declared a war on poverty in america. watch our american history tv series first 100 days, saturday at 7:00 p.m. eastern on american history tv on c-span 2. >> >> democracy is always an unfinished creation. >> democracy is worth dying for. >> democracy belongs for us all. >> we are here in the sanctuary of democracy. >> great responsibilities fall once again to the great democracies. >> american democracy is bigger than any one person. >> freedom and democracy must be constantly guarded and protected. >> we are still, at our core, a democracy. >> this is also a massive victory for democracy and for freedom. host: this is amanda lin

joining us, the cofounder and president of the organization run for something. she's the author of the forthcoming book the next generation's guide to leadership. amanda litman thanks for giving us your time today. how do you describe your group to other people? guest: run for something recruits young diverse leaders running for local office across the country. it's pretty straightforward we ask people to run and when they say yes or maybe we help them do it all the way through election day. >> what made you come up with this organization as far as the need that you sought to recruit people to office? guest: work for sector clinton's presidency campaign for two years right after election day or heard friends say hey amanda, public school teacher in chicago thinking about running for office, what do i do. at the time if you were young and newly excited about politics and want to do more than vote and volunteer there was no where you can go to answer your call

so long my co-founder we built a website and then we launched run for something on trump's first inauguration day thinking it would be really small because who wants to run for office. instead we had 1000 people in the first week and as of today we are up to 190,000 young people across the country who raise their hands. >> when someone says they want to run they get your interest what happens then as far as getting them to see where they go further. guest: it works like a marketing fund for you sign up on our website, you can look up all the offices available to you and your address. you then start getting information and invites to call us where we talk about all the first time questions candidates have. how do i know what to run for, how do i raise money, how does this work. you can then talk to one of our volunteers and you'll start getting emails and text messages from our team giving you

resources, trainings, events that we are doing great this is all available to everyone of any age. then we have an application where you can file to get on the ballot and run for something's endorsement. that's where we narrow it down and look at your application, your campaign plan, your budget, and our endorsements are looking at folks 40 and under to make sure we have new leaders into the process. once we are endorsed we have a whole bunch more support for you depending on the campaign. host: because you focus on younger people, particular progressive people, what drives them in your mind to get to politics? guest: the only thing they all really have in common is a willingness to serve their communities and do something when they are in office. running for representation, housing, for childcare, because the republican incumbent in office hasn't been challenged

for decades or because the democrat incumbent hasn't been serving them the way they want. they are also committed to solve problems in a way i think makes their campaigns strong. host: what does that term progressive mean in your mind and how is that different than typical democrat running for office? guest: we have a really expansive definition as we work with candidates from all 50 states heard a candidate running for city council in new york where i live needs to talk about the issues and show up for those issues that may be a school board candidate in alaska or city council candidate in iowa. all of our candidates are proactive, pro tolerance, pro forma housing and education. pro-climate change is real we have to do something about it. they are already to tackle the issues of gun violence, they are pro-choice and pro-democracy. we ask folks what does that look like in your campaign and how does it show up for you? host: if you want to ask questions about this effort

recruiting progresses for political office, 202-748-8001 for republicans. 202-748-8000 for democrats. independents 202-748-8002. you can also text us questions that 202-748-8003. there was an article in new york magazine last year featuring you , the headline says you helped more than 1000 young people get elected. i'm sure the number has changed, elaborate on that and who are your standouts? host: we've helped just under 1500 people win elections in the last eight years. nearly every state except for idaho. you might know some of our alumni including jasmine crockett from texas, sarah mcbride from delaware, emily randall from washington. who are now members of congress. on the state level we have senator malory from michigan. florida representative ron ask

amani. down in texas the harris county executive, the state senator megan hunt in nebraska. these are all amazing young leaders who know how to show up for their communities and show up in places to really reach the voters we need to reach. >> you probably seen the news over the last couple of weeks, of the back-and-forth with north carolina republican nancy mace print what you think about those exchanges and her role at least the statements she's making when it comes to politics in congress? guest: she's emblematic of leaders who know that gives in on the level and this idea of civility or to coram is behind us when it comes to them. so she is ready to call them out like she sees it and do so in a way that draws attention which is really good in this environment. host: pew research says the largest generation is now belonging to those generation x in congress, 180 members. what you think about that number

