This Gen-Z Maryland lawmaker has a 'bold, progressive vision' as US House candidate: report
Many Democratic strategists are wondering how Generation Z will affect their party's prospects in the years ahead. Their hope is that Gen-Z will lean Democratic, but the youth vote is a risky strategy.
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) hoped that younger voters would give 1972 presidential nominee George McGovern a huge victory. Instead, President Richard Nixon defeated him by a landslide.
One Gen-Z Democrat with high hopes for his generation and his party is 26-year-old Maryland State Rep. Joe Vogel, who is running for the U.S. House of Representatives via Maryland's 6th Congressional District. In an article published by the Daily Beast on July 10, reporter Chris Hippensteel emphasizes that Vogel is not only trying to get into Congress — he also hopes to increase Gen-Z's influence on Democratic policies.
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Hippensteel explains, "A gay, Jewish, Latino immigrant from Uruguay, Vogel claims a personal stake in the issues he's running on…. Vogel’s path to seeking the Democratic nomination for Congress has required him to climb the political ladder. At 26, Vogel has been campaigning for Democrats since his teens, starting nearly a decade before he launched his own successful statehouse bid."
Hippensteel compares Vogel to another Gen-Z Democrat: Rep. Maxwell Frost of Florida. It's no secret that older Americans are the most likely to vote, but Vogel, according to Hippensteel, is determined to do everything he can to make Gen-Z as politically active as possible.
Vogel leans to the left politically but considers himself a "pragmatic progressive" rather than an ideologue.
The Maryland Democrat told the Beast, "I'm a progressive, but I'm also a progressive who wants to deliver. We can have these bold ideas and this bold, progressive vision for the future, but if we're not getting anything done for people, it doesn't matter.”
The Daily Beast's full report continues at this link (subscription required).
