For Young Candidates

Why Our Generation Needs to Run Now; Not Later

The average school board member is 54 years old

The average city council member is 57

The average state legislator is 56

These aren't bad people. But they're making decisions about technology they don't understand, education systems for kids they don't have in school, and economic futures you'll actually live in.

Your community needs younger leaders. Here's why you should run — and why now is the perfect time.

The "Wait Your Turn" Lie

You've heard it your whole life:

"Gain more experience first."
"Wait until you're more established."
"Run when you're 45 or 50."
"You're too young for people to take seriously."

It's all terrible advice designed to keep the current power structure in place.

Here's what actually happens when you "wait":

By age 35: You're locked into a career path, making decent money, building equity.

By age 40: You have a mortgage, kids approaching college, aging parents to help. Your risk tolerance is near zero.

By age 45: You've spent 20+ years playing the game, making compromises, accumulating baggage. You're not the fresh outsider anymore—you're part of the establishment.

By age 50: You tell yourself you'll run "eventually" while watching career politicians make terrible decisions. Eventually never comes.

The truth about timing:

Your 20s and 30s are the BEST time to run because:

You have energy (campaigns are physical work)

You're still idealistic (not cynical or captured by interests)

You're a digital native (understand modern communication naturally)

Your career is flexible (easier to adjust work schedule)

You have less to lose (no golden handcuffs)

You represent the future (not defending the past)

The best time to run was when you first got frustrated with local government. The second-best time is now.

Why Young Candidates Have Unfair Advantages

1. Energy & Stamina

The reality of campaigning:

Door knocking 4-6 hours on Saturdays

Standing at farmers markets for 5 hours straight

Attending 3-4 events per evening

Working your full-time job PLUS 15-20 campaign hours per week

Final push: 60+ hour weeks for a month

You: Can door knock 200 houses on Saturday and go to three evening events.
Your 62-year-old opponent: Needs a nap.

This isn't ageism—it's physics. Campaigns reward stamina, and you have more of it.

2. Authenticity on Social Media

You: Posting naturally, engaging in comments, going live on Instagram, making content that doesn't feel forced.

Your opponent: Having their 30-year-old staffer schedule posts that say "As a millennial parent..." while they've never opened the app.

Voters can tell the difference. Young candidates don't do social media as a chore—they live there already.

3. Fresh Perspective

Your opponent's platform: "I've served for 12 years and delivered results."

Translation: "I'm responsible for the problems you're complaining about, but vote for me anyway."

Your platform: "This is broken. Let's fix it."

You're not defending past decisions. You don't have 20 years of votes to explain. You can call out dysfunction without hypocrisy.

4. Long-Term Thinking

Climate policy? Infrastructure spending? School facility bonds?

Them: Optimizing for the next 10-15 years they'll be alive.

You: Thinking about the next 40-50 years you'll live with these decisions.

When you're making policy for the long haul, you make different choices.

5. You're Living Their Life

The issues that matter to young families:

Childcare costs ($1,500+/month)

Starter home affordability (priced out)

Student loan payments ($300-800/month)

Entry-level wage stagnation

Work-life balance while raising kids

Your 60-year-old opponent: Bought their house in 1985 for $80K (now worth $400K), paid off student loans decades ago, kids are grown.

You: Living every one of these struggles right now.

When young families vote, they vote for candidates who understand their reality. That's you.

Addressing Every Objection

"I don't have enough experience."

The question isn't: "Do you have political experience?"
The question is: "Do you have life experience and good judgment?"

You've navigated a career, managed a budget, dealt with difficult people, solved problems, and made tough decisions. That's experience.

Most career politicians have never:

Run a business

Made payroll

Dealt with insurance companies

Struggled to afford rent

Worked a retail or service job

You probably have. That's more relevant experience than theirs.

Besides: Do you really want your city council to be run by people with "political experience"? Look where that's gotten most cities.

"People won't take me seriously because of my age."

Truth: Voters don't care about your age if you run a serious campaign.

