Rising Stars: Five Young Candidates to Watch on Election Day 2017

November 7, 2017 is fast approaching, and voters across the country will soon have the opportunity to elect a new generation of state and local leaders — and in turn, help determine the future of our communities. Focused on issues ranging from affordable housing to public transportation, good-paying local jobs to funding for our public schools, criminal justice reform to protecting immigrant communities, young people are running for local and state offices to effect meaningful change. Here are a few candidates we’re watching — and we think you should be watching, too:

Name: Danica Roem

Age: 33
Office: House of Delegates, District 13
Location: Prince William County, Virginia

Danica Roem is challenging anti-LGBTQ incumbent Bob Marshall to represent the Manassas area of Prince William County in the Virginia House of Delegates. If she wins, Danica would make history as the first openly-trans person to be elected and take office as a state legislator in the United States. In addition to fighting for full equality for the queer community and bringing better-paying jobs to her district, Danica’s main policy priority is to reduce traffic congestion on Route 28, a major problem for commuters in the 13th District. Did we mention that Danica also founded a death metal band called Cab Ride Home? She’s the lead singer.

Danica’s path to local politics began with a career in journalism, an interest sparked by her grandfather’s love of his local paper. As a reporter for the Gainesville Times after college, Danica covered issues from local public schools to business, development and transportation — and Delegate Bob Marshall. After spending years covering the issues in her community, and the man she’s now challenging, Danica decided that she wanted to bring a fresh perspective and new ideas to Richmond — and is running to do just that.

Name: Tay Anderson

Age: 19
Office: Denver Public Schools Board of Education, District 4
Location: Denver, Colorado

Tay Anderson is the youngest candidate to ever run for the Denver Public Schools Board of Education. A product of Denver Public Schools himself, Tay served three terms as student body president of Manual High School and has stressed his shared experiences with the students he’s running to serve. Formerly homeless, Tay has emphasized on the campaign trail his belief that students are more than the impression they give or what people perceive of them.

Tay hopes to use the position of school board member to become a passionate advocate for students’ rights — particularly young women, black and Latinx students, queer youth and Native students. When he announced his campaign in April, Tay told the Denver Post, “Together, we need to create more opportunities for students to step into their greatness, improve our schools and put our students first, especially our students of color, which is a top priority for me.”

Name: Lydia Edwards

Age: 34
Office: City Council
Location: Boston, Massachusetts

The daughter of a U.S. Air Force veteran, Lydia Edwards was raised in different parts of the world before ultimately choosing to settle down and make Boston her permanent home. She has spent her career as a public interest attorney with a particular focus on helping immigrant families, domestic workers and victims of human trafficking. Lydia also has experience working in local government as the city’s current deputy director of the Mayor’s Office of Housing Stability. In her current role, Lydia coordinates between landlords, management companies, housing authorities and tenants — a skill she hopes to bring to the City Council where she wants to prioritize finding solutions to income inequality and Boston’s housing crisis.

This is not Lydia’s first time on the local political stage; Boston voters may remember Lydia from when she ran for Massachusetts State Senate last year, coming in fourth in the primary. Now Lydia has decided to dive back into local politics — with the endorsement of her former opponent, Senator Joseph Bancore — to serve the city she loves.

Name: Mary-Pat Hector

Age: 19
Office: City Council
Location: Stonecrest, Georgia

Mary-Pat Hector is a sophomore at Spelman College, a civil rights organizer and a candidate for city council in the newly formed City of Stonecrest, Georgia. And this isn’t her political debut, either. In elementary school, Mary-Pat organized a sit-in with other students to protest her community’s decision to build a juvenile justice center instead of a recreation facility. At first ignored by local politicians, she contacted Reverend Al Sharpton and worked with the National Action Network — eventually serving as the organization’s first-ever youth director — to keep up the fight, eventually convincing the city council to build the rec center. Now she’s the youngest woman and person of color to run for office in the State of Georgia — in between classes at Spelman and speaking engagements at high schools, college campuses and crisis shelters across the country.

“It’s time for young people to step up to the plate and do something to fix the problems they see in their communities,” Mary-Pat told US News & World Report. “Instead of waiting for someone to save us, to save our community, why can’t we address our own issues and run for the same offices that older people seek.”

Name: Tyler Ray

Age: 24
Office: City Council
Location: Modesto, California

A self-described moderate Republican, Tyler Ray decided to challenge 64-year-old incumbent Councilman Bill Zoslocki in part because he believes that “in every election, people should have a choice.” Tyler is a political science graduate of California State University, Stanislaus and has stressed his desire to reduce homelessness Modesto, a growing issue for the Central Valley city. A realtor with Berkshire Hathaway, Tyler spends his free time coaching the academic decathlon team for his local high school.

“I hope to bring a high level of youth and passion to the council and help reinvigorate our city with a new generation’s perspective,” Tyler told Voter’s Edge.

Even if these candidates aren’t running in your community, there are local and state elections happening across the country this year! Don’t know whether there’s an election in your community? Click here to find out, and make sure to vote on Tuesday, November 7.

Note: Rock the Vote is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. This educational blog post is in no way intended to reflect an endorsement for, or in opposition to, any candidate or political party.