Amanda Litman argues U.S. leadership is too old, local races are dangerously uncontested, and the fastest fix is getting more young people to run—backed by better pay and campaign-finance reform.

Amanda Litman is the co-founder and president of Run For Something (launched 2017), which supports young people running for local and state office and has helped elect 1,600+ officials in nearly every state.

• Gerontocracy: why older leadership shapes policy away from younger realities
• Shocking age stats (esp. school boards) and “skin in the game”
• “Boomer leadership” vs next-gen leadership at work (culture, tech, boundaries)
• “Forget Congress”: why local offices matter most day-to-day
• The hidden universe of local elected offices (library, water, mosquito, coroner, etc.)
• Uncontested elections: what it means, why it cancels elections, why it hurts turnout
• Run For Something’s process: problem → office → why voters should want you
• Why powerful officials won’t leave (identity, perks, healthcare, staff, status)
• Fixes: term limits/age limits (pros/cons), plus accountability for corruption
• Money barriers: what local races really cost; public matching/vouchers; pay for legislators/staff
• Social media: strategic vs haphazard use; digital footprint; detoxes; AI/deepfakes and elections
• Practical “how to start running” steps (runforwhat.net; basic plan and math)

• Representation gap: Median Americans are younger than the people making decisions; missing perspectives affects housing, schools, healthcare, etc.
• Local power is underrated: Most government that touches daily life is municipal/special-district, not Congress—and it’s where many politicians start.
• Uncontested races are a democracy failure: They reduce competition, campaigning, voter habits, and legislative effectiveness.
• Running is more doable than people assume: Many local races are low-cost; the bigger barrier is know-how and willingness to do the logistics.
• Structural reforms matter: Better pay for legislators + campaign finance reform (public matching, transparency, limits on outside spending, enforcement) reduce corruption incentives and widen who can serve.
• Leadership culture shift: Next-gen leadership emphasizes boundaries, flexibility, authenticity (without turning everything into “everyone’s trauma”), and competent use of modern comms.
• Tech is a permanent terrain: Social media is now core infrastructure for campaigning/leadership; AI and deepfakes will raise the stakes further.

• “It leaves people outta the room where decisions are made, which means that there's a lot of decisions made that really screw over young people.”
• “There are more than half a million elected offices in the United States.”
• “Once you've been able to answer those three questions… Everything else about a campaign is just logistics.”

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