Alex Gonzalez, Public News Service (AZ)
More than 12,000 people around the county have said they’re interested in running for office since last year’s election.
And the share coming from battleground states like Arizona has grown by about 50%.
Jordan Haines, chief technology officer for the nonprofit Run for Something, said following Election Day, they’ve noticed the majority of people wanting to run are women.
He added that the share of people below age 40 in Arizona jumped from 35% to 62%.
Haines said they’re noticing interest in local and countywide offices, like sheriff and school board positions.
“Those are really important, because they are going to be the first line of defense against immigration policy, against cutting a federal education department,” said Haines. “And so, I think it’s hopeful for two reasons – one, building the bench and two, building local power now.”
Female representation on Capitol Hill has decreased slightly from last year, but Haines said the same can’t be said at the state level.
Arizona ranks among the top ten states for having the highest percentage of women in their state legislature, according to the Center for American Women and Politics.
If you want to learn more about running for state or local office, you can visit RunForWhat.net.
Haines said it’s too early to know exactly what motivated the more than 12,000 potential candidates nationwide, but his organization will monitor it. He emphasized that his organization will keep getting more people of diverse backgrounds to run for office.
He explained his group helps guide people along the way, and helps them determine the best office for them.
“A lot of the Run for Something alums, they ran initially to try and solve some problem in their community,” said Haines. “And so we are always looking for that, looking for like what really motivates people to get into the race, what office they’re looking to run for, if that office has the power to solve the problem that they’re trying to solve.”
While Arizona did go red last year, Haines acknowledged that for many, November’s election results were anything but ideal.
But he said change takes time, which is something he and others are working toward.
“We have people in Congress who are Run for Something alumni,” said Haines. “That is hope; that is, like, medium-term hope. It takes years and election cycles for that to happen.”