A surge of younger candidates may infuse local government with new ideas and insight Regardless of party affiliation, most Americans would agree that the 2016 election cycle was all-consuming to watch, and transformative in its impact. And, based on the attention shown recent off-year special elections, the country seems set for another political roller coaster in 2018.
Next November will be a gamechanger, regardless of the outcome. But while the spotlight will be on the House and Senate, a much wider, and perhaps over time, more consequential, change is happening at the state and local level. Millennial politicians are poised to take power in potentially record numbers, according to analysts and organizations dedicated to fielding young, first-time candidates. That could lead to big changes in city halls and local government. ?Young people are running to solve particular problems in their community,? says Ross Morales Rocketto, co-founder, along with ex-Clinton staffer Amanda Litman, of Run for Something, a group fielding progressive candidates under 40 years of age in down-ballot state and local elections. ?They got mad about an injustice they saw, and see municipal positions are the ways to solve the problem.?
?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.?
Already the largest generation in the country, millennials will be aging into...