Millennial Sen. Jon Ossoff says young Republicans found his 2020 victory so inspiring they've reached out for advice on how to break through America's gerontocracy
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Democrat Jon Ossoff says younger candidates from both parties are drawn to him.
The millennial senator said the aspiring politicians ask to pick his brain.
Ossoff said Americans crave "fresh voices and fresh perspectives" in politics.
Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff said younger candidates on both sides of the aisle haven't been shy about asking for pointers on winning their way into a Congress dominated by aging leaders.
"One of the things that's been really encouraging is the number of young Americans considering running for office, from both parties, who have reached out to me to ask about my experience, seek advice and encouragement," the 35-year-old lawmaker told Insider at the US Capitol.
Ossoff — who defeated scandal-plagued, 72-year-old incumbent Republican Sen. David Perdue in a hotly contested 2021 run-off that flipped control of the Senate to Democrats — said younger candidates need to seek out any opportunities they can to usher in political change.
"I encourage young people who are passionate about public service to run for office at the local, state and federal level," Ossoff said, adding that "many Americans, and certainly many Georgians, are interested in fresh leadership, fresh voices, and fresh perspectives in our national leadership."
Ossoff's pep talk to prospective colleagues comes as Insider's "Red, White, and Gray" series explores the costs, benefits, and dangers of life in a democracy helmed by those of advanced age, where issues of profound importance to the nation's youth and future — technology, civil rights, energy, the environment — are largely in the hands of those whose primes have passed.
One of the more staggering statistics emerging from Insider's analysis is that about a quarter of the 117th Congress is over the age of 70 — the highest percentage ever. At the same time, half the country is younger than 39 years old.
Just two years into his first term, Ossoff has taken on a leading role in combating an age-old issue — financial conflicts of interest on Capitol Hill. He and other advocates, both on and off the Hill, have repeatedly prodded Democratic leaders to bring some sort of congressional stock trading ban up for a vote before the upcoming midterms.
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