to run for office. It just doesn’t sound…real. In fact, at best, it sounds like a TV movie that’d star Ann Guilbert and air on Lifetime, probably nestled between reruns of “The Nanny.” But the story of Doris “Granny D” Haddock is one that’s 100% true…and if you live in her home state of New Hampshire, you’re probably already way more familiar with her than I am, given how much media attention was given to her 2004 senate run.
Granny D – who sounds exactly like I always imagined the character of Lacey Davenport, the long-running character in “Doonesbury” would sound (possibly because they look remarkably similar) – famously walked across the continental United States in 1999 to advocate campaign finance reform (yes, really), but it wasn’t until a few years later that she finally decided to do something a bit more proactive and actually jump into the New Hampshire Senate race.
The film opens with Granny D working a local street corner, asking passersby if they’re registered to vote…and, man, if you’re not going to stop and talk to a sweet-looking 94-year-old woman when she asks you an innocuous question like that, you’ve clearly got a heart of stone. Maybe that’s why her campaign proved more successful than anyone ever would’ve imagined, including Granny herself…but, more likely, it was because she actually talked sense and avoided doublespeak.
Hey, just sounding like a human being and not a rhetoric-spewing machine means you’ve got a shot at earning my vote.
History has already revealed that Granny D didn’t end up winning her Senate race, but as with so many documentaries, the story is less about the ending and more about the path to get there. She wins our hearts when, after being asked her position on gay marriage, simply responds, “I’m for love.” Later, when it’s determined that there aren’t sufficient campaign finances to pay for any television commercials, Granny offers to pay for them by taking out another mortgage, a plan which her campaign manager wisely steers her away from doing, but the mere gesture makes us swoon. Of course, there are also some painful moments within the film as well, including the scene where Granny was shafted Howard Dean when she requested and was granted a photo opportunity with him, only to have him depart from the speaking engagement without so much as a “sorry, can’t do it.” And it might just be my personal connection to the disease, but a tremendous wave of sadness swept over me when she spoke of her husband having suffered from and subsequently passed away as a result of the effects of Alzheimer’s, then followed it with the revelation that she’s had to watch her daughter develop it as well. There’s also a sadly sweet moment at the end of film, immediately after the election, where she kneels at her bedside and prays to God, asking him how she might repay those who got behind her and cared enough to give her their votes.
Okay, okay, dry your eyes…and don’t worry: there are moments of levity, too. (My personal favorite comes when Granny D tells the story of how Woody Harrelson once got her high. It’s classic.)
“Run Granny Run” occasionally gets bogged down in political discussion…which, given its topic, isn’t surprising…but in addition to providing a lovely character study of a woman who’s found a new lease on life simply by doing what she can to help save the country that she loves from those who would steer it in the wrong direction, it reminds the viewer that anyone can change the world if they put their mind to it. Given how close Granny D came to winning her Senate race – she got 34% of the vote – despite a tremendously limited budget and with a campaign that involved little more than being a nice person with a strong opinion, maybe more of us should remember her actions the next time we start to get frustrated with the Democratic process.
After all, if she can give it a shot, there’s no reason we can’t.
