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10 young politicians with potential to transform America: From Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to Pete Buttigieg

Along with experienced politicians, many first-timers and young representatives have shown great promise over the past few years

While the current US politics is all heated up, it is always interesting to think about how the future will look like. Along with experienced politicians, many first-timers and young representatives have shown promise in the past few years. Even though no one can predict what the future holds for the US, here are our picks for 10 young politicians who have the potential to shape the future of America.

1. Pete Buttigieg

Before running for office, the politician had worked on political campaigns of Democrats Jill Long Thompson, Joe Donnelly and John Kerry. He was the 32nd mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and during his tenure, he earned the nickname ‘Mayor Pete’. He came out as gay in 2015. In April 2019, he had launched his campaign for the 2020 United States presidential election, making him the first openly gay person to launch a major presidential campaign. Even though initially there were low expectations, he did make significant progress by earning the most delegates in Iowa. But he dropped out of the race in March this year and endorsed Joe Biden the following day. He has also been praised for his logical arguments during his public appearances. There have been speculations that he is almost certain to be a part of president-elect Biden’s cabinet.  

2. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Democratic representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was re-elected for a second term in the US House of Representatives. Ocasio-Cortez was announced the winner by The Associated Press as she defeated her Republican challenger, John Cummings. While social media remains enthralled and engaged with the election, many have taken to platforms such as Twitter to suggest that Ocasio-Cortez should definitely consider running for the president in 2024. She got national recognition when she won the Democratic Party's primary election for New York's 14th congressional district in 2018. AOC, as she is popularly known as, defeated Democratic Caucus Chair Joe Crowley, a 10-term incumbent in 2018. She has rallied for the much-talked-about Green New Deal. It was introduced by Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Edward J Markey of Massachusetts. The proposal suggests that the federal government stop the US from fossil fuels and limit planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions across the economy. The focus is to guarantee new high-paying jobs in clean energy industries.

3. Tulsi Gabbard

She was elected to the Hawaii State Legislature in 2002. Gabbard was just 21 and she became the youngest person ever elected in the state. According to her website, in 2004, Gabbard, while she was in Hawaii Army National Guard, volunteered to deploy with her fellow soldiers, becoming the first state official to voluntarily step down from public office to serve in a war zone. Her website also mentions, “Regime change wars are bankrupting our country and our moral authority. We need to redirect those resources into a renewable, sustainable economy that works for everyone and bring about an era of peace. We must put service above self and reclaim our great democracy from the forces of hatred and division.” Gabbard garnered a lot of attention on social media platforms following the 2019 Democratic primary debates. There are still discussions regarding the moment she accused Harris on camera of prosecution of marijuana crimes, hinting that the senator herself used it. Gabbard also criticized Harris for holding “innocent people” on death row.

4. Josh Hawley

Josh Hawley, at that time 39 years old, became the youngest member of the Senate after a 2018 victory over Democratic incumbent, Claire McCaskill, and he has rapidly jumped into prominence, as per The Atlantic. In September this year, as reported by The Hill, after President Donald Trump had named him on a shortlist of candidates for the high court, he tweeted, “I appreciate the President’s confidence in listing me as a potential Supreme Court nominee. But as I told the President, Missourians elected me to fight for them in the Senate, and I have no interest in the high court. I look forward to confirming constitutional conservatives.” The Atlantic, quotes him saying in a speech, “We must forge in this century a new politics of family and neighborhood, a new politics of love and belonging, a new politics of home. That will mean rethinking old positions and revisiting old orthodoxies. It will mean challenging the old priorities of the political class.”

