2021 Election Round-Up: Young leaders in Virginia, New Jersey, and more
November 15, 2021
This month brought an important off-cycle election with two states holding statewide elections that included competitive races in both New Jersey and Virginia. At the Millennial Action Project (MAP), we tracked young winners in these races and elsewhere across the country and have some exciting takeaways to share.
Virginia
Virginia held elections for the state’s House of Delegates, the lower chamber of the General Assembly. With 100 seats up for grabs, the state’s Republicans were looking to recapture the House after Democrats gained a slim majority in 2019. While a number of races have still not been called, several young candidates are among the winners and will be joining the state’s General Assembly in early 2022.
One of the youngest candidates on the ballot, 26 year-old Nadarius Clark, won a comfortable victory in the state’s 79th district, becoming the youngest Democrat elected to the legislature in Virginia history. Elsewhere on the ballot, 45 year-old Delegate Jason Miyares was elected as the state’s new Attorney General, becoming one of the youngest Attorneys General in the nation and the first Latino to hold the position in Virginia.
New Jersey
New Jersey held elections for both houses of the state’s legislature with 120 total seats up for grabs. With competitive races across the board, Election Day saw the elevation of three new members of the Assembly, the legislature’s lower chamber, aged 40-and-under including 32 year-old Assemblyman-elect William Sampson (D-35) and 40 year-old Assemblyman-elect Brandon Umba (R-8).
Mayoral Highlights
Finally, Election Day 2021 also saw a string of local and municipal victories by young and diverse candidates nationwide. Most notably, 31 year-old state representative and the Millennial Action Project’s former Michigan Future Caucus co-chair Abdullah Hammoud was elected as the first Muslim and Arab-American mayor of Dearborn, Michigan, and 36 year-old City Councilor Michelle Wu of Boston became the first woman and first person of color elected mayor of Massachusetts’ capital.
For more information, visit millennialaction.org or email [email protected].
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