The New York Times is sharing our #ErinForUs message, as the end of election day draws near!
Erin Schrode thinks young people should have a say in national politics — and she’s volunteering to make it happen. The 25-year-old California native is running for Congress and could become the youngest member of the U.S. House of Representatives. To win, the Democrat will have to beat 52-year-old incumbent Jared Huffman, also a Democrat, who has held the seat since 2013. Their age gap may be vast, but Schrode believes she has enough experience for the job, including co-founding an environmental nonprofit with her mom at the age of 13, organizing school supply drives for Haitian earthquake victims in 2010, traveling to and volunteering in 70 countries, and earning recognition from the White House and United Nations for her activism.
“I believe firmly in local government,” she told Teen Vogue. “I believe that we do need that young freshman class rising up through the ranks that is more willing to work together, that is better informed, that has not been entrenched in power structures for decades and that better understand where our country is headed.”
Schrode is spending her days on the campaign trail ahead of the June 7 primary, integrating social media with traditional door-knocking tactics to win support from her neighbors in California’s second congressional district. And she says she is already looking toward the future.
“I’m a lifelong activist. Public service is my mission. That will not die on June 8, or November 8, or two years from now, or four years from now.” After all, her life’s motto has always been: “Do something. Start somewhere. Begin today.”
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