ON THE BALLOT TODAY: 251 Millennial Candidates Could Drive Generational Shift on Capitol Hill

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

November 3, 2020

MEDIA CONTACT:

Stacy Lewis

[email protected]

WASHINGTON — The Millennial Action Project (MAP) recently released new research tracking the 251 millennial candidates who are on general election ballots for Congress in 2020. Those candidates—140 Democrats, 97 Republicans, 6 Libertarians and 7 Independents and one from another party (Citizens Victory Movement in Puerto Rico) —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. You can see who these candidates are and where they are running in the map below (or by clicking here):

In order to better understand the rise of millennials running for Congress, MAP reached out to these candidates to learn their stories and their motivations.

Most recently, MAP interviewed Tricia Zunker, a Democrat and one of 95 millennial women running for Congress this election. Tricia is a proud member of the Ho-Chunk Nation, one of the 11 federally recognized tribes in Wisconsin, and she is running to represent Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional district. 

Candidates like Tricia Zunker are helping to create this generational shift and focus on building platforms for future generations. Previously, MAP interviewed: 

• Sara Jacobs is 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 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.

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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.