Millennials are set to take state and local office positions in record numbers in the coming election cycles. This is a generation that continually proves they’re not messing around. Many are saying the influx of young and new political candidates will spur a ‘wave election’ in 2018, meaning city and local politics will suddenly be inundated with people from more diverse backgrounds carrying fresh perspectives. This could have lasting (we’re talking decades plus) positive change.
Millennials are a digitally-native generation that knows how to use tech. Crowdfunding and Facebook Live are frequent in their political campaigns.
“Young people are running to solve particular problems in their community. They got mad about an injustice they saw, and see municipal positions are the ways to solve the problem,” co-founder of Run for Something, Ross Morales Rocketto, told Curbed.
Run for Something is a new political action committee helping folks under the age of 35 take office. They find candidates, connect them to training organizations, and provide a few with money and staff members. They’re outwardly dedicated to giving women, LGBTQ, and POC people opportunities in political races. The PAC looks for charismatic folks with unusual backgrounds and experiences, and who have progressive values and a good grasp on what their community needs.
Many Millennial candidates are disenchanted with the current political system and are trying a new technique—talking about the issues rather than their opponents.
Run for Something backed Danica Roem, a 33 year-old Virginian who used a direct, no-bullshit approach to her campaign. Roem, the first transgender woman elected to the State House in Virginia, won by talking about what needed fixing: roads.
With federal and state-level governments often stuck in gridlock, city and local politics actually have a big impact. They are places where politicians experiment with new ideas that can eventually grow.
For example, Michael Tubbs—the 27-year-old mayor of Stockton, California—is piloting universal income on a sample population in his city. The pilot is backed by Facebook. Stockton is located near Silicon Valley, the mecca of tech, and universal income is seen as a remedy for the possible increase in inequality due to automation.
Stay tuned, because the wave is fast approaching and it seems like there isn’t much that will stop it.
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— Run for Something (@runforsomething) November 8, 2017
Feature Photo: Run for Something
