Over 250 Millennial Candidates for Congress Offer Potential for Generational Shift on Capitol Hill

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

October 22, 2020

MEDIA CONTACT:

Stacy Lewis

[email protected]

WASHINGTON — Earlier today, the Millennial Action Project (MAP) released brand new research tracking the 251 millennial candidates who are on general election ballots for Congress in 2020. Those candidates—Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians and Independents—are building on the remarkable momentum of 2018, and have the potential to dramatically shift the generational makeup of our nation’s legislative branch. 

This generational shift is unlike anything our country has seen since the early 1970s. From 2018 to 2020, there was a 266% increase in millennial candidates for Congress. This year alone, MAP tracked 703 total millennial candidates on ballots throughout the election cycle—compared to just 264 in 2018.

“These candidates represent an opportunity to establish a new political paradigm in the U.S. Congress, as their sum total amounts to well over a legislative majority,” said Steven Olikara, the Founder and CEO of MAP. “We also know that younger candidates are more likely to work across the aisle and shun the partisan entrenchments of their predecessors. This is our future and we’re thrilled to spotlight four bipartisan candidates who have chosen to take on this responsibility.”

MAP is also launching a series of interviews with some of these 251 candidates, providing a qualitative look at the young political hopefuls included in the data set. The first four profiles, released today, include:

• Sara Jacobs is a Democrat running to represent California’s 53rd Congressional District. A former State Department official during the Obama administration, Jacobs is eager to shift the generational composition of the U.S. Congress and promote bipartisan cooperation to foster a more inclusive, representative democracy. 
• Byron Donalds is a Republican running to represent Florida’s 19th Congressional District. Donalds is currently a state representative for Florida’s 80th House district and a member of the Millennial Action Project’s nationwide State Future Caucus Network. If elected he would be invited to join the Congressional Future Caucus. 
• David Kim, an immigration attorney from California, is running as a Democrat to represent his state’s 34th Congressional District. He’s running to help lift up members of his community that are struggling to weather the coronavirus pandemic, many of whom are immigrants. 
• Luke Negron is running for Congress as a Republican in Pennsylvania’s 18th district. The grandson of immigrants who fled Spain and came to the United States during the Second World War, Luke joined the Air Force following the 9/11 attacks and believes younger generations are becoming more and more engaged in the political process.

These candidates are leading the charge to usher in a new paradigm in American politics. One defined by bridge-building across partisan divides and representation that is reflective of the generational makeup of the United States. 

*An earlier version of this release stated that 259 Millennial candidates were running; that number has been corrected to 251. (Updated 11/02/2020)

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The Millennial Action Project (MAP) is the largest nonpartisan organization of millennial elected officials in the U.S., dedicated to activating young leaders to bridge the partisan divide and transform American politics. As a 501(c)(3) organization, MAP has established bipartisan Future Caucuses in 30 state legislatures, launched the first-ever bipartisan caucus for young members of Congress, and engages over 1,500 young legislators across the country to work on future-oriented policy solutions. More info available at: futurecaucus.org.