What makes a campaign serious:

You show up everywhere (community events, forums, door knocking)

You know your issues cold (do your homework)

You raise real money (not just asking family)

You have a professional presence (decent website, printed materials)

You speak with confidence and substance

Run a serious campaign, and your age becomes an asset. People will say "Wow, someone young finally stepped up."

Run an unserious campaign, and your age becomes the excuse. People will say "They're too young and weren't ready."

The difference isn't your age—it's your effort.

"I can't afford to run."

Neither can most people. Welcome to the club.

Here's the real talk on money:

School Board / Small City Council: $10,000-$25,000
Larger City Council / County: $30,000-$75,000
State Legislature: $100,000-$300,000+

What you'll personally contribute: Usually 10-30% of total budget.

So for a $20K school board race, you might put in $2,000-$6,000 of your own money over 12-18 months. That's $100-500 per month.

Is that a lot of money? Yes.
Is it prohibitively expensive? No.
Will you raise the rest? Yes, if you actually ask people.

We teach you how to fundraise. Most candidates raise 70-90% from other people—but only if they ask.

"I have student loans and a full-time job."

So do most of our candidates. You don't quit your job to run for local office.

The reality:

Work: 40 hours/week (unchanged)

Campaign: 15-20 hours/week (early stages), 25-35 hours/week (final 2 months)

Where those campaign hours come from:

Saturday mornings: 3-4 hours door knocking

Weekday evenings: 2-3 hours (events, calls, doors)

Sunday: 2-3 hours (planning, social media, follow-up)

Lunch breaks: Fundraising calls

Commute time: Podcast prep for issues

It's hard. You'll be tired. But it's 6-12 months of extra work for potentially 4+ years of impact. Worth it.

"I don't know anything about [zoning/budgets/policy]."

Good news: Neither do most people who get elected. They learn on the job.

Better news: You have time to learn before you file. Start now:

Attend meetings for 3-6 months before announcing

Read meeting minutes and budgets

Talk to current board/council members

Identify 2-3 issues you care deeply about

Study those issues obsessively

By the time you announce: You'll know more than 95% of voters about the issues you're running on.

By the time you're elected: You'll learn the rest.

Nobody expects you to know everything on day one. They expect you to be smart enough to learn quickly.

"What if I lose?"

Probably you will. Most first-time candidates lose.

But here's what you gain even in a loss:

Name recognition - You're now a known community figure

Network - You've built relationships with hundreds of voters and volunteers

Skills - Public speaking, fundraising, organizing, media interviews

Credibility - You're taken seriously for future runs or appointments

No regrets - You tried, which is more than 99% of people do

Second-time candidates win at much higher rates because they've done all the hard learning already.

Plus: Close losses often lead to appointments. You lose the school board race by 3%? You get appointed to the planning commission, serve there for 2 years, then run again and win.

The only real loss is never trying.

The Math Actually Works in Your Favor

Let's say you're running for school board in a district with:

10,000 registered voters

20% turnout (typical for off-year local elections)

3 seats, 6 candidates

The math:

10,000 voters × 20% = 2,000 people vote

2,000 votes ÷ 4 candidates = ~500 votes needed

Add margin for error = ~650 votes to win

That's 650 conversations. That's:

Knocking 3,000 doors (to reach 650 people home)

Or 100 doors per week for 30 weeks

Or 50 doors on Saturday + 50 on Sunday for 15 weeks

It's doable. It's not easy, but it's absolutely, mathematically doable.

BEST FITS FOR YOUNG CANDIDATES

Not all offices are equally suited to young candidates. Here's the reality:

School Board

Lower time commitment (10-15 hrs/week as a member)

Issues you understand (if you have kids or work in education)

Voters respect parent perspectives

Lower campaign costs ($10K-$25K)

Evening meetings work with full-time jobs

City Council (Smaller Cities)

Accessible races with small budgets

Issues are practical, not ideological (roads, parks, development)

Part-time role in most cities

Your energy is an asset for community events

Good stepping stone to larger offices

HARDER (But Still Possible)

County Commissioner

Often requires business/budget experience

Larger geographic areas = more time campaigning

Sometimes full-time positions = income sacrifice

Better as second office after school board or council

State Legislature

Must be away from home during session (weeks or months)

Higher campaign costs ($100K-$300K+)

More media scrutiny

Better suited to people with flexible careers or after kids are older

Our Recommendation:

Start with school board or small city council. Win there. Serve a term.