5. Elise Stefanik

Elise Stefanik won re-election to US House in New York’s 21st Congressional District in the 2020 elections. This is her fourth term in office. She rose to prominence in 2014 because she was the youngest woman ever elected to Congress at the time. A Time article quotes her saying, “I wasn’t running because of a lack of women’s leadership. I ran because, just in general, I felt the party needed a new voice, a new generation of leadership, and my district needed someone more energetic to bring results.” Donald Trump had called her a ‘Republican Star’. In 2019, as reported by The Hill, she was among the eight Republicans in the House, who sided against their party and with Democrats in a vote on legislation banning anti-LGBT discrimination. Stefanik said she supports providing the LGBTQ community with the same protections as other Americans. “This bill, which is supported by over 200 businesses and the Chamber of Commerce, would ensure those protections remain in place, including employment, housing, credit access, education, public spaces and services, federally funded programs, and jury service,” she said.

6. Ilhan Omar

Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar will hold onto her US House seat in Minnesota after she won re-election and defeated her Republican challenger Lacy Johnson. The 37-year-old is the first Somali American to serve in Congress. She and her colleague Rashida Tlaib are the first two Muslim-American women to serve in Congress, notes Time. The Time article also mentions that Congress changed its rules to allow her to wear her hijab on the floor. Her election in 2018, the article states, for many American Muslims, was a symbol that they were edging towards full acceptance in American society. A 2019 The Washington Post article states, as a teenager, Omar used to accompany her grandfather to Democratic Party caucuses. She acted as his interpreter. “And through that process, I fell in love” with politics, she said.

7. Tony Gonzales

The Associated Press declared that Republican Tony Gonzales has won election to US House in Texas’ 23rd Congressional District. According to the Huffington Post, he defeated Democratic opponent Gina Ortiz Jones in one of the most closely watched House races in the country. Gonzales is set to fill the seat currently held by retiring GOP Rep. Will Hurd. The 40-year-old former Navy cryptologist was endorsed by President Donald Trump to represent the district that stretches across the southwestern portion of Texas. And, this was his first time running for office. In an interview with The Texas Tribune, he said, “When I talk about the American dream, when I talk about fighting for the American dream — I am the American dream. So this district represents me, represents my values, and I represent them and their values.”

8. Madison Cawthorn

At 25, Madison Cawthorn is all set to become the youngest member of Congress after winning his House race in North Carolina. He had suffered a horrific car accident in 2014, which left him paralyzed, and he now uses a wheelchair. As reported by MEAWW, at the age of 24, Cawthorn defeated Lynda Bennett, Donald Trump’s pick for Western North Carolina’s congressional seat. He gave an interview to the Washington Examiner where he shrugged off suggestions from opponents that he's too young to handle working in the halls of Washington. He reportedly added how the car accident empowered him to make a career in politics. "The people of western North Carolina are the only people I care about. I really think that my accident has given me the resolve to represent them." As reported by NPR, Cawthorn also told the Washington Examiner that his accident gave him insight into the health care system, which he has placed as a top priority.

9. Michelle Wu

Boston city councilwoman Michelle Wu has accomplished a lot of ‘firsts’ in her career. When Wu was first elected to her position in 2013, she was the first Asian-American woman to serve on the council. Then, from 2016 to January 2018, she served as the council’s first woman of color president, reports CNBC. The 35-year-old is running for city mayor and if she wins in 2021, she will be the first woman and person of color to lead Boston – the city has never had a mayor who is not a White male, says the report. In an interview with Today, when asked why did she choose to run for mayor, she said, “We are in an unprecedented moment. Boston is facing an ongoing pandemic, an economic crisis, a national reckoning on systemic racism, our climate crisis. And we need leadership that matches the scale and urgency of our challenges.”

10. Will Haskell

In 2018, then 22-year-old Will Haskell won Connecticut's 26th senate district. A seat which had been held by Republicans since Richard Nixon was president, notes Business Insider. He had defeated Toni Boucher, who had worked in the legislature since before Haskell was born. That year former US President Barack Obama had endorsed him. After Donald Trump became president, he was inspired by Obama's farewell speech: “If you're disappointed by your elected officials, grab a clipboard, get some signatures, and run for office yourself.” He told Business Insider, “I was never planning on running for office. But this is a unique time in history that requires us to put ourselves outside of our comfort zone.” According to Ballotpedia, the incumbent defeated Kim Healy in the general election for Connecticut State Senate District 26 this election.