Garrett Wyatt

Building Bridges, Inspiring Change: Reflecting on the 2024 Future Caucus Rising Star Awards

By Elizabeth Rosen On November 20, Future Caucus hosted its seventh annual Rising Star Awards at the brand-new Arlo Washington DC, bringing together more than 130 lawmakers, journalists, and civil society leaders to celebrate the achievements of bipartisan young lawmakers and changemakers. In a political climate too often defined by division, the event was a…

How young politicians are working toward change

By Kevin Chang Barnum, Wayne Edwards, Khalilah Brown-Dean, Robyn Doyon-Aitken , Meg Dalton, Megan Fitzgerald | Connecticut Public Radio Up first, Brandon Scott is the youngest mayor of Baltimore in more than 100 years. A new documentary film called The Body Politic, follows Mayor Scott during his first term in office, focusing on his campaign to reduce gun violence. We are joined by…

Lawmakers Reflect on Military Service and Community Commitment

By Sarah Evans As Veterans Day approaches, it’s a fitting time to recognize the 12% of state legislators who have served in the military. Future Caucus recently spoke with two of them—Representative Shirley Arriaga (D-MA) and Representative Stetson Painter (R-AR)—about how their military service shapes their work as elected officials. Painter, the Arkansas House majority…

The Dark Reason More Young People Aren’t Running for Office

This was supposed to be Gen Z’s year. What happened? By Shirin Ali | Slate Magazine It was not so long ago that millennials were the youngest generation getting elected to public office and infiltrating the halls of power. Now, Gen Z is fast on their heels. Across the country this year, young twentysomethings have campaigned for…

NEXT UP: Zivvy sits down with nine Gen Z politicians shaping America’s future

Gen Z politicians either serving in state legislators or running for U.S. Congress share their experiences and platforms with Zivvy News. By Dalia Abdelwahab | Zivvy News As you head to the polls, don’t be surprised to see a Gen Z candidate on the ballot. The nonpartisan nonprofit Future Caucus reports that at least 21 Gen Z candidates—born…

Rep. Ajay Pittman Brings Multiple Identities to the Table 

By Sarah Evans Representative Ajay Pittman (D-OK) wants democracy to be representative and accessible. This ambition, along with her identities as a Black and Native woman, have shaped her work in the Oklahoma state legislature.  Pittman has dual citizenship in the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma and is a seventh-generation Native American. She is “bringing that…

More young people are running for public office, but winning races is an uphill battle

By Dalia Abdelwahab | Zivvy News Nearly one in four candidates running for U.S. Congress this election cycle is a millennial or part of Gen Z, according to a new report from the nonpartisan nonprofit Future Caucus. However, these younger candidates are losing at a higher rate than their older counterparts. Besides the incumbency advantage faced by…

New Future Caucus report finds more Gen Z, millennials running for Congress

By Joanne Haner | The Hill A Future Caucus report released Thursday found an increase in congressional candidates under the age of 45 seeking higher office, with the group’s leader noting younger blocs have found success combatting political polarization. “As more and more people are louder about the problems in our democracy, it would be rational, it…