Then decide if you want to go higher. You'll have:

Proven track record

Name recognition

Fundraising base

Actual governing experience

Credibility when you say "I've done this before"

Real Talk: The Hard Parts

We're not going to sugarcoat this. Running for office while young comes with unique challenges:

1. Family Pressure

Your parents will worry. "Focus on your career." "Wait until you're more stable." "Politics is ugly—why do this to yourself?"

Solution: Have the conversation early. Explain your why. Get them on board or accept they won't be. You don't need their permission, but their support helps.

2. Career Concerns

Your boss might worry about distractions. Colleagues might think you're crazy. You'll worry about burning bridges.

Solution: Be transparent with your employer. Many bosses respect civic engagement. Schedule campaign work outside work hours. Keep your job performance high. If your employer forbids it, decide what matters more.

3. Social Media Baggage

You've had social media since high school. That drunk photo from spring break 2015? That heated political argument from 2017? It's all still there.

Solution: Clean up your social media NOW. Delete anything you wouldn't want on a campaign flier. Make old accounts private. Google yourself and deal with what you find. It's going to come out—address it on your terms.

4. Financial Stress

$2,000-$6,000 personal investment when you're already paying student loans and saving for a house? It's real money.

Solution: Start saving now. Cut a few expenses for 12 months. Think of it as an investment in your future influence. Or accept that timing might not work and run in 2-4 years when you're more stable.

5. Imposter Syndrome

"Who am I to run for office?" "I'm not qualified." "There are better candidates."

Solution: If you're waiting to feel "ready," you'll never run. Nobody feels ready. The qualification is that you care enough to try. That's it.

Your Unfair Advantage as a Young Candidate

Here's what older candidates will never admit:

They're tired.
They've been in politics for decades. They're cynical. They're going through the motions.

You're not.
You're energized. You believe change is possible. You're willing to work harder because you're not burnt out yet.

That energy is contagious. Voters feel it. Volunteers feel it. Donors feel it.

When you knock on someone's door at 8pm on a Tuesday in February, they remember that. Your 60-year-old opponent went home at 6pm.

When you respond to every Facebook comment and DM within hours, people notice. Your opponent's staffer checks once a day.

When you show up to the community meeting that "doesn't matter" with 12 people there, those 12 people become advocates. Your opponent sent regrets.

Campaigns reward effort. You have more effort to give.

What RunTomorrow Does for Young Candidates

We're not just training candidates—we're specifically focused on getting younger Americans into office.

Our 30-Day Campaign Academy teaches you:

Week 1: Strategy & Decision-Making

Choosing the right office for your situation

Understanding your district and voters

Building a realistic timeline and budget

Family and career planning

Week 2: Fundraising & Money

Psychology of asking (especially when you hate it)

Building your first donor list

Making calls that work

Online fundraising tools and tactics

Budget management

Week 3: Voter Contact & Field Operations

Door knocking that wins elections

Phone and text banking

Event strategy (where to show up, what to say)

Volunteer recruitment and management

Digital organizing

Week 4: Message & Media

Developing your core message

Social media strategy for candidates

Debate and public speaking prep

Handling press and interviews

Crisis communications

Plus: Ongoing support, mentorship pairing, and a community of candidates running in your election year.

Apply for Training

The Question You Need to Answer

Five years from now, will you:

Option A:
Still be sitting at home, frustrated by school board decisions, angry at city council, watching career politicians make terrible choices—and wishing someone would do something?

Option B:
Be the person making those decisions, representing your community's values, and actually solving problems you care about?

The difference between A and B is whether you decide to run.