From March 15-19, MAP held its second annual National Week of Post-Partisan Action. The week is dedicated to highlighting the efforts of MAP’s Future Caucuses towards creating a post-partisan future by engaging at the federal, state, and community level to facilitate real change. We believe the term “post-partisanship” best describes the leadership Future Caucus legislators model each and every day. Rather than practicing transactional bipartisanship, our members work in new and often surprising coalitions to co-create innovative policy solutions.
Monday, March 15th
To begin the week, MAP released five reasons why Millennial state legislators should join a Future Caucus. The highlighted reasons are:
To join a movement for a post-partisan future
To gain access to MAP’s policy resources
To drive real policy change
To become a millennial leader
To attend MAP’s Future Summit
Tuesday, March 16th
MAP held a panel discussion on the Reunited States documentary. The film focuses on the ways Susan Bro, Erin and David Leaverton, Greg Orman, and MAP’s Founder Steven Olikara work to bridge political divides. The panelists included:
Stacy Lewis of MAP, who served as the discussion moderator
Ben Rekhi, Director of Reunited States
Susan Bro, Activist and Mother of Heather Heyer who was killed at the Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville
Greg Orman, Independent Candidate who ran for US Senator and Governor of Kansas in 2014 and 2018
Steven Olikara, Founder and Senior Advisor of MAP
Mark Gerzon, author of the book Reunited States of America on which the Reunited States documentary is based
In their discussion, panelists spoke about the ways they took unique action to address challenges that our democracy faces. Speaking on the topic of reforming our democracy, Olikara explained, “One effect of divisive partisanship is a ‘short termism’ to our policy-making window. It’s always about governing for the short term as opposed to looking long term”.
Wednesday, March 17th
MAP’s Executive Director and COO Layla Zaidaine and State Caucus Network Director Jennifer Blemur held a Women's History Month discussion with Representatives Ajay Pittman (D-OK) and Sara Rasmussen (R-AK) on Instagram Live. The discussion focused on women’s leadership, how to build bipartisan coalitions, and women on the rise in today’s politics.
Rep. Rasmussen spoke about building trust with fellow legislators and building relationships beyond the capitol building; doing so allows for them to have tough conversations about policy in the future where they can find some common ground. Rep. Pittman echoed this, saying, “Politics is nothing but relationships—but when you find some core values everyone can agree upon, I find that that is easier to bring people to the table around.” Check out more information on the event or watch it in full on Instagram.
Thursday, March 18th
On Thursday, Connecticut Representatives Jillian Gilchrest (D), John-Michael Parker (D), Devin Carney (R), and the Speaker of the House Matt Ritter (D) held a press conference to launch the 31st Future Caucus from the Capitol building. Each representative shared their dedication to bridging the political divide to benefit the communities in their state.
The Generation Roundtable Forum featured U.S. Representative Stephanie Murphy (D-FL) and former U.S. Rep Carlos Curbelo (R-FL). The event focused on how to build bipartisan coalitions in Congress and how young voters can get engaged. Check out our write up on the event here.
Additionally, MAP celebrates the passage of HB 1470 in the Arkansas Senate which demonstrates post-partisanship in action around criminal justice.
#MAPservestogether https://t.co/TsIpJt1Tbr
— Millennial Action Project (@MActionProject) March 18, 2021
Friday, March 19th
The last day of NWPA ended with MAP’s Twitter storm with state legislators from across the country. MAP asked legislators ten questions focused around the theme of post-partisan action. #MAPchat
A2: Millennials are America’s largest generation and we’ve gotten tired of waiting for permission to be invited to the table. We are changemakers- more racially diverse, more tuned in to the power of networks and systems and we are acting accordingly! #MAPServesTogether #MAPChat https://t.co/upT2Z1R9Ov
— Shevrin “Shev” Jones (@ShevrinJones) March 19, 2021
Every time I introduce new legislation, I always schedule meetings with my colleagues to make them aware, answer questions they may have and hear any suggestions they may give. Both Democrats and Republicans #MAPServesTogether #MAPChat
— Rep. London Lamar (@RepLamar) March 19, 2021
A7: Show your work. When people see the results of this mentality, we can really make an impact. It's like in high school, when your math teacher told you to show your work. Show how you got to the solution. #MAPServesTogether #MAPChat https://t.co/HU3M3ebTNz
— Del. Ibraheem Samirah (@IbraheemSamirah) March 19, 2021
Additionally on Friday, we are excited to have seated Representative Blake Moore (R-UT-1) and Representative Sara Jacobs (D-CA-53) to lead the Congressional Future Caucus in the 117th Congress. Both of these young leaders will offer the unique perspective of newly elected officials: ready to think with innovation, listen to their colleagues, and create future-oriented solutions. We are thrilled to confirm their leadership and look forward to their example of post-partisan problem solving in the upcoming Congress.
This year’s NWPA was an exciting week of events which emphasized the trend towards a post-partisan future and demonstrated the work by legislators and others to bridge the partisan divide. These young leaders show us that if we want to create the post-partisan future we want to see, we must engage with one another!
#MAPservestogether