compared to what you've seen in years before? guest: this is i believe the third oldest congress ever and it keeps getting older and we are seeing the product of that in some of the images we are getting out of the fight back against trump right now. seeing leaders really don't understand how to wield attention in this economy. don't really understand where voters are. we've seen i think is really helpful to know some of the leaders of the pushback have been some of ter politicians. the average age in congress is 68 or something like that. 63 in the house, 68 and the senate. people are just left out of the spaces and i'm glad gen x is making this representative and we will see that analysis. >> do those younger members of congress talk to you and your organization about how they are perceived by older members of congress. >> i've heard that over the years as i've gotten to know some of these younger members and they will talk about how

sometimes their colleagues don't understand how they communicate. they talk about things like they don't understand why they use instagram this way or it's there tone, they are really entering an institution that wasn't built for people like them. i think it often creates a sense of disconnect. i love that they are brave enough to do that anyway. >> michael is on her independent line from florida. michael go ahead you're on with our guest. >> good morning. my understanding of progressives is they believe in equality of outcomes, they do not believe in equality of opportunity. what is your position on that? guest: an interesting question. i don't know if i agree with that assessment. the candidates we've raised we generally identify as progressive. we really see both sides of that equation. they want to make sure their constituents and community

members have both the equality of opportunity and outcome. and they have to look at that through things like housing and education, transportation, clean water, clean roads. it's a little bit of both. host: large -- laura next from texas. go ahead part -- go ahead. caller: thank you for taking my call. i am a baby boomer but i'm on the tail end of it. and i am a bit concerned with the younger generation believing that the older generations don't know what they are doing. and in some respects i kind of agree with that, but i would hope that the younger generations understand the business of collective effort. we cannot stand against tyranny and dictatorship and even acts of treason committed by the president unless we stand together and this nonsense about generational divide is put aside.

i am interested in your thoughts on that. guest: i think we can agree we all need generations to come together. the reason the run for something works with younger leaders is historically young people have been left out of this conversation of leadership. if you looked at 5% of state legislators were under the age of 35. the median mayor of big city was 59. median school board members was 60. even in congress they are just not reflective over the americans are. the median american's 38 or 39. i agree with you, we need generations to come together but young people have been left out of that conversation for so long and we are just on the tipping point of starting to change that so i think baby boomers of which you are right some really do understand need to make sure they are making space for younger folks. >> somebody asked this is mike from wisconsin about your organization's funding and how that works?

guest: a mix of people giving five dollars, $500, a whole range of folks. we have 40,000 individual givers at this point. a couple different entities folks can give to, i am so grateful for every person who contributes because when we started this, so much of the advice we got was a great idea, no one is going to want to run or give to that. i am so glad that eight years and we have proved that wrong but we need to keep it going. host: do you get money from political parties? guest: no i do not think we have ever gotten money from one of the formal democratic institutions. we work with them as appropriate, but we have not gotten money from them. host: if you are on sang considering campaigning has changed a lot can you explain how run for something turns a newbie into a viable candidate and what's the most critical skill they must have first grade guest: we help people figure out

what is the reason for running and how was the office they are running for a opportunity to solve this and why should voters want them to win which is different from why you want to win. voters want to win because you will do something specific and tangible and practical for them. once we help candidates figure out how to tell that story, the rest of the campaign is just logistics. it is hard logistics but it is not complicated logistics. we help candidates figure out how to file, get on the ballot and make sure they are running really strong voter contact campaigns. it might look like knocking on doors, phones, print ads or radio, a text messaging. we deftly want to think about social media in a way that's genuine. we know how you race in new york city is different from iowa. neither of them are right or wrong, we want to make sure we run the right race for the right place. host: can you describe a winning

story as far as one of the candidates and what worked and what got them in congress? host: i actually want to talk about -- guest: i actually want to talk about someone who's not in congress. we recruited summoning justin douglass around harrisburg. he was a former pastor who had been fired from his church for being too welcoming to lgbtq congregants. we recruited him to run specifically for the county commission position which is a position that oversees the county budget, election administration, deals with the county jail system and a bunch of other stuff. we got him to run against a republican incumbent and justin ran this incredible campaign, he spent maybe $12,000 on the race and he was out there knocking doors, he left this incredible campaign that was like the mayor in jaws to, the mayor in jaws

