Gen X and Gen Y heading for Congress in November

More than a dozen 20- and 30-somethings have a real shot at being elected to Congress this November, suggesting that the apparent surge of youthful participation in national politics is not confined to the presidential contest.

The average age of members of Congress has crept steadily toward 60, but retirements should make way for some very young blood when a new House of Representatives is sworn in next January.

{mosads}From early favorites like 26-year-old Aaron Schock (R) in Illinois to hopefuls like 29-year-old Bill McCamley (D) in New Mexico, the odds on their candidacies differ. But their numbers are as high as ever before, and many are running in some of the most competitive districts in the country.

Scott Kleeb, a 32-year-old Democrat who ran a spirited campaign in a dark-red Nebraska House district in 2006, is weighing a Senate bid this year. He argues that the Sept. 11 attacks helped galvanize a generation of young people to believe in public service again, and those young people are now running for federal office.

“This happens at certain points in our history,” said Kleeb, whose wife heads the Young Voter PAC (political action committee). “You began to see, with 2001, a re-emergence of a certain type of patriotism, especially among a younger generation, that didn’t carry the baggage of earlier generations.”

The 2006 election put several 30-somethings into the House, including Reps. Patrick Murphy (D-Pa.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Heath Shuler (D-N.C.) and Kleeb’s foe, Adrian Smith (R-Neb.). But the collective age of Congress still rose that year, reaching an average of 57 years old.

This year, the retirements of many older members, especially in the dethroned Republican conference, should bring that number down significantly.

One seat that will get much younger is that of the late Rep. Julia Carson (D-Ind.). The March special election will pit her grandson, 33-year-old Indianapolis City-County Councilman Andre Carson (D), against 30-year-old state Rep. Jon Elrod (R).

Each was selected by local party activists over the weekend. Carson defeated state Rep. Carolene Mays (D), an established local figure who publishes an African-American newspaper. Elrod built a reputation with a tireless door-to-door campaigning style that Republicans think can win in a Democratic-leaning district.

The GOP is leaning heavily on youth in neighboring Illinois. State Rep. Schock is supported by most of the party establishment to replace retiring Rep. Ray LaHood (R), and young and wealthy political newcomer Steve Greenberg, 36, has gathered the early backing of national Republicans in their quest to finally unseat Rep. Melissa Bean (D).

Elsewhere, Kate Whitman, the 30-year-old daughter of former Gov. Christine Todd Whitman (R), is running for retiring Rep. Mike Ferguson’s (R-N.J.) seat; 37-year-old Pittsburgh Steelers heir Tom Rooney is in a tough primary in the top-targeted seat held by freshman Rep. Tim Mahoney (D-Fla.); and a pair of New Yorkers, 31-year-old Kieran Lalor and 36-year-old Richard Wager, are running in districts held by two other vulnerable Democratic freshmen.

Among the Democrats, 34-year-old state Sen. Andrew Rice is running against Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.); 29-year-old real estate banker executive Mike Leibowitz is reportedly set to be the first Democrat to enter the race against perennial target Jim Gerlach (R-Pa.); state Sen. John Boccieri, 38, is running for retiring Rep. Ralph Regula’s (R-Ohio) seat; and Albuquerque City Councilman Martin Heinrich, 36, will look to take Rep. Heather Wilson’s (R-N.M.) seat as she runs for Senate.

In New Mexico, McCamley faces an uphill primary battle against a well-funded oil man for the seat of Senate candidate Rep. Steve Pearce (R). The Dona Ana County commissioner said young candidacies like his are a symptom of the appetite for change in the country right now.

“Young people want to see people who are still paying off their student loans, people who may have recently not had a job or healthcare,” said McCamley, who dons jeans and a loosened tie on his campaign website.

That change theme has been a cornerstone of 46-year-old Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-Ill.) appeal to the youth in his presidential bid. But as in his case, many congressional candidates say they have faced lots of questions about their levels of experience.

Greenberg likened his candidacy to Obama’s in that people are looking for youth and energy.

“But I spent almost 17 years in the private sector, so it’s not like I just fell off the turnip truck,” he said.

Similarly, Schock’s opponents recently seized on some controversial comments he made about Iran, casting them as the words of a novice candidate.

But Schock does not run from his age. His campaign plays up his advanced life story, which includes his election to the Peoria School Board at 19 and the state House at 22.

“People want to know, at 26 years old, are you prepared to run for Congress, are you capable of serving in Congress,” Schock said. “In many cases, I think I’ve had to work harder and perform better than my colleagues simply to prove that I’m up to the task.”

Doug Thornell, a spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said the youth movement builds on what began in the 2006 election.

“Whether it is voting, organizing or running as a candidate, this enthusiasm bodes well for Democrats and we will continue to aggressively reach out to young voters in a variety of ways,” Thornell said.