Four months after @PresidentialSelfieGirls got off to an accidental start with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Addy and Emma Nozell have taken selfies with all 22 candidates.
Or 23, if you count Harvard University professor Lawrence Lessig, who is struggling to get noticed as a Democratic contender.
The teenagers from Merrimack, New Hampshire, are missing only Jim Webb, the former U.S. senator from Virginia, who dropped out of the Democratic primary before he got a chance to pose with them – though they have become friends on Twitter and have promised him homemade pumpkin bread should he return to the state for a selfie.
"I couldn’t have asked for a better summer for my kids," their mother, Wendy Thomas, said. "They've learned so much."
Her daughters not only got close enough to the candidates for the selfies, but heard where they stood on issues. The young women lean toward the Democrats, but their mother wants them to vote for a candidate, not a party. Both she and her husband, Marc Nozell, are registered as independents.
Thomas set some ground rules for the selfie hunt. They had to dress nicely and be respectful. No funny faces, no signs and no selfie sticks.
"A selfie stick is just pushing it," Thomas said.
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Next up is a @PresidentialSelfieGirls endorsement, expected in early November, which will be promoted on social media. Addy will turn 18 in time to vote in the general election, though not in the primaries.
In the meantime, here are some of their observations from the campaign trail.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush did poorly during the first Republican primary debate but was in command at a town hall meeting in Merrimack, animated and talkative, they said.
"We were really impressed by that," Emma, 15, said.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is the same in private as she is in public, Emma said. They met with her twice, once back stage at a New Hampshire campaign event where they were able to chat with her and get her autograph.
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee was perhaps the biggest surprise. His selfie was the last of the 22 and at first they were disappointed he would have that honor because they disagreed with him on the treatment of gays and lesbians and other social issues.
"He comes across as angry and headstrong, but when you talk to him personally – 'Oh, you're funny and nice,'" Addy said.
Donald Trump was probably the toughest to get because he is so popular and has so much security, Emma said.
"At the beginning it was a lot different because they had to actually work for these selfies," said Thomas, the executive director of The New Hampshire Challenge, an organization for families with disabilities. Once they got attention from the media, the candidates started inviting them to events.
Their father, who works at HP, takes photograhs for a hobby.
As for a favorite selfie? "All of them are my favorite just because any of them could be president," Addy said. "It's just amazing to have a selfie with the next president."
