On Friday, April 2nd, the Millennial Action Project (MAP) and its Illinois Future Caucus hosted a virtual, public townhall for constituents, focusing on the importance of building bipartisan coalitions and restoring faith in our democratic institutions. The panelists included:
Layla Zaidane, President & CEO of MAP
IL Representative Barbara Hernandez (D)
IL Representative Tom Demmer (R)
IL Representative David Welter (R)
IL Representative Edgar Gonzalez Jr. (D)
Zaidane, the moderator of the panel, spoke about MAP’s mission of building relationships between legislators and uniting around generational issues. She announced that Rep. Welter and Rep. Hernandez will serve as co-chairs of the Illinois Future Caucus. The legislators introduced themselves to the audience of legislators and Illinois constituents by sharing information about their district and why they became involved with MAP.
Rep. Demmer spoke to his involvement with MAP saying, “Rep. Will Guzzardi and I co-founded the Illinois chapter a few years back, and since that time we have seen the number of Millennial legislators continue to grow.”
Rep. Gonzalez, Jr. highlighted his use of social media to reach out to constituents as a major part of his experience as the youngest legislator in the House at only 24.
Zaidane then asked the legislators about their experience as Millennial legislators. Rep. Barbara Hernandez spoke to how an age gap between legislators can sometimes create friction on certain issues such as sexual education, as some older members of the legislature may not understand its importance to younger students.
Rep. Demmer mentioned how when he first ran for office at the age of 25, people questioned his experience. He highlighted the need for generational representation in the legislature to properly represent constituents, many of whom are young people.
On the topic of bipartisanship and rebuilding trust among the generations, Rep. Welter said that “...the relationships that I’ve built have been immensely important to my ability to pass legislation and my ability to collaborate with other individuals.” Rep. Gonzalez, Jr. spoke to how building relationships in the legislature go a long way, and that you will never know if there is any common ground if you never reach out.
MAP encourages legislators and constituents to join the movement towards a transformed American politics by building relationships with their bipartisan peers, just like the Illinois Future Caucus.