• by Philip Rosenstein , Staff Writer, December 6, 2016

A 22-year-old Arizona State University (ASU) senior ended the 2016 campaign as Trump’s political director in Arizona. The Trump campaign won Arizona by around 90,000 votes, in a state that was considered a toss-up until election day.

Danny Cox, a marketing major at ASU, began his political career with John McCain shortly before being poached by the Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. His meteoric rise is evidence of the deep structural changes in politics caused by Donald Trump’s emergence.

No longer do you need a list of high-level contacts to secure a top job within a presidential campaign, nor do you require numerous cycles under your belt. With a confident demeanor speaking at conservative clubs and handling event planning, Cox found himself coordinating a presidential campaign statewide.

"It's kind of an odd feeling — one day I'm a student looking for an entry-level job with an entry-level salary … the next thing I knew I was the political director for the entire state for this big presidential campaign," Cox told ASU’s student-run publication, The State Press.

As state director, Cox oversaw the distribution of a record-breaking 65,000 yard signs in Arizona, doubling the 30,000 record that the Romney campaign set.

A number of things contributed to Cox’s success, mainly his youth and dependability: "Danny was the go-to guy in the Trump campaign in Arizona," Hunter Hall, Arizona state director for the Republican National Convention, told The State Press. "If you needed to get something done you knew he could do it. (His age) was an advantage because he had the time and the opportunity to work the hours that were needed."

Cox’s success within the Trump campaign has put him in contention for D.C. jobs, with the hope that he can continue with the Trump administration. Returning to ASU to complete his degree in marketing, Cox will take political science classes during his last year.

The unlikely story is another iteration of the anti-establishment sentiment that pervades American politics. Experience is no longer what excites voters -- and apparently, is no longer a prerequisite for success within campaigns either. Clinton’s Arizona state director, Seth Scott, previously worked as chief of staff of policy for the mayor of Phoenix, and spent time at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC).