Young People in Politics

In 2025, Future Caucus gathered direct input from state legislators on the challenges of retaining emerging lawmakers. This report draws on focus groups, one-on-one interviews, surveys, and in-person roundtables. Together, these conversations reveal barriers undermining lawmakers’ ability to govern effectively and serve their communities.

1. Lawmakers fear for their personal safety and their families’ well-being. Limited resources and lack of coordination with law enforcement leave them feeling powerless and vulnerable. This lack of agency erodes resilience.
2. Young lawmakers are struggling to make ends meet. Legislative pay and benefits are often insufficient to sustain a family or household, forcing lawmakers—especially younger ones—to make untenable tradeoffs in order to serve their communities.
3. Lawmakers feel stretched thin, ineffective, and unsupported. Most state legislatures lack the staffing, technology, and administrative infrastructure to support meaningful policy and constituent work.
4. Outdated workplace practices limit the effectiveness of legislatures. Unpredictable schedules and committee calendars, insufficient orientations, and limited bipartisan engagement make the job unnecessarily difficult and isolating for those who want to serve well.

This report is informed by eight focus groups and 34 one-on-one interviews with lawmakers, complemented by a survey of 47 respondents. Six of the listening sessions were conducted virtually to ensure geographic diversity, one was held in person in Vermont, and another in Washington, D.C.

In addition, Future Caucus gathered input from more than two dozen lawmakers through in-person roundtable discussions and a supplemental survey at Future Summit in Washington, D.C., in June.