Young and Running for Office: A Story from East L.A.

As we embark on a new era of youthful engagement in politics, the 111th Congress is the oldest we've ever seen. There are a number of young candidates on the scene hoping to drop that average, and they're starting to earn notice and support. After the record turnout of young voters in the last election, politicians and the public have started to appreciate the role young people are playing in our political process. The next step is transforming this political capital into political power for young people, whether it is on healthcare or student loans, climate change or jobs.

One powerful young candidate is Emanuel Pleitez, a 26-year-old who's running in the May 19 special election to replace newly appointed Labor Secretary Hilda Solis in California's 32nd Congressional District, which covers East Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley. Pleitez's bid will serve as a model for young candidates everywhere.

Like most young candidates, Pleitez doesn't have the advantage of being represented by powerful lobbyists, and he doesn't have deep pockets. Instead, he's running a campaign predicated on listening and engaging people at the grassroots level. He has over 60 full-time volunteer field organizers, many of whom worked on Barack Obama's campaign, on the ground talking with voters every day, and he's using online organizing principals to raise money and engage thousands of supporters in his effort. This level of spirit and commitment for a Congressional campaign is unprecedented in Southern California.

Pleitez is a former member of the Obama Transition Team for the Treasury Department who grew up in an impoverished single-parent household in Los Angeles, overcoming great odds to become a committed public servant. He has already worked with political leaders, ranging from Hillary Clinton to Antonio Villaraigosa, as well as in civic engagement for nonprofits. Pleitez is the kind of young person we need in politics, someone who could have a promising career in finance or on Wall Street but has turned that down for the opportunity to run for office and commit to public service. He embodies the millennial spirit of pragmatic idealism, determined to make the world a better place, while realizing that it takes practical steps to get there.

Pleitez is up against two well-worn California politicians, who are, according to the Los Angeles Times, running their campaigns on ethnic-focused strategies. Judy Chu, a Chinese American, is relying on voter turnout from the small but politically active percentage of the electorate that is Asian American, while Gil Cedillo is banking on turnout from the Latinos who make up half of the district's electorate. In a special election with low turnout practically a given, every vote will count.

Not surprisingly, Pleitez's youth has become an issue in the campaign. His opponents cry that he doesn't have enough experience -- the subtext reads that he hasn't waited his turn. In one example, Cedillo sent out an attack mailer calling Pleitez immature, lifting some of Pleitez's friends' Facebook photos. This is not the kind of politics people -- young or old -- want.

These charges have been leveled before against countless politicians who dared to take a different approach and ran when others told them it wasn't their time, but that reasoning isn't going to cut it anymore. It's time for those in power to understand that the experiences and viewpoints of young people are vital to public discourse -- especially since the decisions made in Washington disproportionately affect the young. Members of Congress need young candidates like Pleitez to remind them about the power of grassroots organizing and the meaning of new technologies.

Pleitez is defying the odds, which goes to show that we should never underestimate the power of a millennial with passion, a natural ability to lead, and the desire to serve. The size and scope of his campaign suggest the type of operation he will create if elected to office: a Congressional office that will listen to everyone and lead by example.

Comments

[solo13]

Hey Metro . . .

Yes, there have been a few twenty-something elected officials in So Cal and they've been Latinos and quite lackluster if not outright disappointing. These unmentionables got into small city councils, even a small city mayorship here and there. And guess what--the creaky So Cal Democratic Political Machine produced these duds.

I'll bet these "others" waiting in the wings are more of the Machine's clones.

Pleitez is a whole different animal. Much better educated and with a new energy, he is Congressional material,a lion amongst jackals.

It will be a disaster for the majority of voters n the 32nd district if Chu wins. She has proven beholden to special interests and furthermore, she will be abandoning an elected post when the California State budget is sinking. What an opportunist! Cedillo is no better. Both of these Establishment Demos think the 32nd is plum owed to them and their cronies. Outrageous!

Although I don't live in the 32nd district, I really hope Pleitez wins.

[metrovaquero]

Twenty Something Year olds et al. have been running for office and winning both municipal, State Assembly, schoolboard seats all over Los Angeles...pre Obama. This has been the trend in Southern California, and other rapidly changing cities (e.g. those places becoming more Latino). What Emanuel is doing is not very new, just very gutsy going against the heavyweights.

Chu will win this thing by the simple bottom line of out raising the hell out of everybody.
E-man will have a future in whatever local seat opens up...albeit there are some other young people who are already in the waiting.

To the extent the whole Web 2.0 hype plays into unglamorous seats such as small city council races remains to be seen.

[Gabrielle Prisco]

My 88 year old grandmother and I were talking during the Presidential election about the role of age and experience in elections. I believe that elected officials should be intelligent, willing to engage communities as true partners and committed to social change and justice. I also believe that experience is a nuanced concept and one that grows from many things- from engagement with life; from struggle; from applying the skills and lessons of one situation to others. Experience does not simply mean doing something that you have already done.

[vmac56]

Love that Emanuel is a contender for this race! From everything I've seen and read, his campaign has been truly inspiring. It's great to see that Southern Californians are waking up to the fact that old school politics are...well, SO old school.

[Chad Whistle]

This is very exciting, and I hope the grassroots effort is as successful as the sweat poured into it. Pleitez is an excellent candidate; merit, ethics and experience can far outweigh any equity that voters feel is lost with age.

[Perry Green]

We are on the verge of making history. East LA is changing the future of American Politics!

[knittinginlj]

As a Californian, I wish I were a voter in CA-32. Pleitez clearly understands his District and how best to represent it. Even more important is his vivid grasp of the most important state and national issues of our time. He will be an outstanding and inspirational member of Congress.

[Lovestojog]

This race is getting exciting, I think Pleitez's ground game gives him a distinct advantage

[sbgdanny]

I grew up with Emanuel. I know he is exactly the type of leadership that we need in Washington. We have an other great opportunity to bring new leadership into office.

[tzfoley]

Emanuel is truly an inspiration to those of us in the Millennial generation, and an indication of great things to come. His campaign exemplifies the effectiveness of on the ground, grassroots activism paired with the leveraging of new media technologies. The Facebook Generation has arrived, and Emanuel Pleitez has emerged as a bright light in this time of darkness.

[mstroyan]

Go Pleitez!

[mlekat]

I've known Emanuel for five years, and he has truly showed me that our generation is ready to pick up the mantel of leadership. We've grown up in a time when our ideas have been shaped by powerful visions like the civil rights movement, feminism and the end of apartheid. As young people, we're expected to have approaches to problems that transcend notions that have limited past generations. Emanuel is at the forefront of our generation's political capabilities and he should be the one to bring fresh ideas to Congress.