Younger Politicians Take Office
by Althea Thompson, 10.05.06

Voters are noticing younger candidates on the ballots as elections draw near. They attract citizens because they bring fresh skills and ideas to the forefront of political issues.

“It’s a good idea for youth to get involved in office,” said Regent University Professor Robert M. Dyer.“We have to pass the baton on sometime.”

An estimated 800 people 35 years old or younger now hold offices from city council to Congress, according to the Eagle Institute of Politics at Rutgers University.

Dyer believes young politicians are valuable to the country because they are innovative and modern.

“They are not set in old ways,” Dyer said.

“I like young politicians on a local, grassroots level,” said Elizabeth Henderson, a government student at Regent University. “When they are active and asserting themselves in the political arena they offer new fresh ideas.”

Henderson added that she considers running for a position in local office one day.

Younger Politicians In Office
Congressman Harold Ford, Jr., D-Tennessee was first elected Congressman when he was 26. Now 36 years old, he is running for the Senate seat against 53-year-old Republican nominee Bob Corker, former mayor of Chattanooga.

Democrat Heather McTeer Hudson, 28, was elected mayor of Greenville, Massachusetts. Kevin Vonck and Stephanie Hersethm, both 23, represent Delaware. Vonck was elected to the Newark City Council two years ago. Last year, Hersethm was voted to Congress.

Andres Martinez, 24 won the City Council seat in Driscoll, Texas in 2004. City council meetings were once scarce in attendance until Martinez took office and attracted other young residents.