Five Millennials That Are Changing the Political Landscape

By Resham Patel

By the end of 2019, Millennials are expected to outnumber Baby Boomers, and as Millennials begin to take the lead in numbers, they are increasingly leaving their mark on every aspect of US society. One key area is American politics on the local, state, and national levels. With the convening of the 116th Congress, there are more than 30 Members of Congress under the age of 40; with hundreds more in office on the state and local levels.

Watch out for these five Millennials who are helping shape America’s modern political landscape!

Anna Valencia

Anna Valencia was appointed Chicago’s city clerk in 2016 by Mayor Rahm Emanuel. She runs an operation that serves 1.2 million Chicago citizens and works to make government services more accessible to residents. In order to do this successfully, she has also put into effect the use of municipal ID’s to track and streamline access. Also a champion advocate for gender and racial diversity in politics. Anna is narrowing her focus on her city to make sure that the democratic institutions in place are serving its citizens effectively.

Emily Ianacone

Emily Ianacone is a design strategist in Baltimore City’s Mayor Pugh’s Office of Innovation and is working to improve public safety and citizens’ quality of life. In an effort to improve public conditions, Ianacone held interviews with police officers and community members and hosted workshops with kids to see how the city can recruit and retain police officers. Emily is working to involve the citizens using a democratic process to ensure she is able to deliver the best work and improve their quality of life.

Elise Stefanik

First elected at 30, Elise Stefanik is the second-youngest woman to ever be elected to Congress. During her first 4 years in the House, the New York Republican has voted to repeal Obamacare, loosen gun control, and expand Federal Pell Grants for low-income students. She also leads candidate recruitment for the Republican National Committee and has been vocal about the small and shrinking number of GOP women in Congress. Stefanik is currently pushing her male colleagues to put more women in positions of leadership.

Charlie Kirk

Charlie Kirk is the founder and executive director of Turning Point USA, a national student movement dedicated to identifying, organizing, and empowering young people to promote principles of a free market and limited government. Through non-partisan debate, dialogue, and discussion, Turning Point USA believes that every young person can be enlightened to true free market values. With a presence on over 1,300 college campuses and high schools across the country, it is one of the largest and fastest-growing youth organizations.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of Millennial Action Project.