Latest news with #FutureCaucus
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Young North Dakota legislators join Future Caucus to find bipartisan solutions
From the left: Layla Zidane, president of the Future Caucus, Rep. Dawson Holle, R-Mandan, Rep. Jayme Davis, D-Rolette, Sen. Ryan Braunberger, D-Fargo, and Sen. Claire Cory, R-Grand Forks, announce the formation of the North Dakota chapter of the Future Caucus on April 1, 2025. The Future Caucus is a group of millennial and Gen-Z lawmakers dedicated to finding bipartisan solutions. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor) Four North Dakota lawmakers announced they will be joining the national Future Caucus made up of millennial and Gen-Z legislators with hopes of finding bipartisan solutions to common problems. North Dakota is the 36th state to join the Future Caucus, which began in 2013 and includes more than 1,900 young lawmakers nationwide. Co-chairs for the North Dakota chapter are Rep. Jayme Davis, D-Rolette, Rep. Dawson Holle, R-Mandan, Sen. Claire Cory, R-Grand Forks, and Sen. Ryan Braunberger, D-Fargo. 'These leaders represent the best of North Dakota,' said Layla Zidane, president of the Future Caucus. She added North Dakota has a longstanding tradition of putting people above politics, which is exactly what the Future Caucus is trying to achieve – focusing on real solutions, not partisan fights. 'We're not bringing in outside priorities,' Zidane said. 'But really amplifying the amazing leadership that is already here.' She said members of the Future Caucus helped pass more than 2,000 pieces of legislation across the country in 2024. Holle said he initially ran for the Legislature in 2022 to advocate for family farms, small businesses and helping his community. 'In North Dakota's future, I know that our greatest strength comes from working together, not against each other,' Holle said. 'Too often, ideas are judged not on their merit, but on who proposed them and that is not leadership. That is not service and that is not what North Dakotans expect or deserve.' Holle said the caucus wants to ensure the next generation of leaders is able to come together and facilitate the difficult conversations to find solutions. Braunberger said he hopes the caucus brings people toward the ideological middle instead of the extreme-right or extreme-left. 'We are not always going to agree on every issue, but we're going to come together on issues that we can,' Braunberger said. He added he believes the caucus will make lawmakers more productive by being able to have civil discourse with members of the opposing party. Sen. Claire Cory, R-Grand Forks, said she and Braunberger don't agree on many issues, but the caucus gives them an avenue to talk productively. 'Not to say that I don't do that with other lawmakers, but being able to do it with people in my generation is different,' Cory said. Even as a Republican in a conservative state like North Dakota, Cory said she has constituents who didn't vote for her and she still needs to represent them. She added she hopes the caucus will help her understand issues from a more well-rounded perspective so she can be a better representative for all of her constituents. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Newly-formed caucus will support millennial, Gen Z lawmakers in South Carolina
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCBD) — A pair of state lawmakers have formed a new bipartisan group in South Carolina to help the next generation learn how to navigate the legislature and work across the aisle. State Sen. Deon Tedder, 34, and State Rep. Brandon Newton, 30, officially launched the Future Caucus on Wednesday, joining a nationwide network of leaders 45 years old and younger who are working to bridge the political divide. Tedder, a Charleston Democrat, said he first got involved with the group during his freshman term as a state representative. But before he could bring it to the Palmetto State, he needed to find a Republican colleague willing to join the effort. 'I was the minority whip in the House, [Newton] was the majority whip in the House, so we would often whip votes against each other for partisan issues, but we became close friends, started to have conversations, and really agreed on a lot,' Tedder said. 'We believe it's a good effort to launch this caucus here to provide that bipartisan support, across the aisle, for our younger state legislators,' he continued. Newton, a Lancaster Republican, said the caucus will focus on issues that matter most to millennials and Gen Z voters like housing and modernizing state laws to adapt to rapidly evolving technology. An exact legislative agenda has not been set as leaders say they are waiting for input from their members. 'We're really going to let our members, whenever we get an official count, drive that,' Netwon said. Regardless, Newton said the group plans to only push bills agreed to by a majority of members in both parties so as to not 'lose the spirit' of bipartisanship. The Future Caucus was originally founded in 2013 as the Millenial Action Project by a group of college students. It rebranded in 2023 and has expanded to serve over 1,900 young legislators in 35 states and Congress. By joining, members gain access to networking opportunities, leadership training, policy workshops, and other support mechanisms that are tailored to each state's individual needs. 'At the end of the day, we're really looking to Senator Tedder and Representative Newton to design an experience for themselves and for other young lawmakers that makes sense here,' said President and CEO Layla Zaidane. Changes in how lawsuits are handled in South Carolina split parties One of the caucus' goals, according to Zaidane is to ensure that political polarization does not slow the legislative process. 'Our mission is really the same as most of the American people which is to see our institutions function properly,' she said. 'I think we're all exhausted by polarization, by problems not getting solved and by people being performative and not actually backing up their talk with action.' 'We believe the next generation can't sit around and complain about that, we have to do something about it,' Zaidane added. A Future Caucus report released ahead of the 2024 general election found that one in four congressional candidates belonged to the two youngest generations. Still, candidates over the age of 45 outnumber younger candidates by two-to-one, with the average age in the House and Senate at 57.9 and 65.3, respectively. The same is true in many states, including South Carolina, where lawmakers under 45 comprise about 20% of the General Assembly. At the time they were elected, Tedder and Newton were the youngest lawmakers in their respective chambers. That is no longer the case. 'Now we have people who have come behind us who we hope will join this caucus, and so it's exciting to see more young people run for office,' Tedder said. South Carolina is now the 35th state with a Future Caucus chapter. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
