Sienna Szarek, a not-yet New Hampshire voter, has sung the national anthem to start campaign events for nine presidential candidates. But as the state’s all important primary nears she’s become a firm supporter of just one.
“Until I’m 18 I can’t vote for anybody, but if I am 19 right now I would vote for Chris Christie. He’s nice, he’s serious and he would be a good president. And plus, he said if he does win he would take me to the White House,” Sienna told CNN.
At a recent town hall CNN was there to see the promise made in person.
“You’ll definitely be coming to the White House if I win, of course. What do you think? I’m going to forget who you are? But you know you can’t break anything there, its all very expensive,” Christie told the tiny singer.
Christie’s crowds can be as large as 500 people, but Sienna never seems to lose her confidence.
“I’m not an opera singer but I am pretty good at singing, I think,” Sienna said to CNN.
It all started when former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown was running for senator in New Hampshire in 2014. He met Sienna and her family at a parade and she reminded Brown of his own daughter’s singing talents.
“We asked her one day if she wanted to sing and she said, ‘yes.’ And then she just took control of the microphone and everything,” Brown said recently at one of his “NO B.S. BBQ’s” where he has hosted a number of presidential candidates.
Sienna began singing at the barbecues in the summer, and first sang at a Christie town hall in September. By January, she was helping out in the field offices and juggling gymnastic tournaments with town hall appearances.
“I always knew about the power of her voice, there was something unusual about it,” Toni Szarek, Sienna’s mom told CNN. “It wasn’t something I was expecting, we don’t have a lot of singers in the family.”
“I could never do it. That’s why when I see her doing it, I keep thinking to myself she’s got something special. It’s pretty neat for us to watch that,” Szarek said.
Sienna says she can’t imagine not being able to sing, but it’s not her only love.
“I’m probably going to be a part-time singer,” Sienna told CNN. “Most of the time I’m going to be a veterinarian because I really like helping animals. Or a farmer.”
But when asked if the presidential politics had brushed off on her, Sienna admitted she was thinking about running for office as well.
“Well, I am thinking about getting to be president. To the White House,” Sienna said.
“White is my second favorite color.”