Delaware Public Media | By Quinn Kirkpatrick
Published March 28, 2023 at 6:19 PM EDT
The Delaware Future Caucus is a bipartisan group of Gen Z and millennial legislators focused on addressing issues affecting young adults in the First State.
Delaware joins 32 other states, and the Congressional Future Caucus, in the Millennial Action Project’s network of Future Caucuses.
“This Future Caucus will help facilitate conversations across chambers, across parties, about what we want our state to look like not just in 5 or 10 years, but in 30, 40, 50 years,” said caucus co-chair State Senator Sarah McBride. “It’ll be a space for those who are going to live with these policies longterm to really come together, to dive into the details, to listen to experts, to listen to one another.”
She says the focus on bipartisanism is critical in a time of growing political divides, and this caucus is an effort to demonstrate disagreement does not mean collaboration isn’t possible.
The caucus’ leadership consists of 2 Democrats and 2 Republicans.
“In a moment where we are seeing the bifurcation of legacy media into camps like Fox News and MSNBC. When we’re seeing the individualized sources of news through social media that conform to our biases. As we live in political bubbles more and more, it’s never been more important to have conversations across the divide,” explained McBride.
She adds the caucus hopes to have conversations about what open government looks like, and how to assure that all voices are heard in the General Assembly.
The Future Caucus is open to any legislator that is millennial or younger, which comprises a growing number of members of the General Assembly.
Ahead of the launch, millennial legislators began to discuss topics they hope to work on such as challenges faced by young families, the future of work, and new technologies.
Moving forward, the caucus looks to invite community members to help identify other structural, economical, and financial challenges faced by the state to examine.