A daughter of high-profile Kiwi boxing coach Kevin Barry is currently on the campaign trail of Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden in the key state of Nevada.
The US Presidential election is looming large on the horizon with the final days of campaigning in what many are calling the election of a lifetime.
Photo: AFP / Getty
Jordy Barry tells Jesse Mulligan campaigning in the 'battleground' state is intense as she plays her role in the Joe Biden/Kamala Harris campaign, which she is confident will succeed.
It was her father’s role in Joe Parker’s ascent to the top of the heavyweight division and his love of the sport that prompted her move to Las Vegas with him.
“My father Kevin Barry is involved in professional boxing, training Joseph Parker at the moment in New Zealand. But we moved to the Las Vegas suburb of Henderson to be closer to the boxing scene and have never looked back really.”
Fighting the good fight in the political arena is in Barry’s blood. She also become involved in politics through family connections, particularly her grandmother Myra Barry's drive to alleviate poverty in Canterbury.
“My first taste of politics was through my nana Myra, who was In Christchurch and she served in the Christchurch City Council for a number of years.
“She and my late grandfather Kevin Barry Senior would often organise these toy-drives and they noticed that there was a big problem with poverty in Christchurch and wanted to help.
“So, they would organise these toy drives, collecting toys throughout the entire year and distribute them so that all kids had a present during Christmas… they identified a problem and found a solution for it.”
When she moved to the States at 11 years old she became involved on political debating through a scheme that uses the Congressional model of debating policy. From there she formed political alliances and got involved in politics with the Democratic Party.
She is the deputy digital organising director within the local Democratic campaign team. “I have a number of different roles,” she says.
“My primary responsibility is to organise voters in Nevada to turn out using all of the digital tools that we have at our disposal.
“I also run all of our social media channels, as well as our relational organising program, which is just a term that means we use the networks that we have – friends, family, neighbours – and we help them make a plan to vote early.”
Barry claims US President Donald Trump’s team have initiated a campaign of spreading mistruths about people finding it hard to vote, to sow seeds of mistrust in the US electoral system, which she says undermines democratic institutions.
“Whole they continue to do that, we on the Democratic side are reaching out to as many voters as possible to make sure that they have a plan to vote, spending our time making sure everyone has the opportunity to participate in the democratic process in Nevada.”
Nevada is a key ‘battleground’ state in the campaign to win the presidency. Winning the state is also crucial if the Democrats want to have a majority in the House of Representatives, she says.
The vote has been split equally between Republicans and Democrats in the past and the battle for the state will be intense. After that finishes, she intends to take a short break before looking for a position in the new administration if Biden succeeds in his presidential bid.
“I’ll probably take a week to myself because I’ve worked very hard here. I’ve never worked so hard. After that I’ll regroup and hopefully find a position in the administration of Joe Biden once he’s elected or find a position in our Nevada State government.”