one was still the mayor in jaws two. vote in your local elections. he was ultimately able to be a republican incumbent by 140 some odd votes on election day ultimately fifth -- flipping control of the first time in over 100 years. he immediately went forward to do stuff like make it easier for people to vote in dauphin county pennsylvania and performed the way they were caring for inmates in the jail system. it's a really incredible example of the thousands of candidates we work with over the years who show up and who win in really longshot races. host: let's hear from gary in pennsylvania, philadelphia this is on the democrats line. >> i just want to salute her for what she's doing and mentioned something the couple met at her work. and we are developing something called adopt an organizer because there's a must one

million people working at coffee shops and other jobs and even 1% of those people and it seems there's quite a bit more but even 1% of those people want to become organizers and they don't have rich parents the only option is gofundme. so we are developing adopt an organizer would make it easier for people to quit those jobs and for people to become organized. if you're going to run for something you need a lot of organizers to overturn this fascist coup need a lot of organizing so we hope we can work together and i hope to see what contact because we are going to make it much easier, we will have people for example donate free housing which is already worth 700 or $800. well-off people that can match. >> i love that and thank you for what you're doing we need every possible outcome -- avenue of

support for candidates and volunteers. these institutions are meant for people board independently wealthy. >> another viewer asking this question. she says or this is the viewer saying i don't think you are getting younger candidates into this. getting younger voters to vote is the biggest challenge you in your candidates face. >> i think it's a little bit of our solution is part of fixing that problem. young voters are looking for candidates who can connect to them and who can show up in the places they are. on tiktok and instagramming snapchat and discord and can be in the media spaces where they're paying attention. i think a lot about how money members of congress couldn't go on a nonpolitical space and talk like a real person. the run for something candidates absolutely can because they are ordinary people who do this extraordinary thing of running for office. one of the ways we get more young voters to show up and vote for democrats is to give them

better democrats to connect to. >> when it comes to information about a candidate is it social media that will be the primary driver and if that's the case how do you get so much information about a candidate on the platform of your choice? >> it's a little bit of social media and they are making sure they are in the platforms where young voters are it's also an interface relationship. we have found our candidates who knock on doors and talk to voters and show to farmers markets and pta meetings and pick up basketball games at the gym and really get to know people, it's very easy to hate a democrat you see on tv where you see trashing your local paper or on the radio it's hard to hate a candidate who came to your home and said i'm amanda i'm running for county commissioner, i want to talk to you about paying taxes and then you sit down and have a conversation. i think those face-to-face relationships build that and can circumvent any of the stuff you may be seeing online. >> virginia from california join us for independence. caller: i really admire all you

-- all these kids doing this. there was a day that i can remember the last name from the parking area in florida that had the shooting and i've seen them in washington in the past and he's been able to back him in any way or support him, i know that he is a smart and brilliant kid. it's a shame he has to go through this. i'm just curious if he had any contact with him. >> yes david hogg who certain leaders that or raise some money and does some outside work for the candidates i think nearly every candidate has come through the run for something pipeline i believe we've recommended a most all of them to david and his team to engage with so they are one of our many across the country who work on behalf of our candidates. and i'm really proud run for something is built such a collaborative model. we know it's going to take a

village to get many of these candidates elected and we are really proud to be part of that. >> what you think of him being the vice chair of the democratic national committee. >> i think more powerful voices who know how to show up is good. i'm also glad malcolm is another one of the vice chairs of the dnc. him and david and the others are really able to make the case in a lot of places. >> as far as able to influence the democrat national committee the junk people care about. what you think about their ability to do that? >> i think it's worth being clear about what the role of the dnc is. the dnc isn't really setting a policy platform necessarily for the democratic party especially for democrats across the country. they are really a back end support for infrastructure and data and technology for these parties and campaigns into a minister the presidential primary. so i'm really glad all the members elected to really bring

some fresh ideas to this process but i think the real power doesn't come from the dnc it comes from the candidates who are out there talking about the issues. host: from missouri, republican line. caller: good morning. i've a question for the young lady. i'm 25 -- i am -- i know because i learned in the last 10 years i just wonder do you think we are in a democracy or republic and do you know the difference? that's my question. guest: thank you for that question. we are a democratic republic and i appreciate the thoughtfulness here. and hopefully will be able to keep it. >> when it comes to your own political background, your bio says it started by you skipping class and listening to senator barack obama. can you explain that. >> i always knew i wanted to work in politics. i grew up in northern virginia just outside d.c., i went to robinson secondary school.

and i knew when i was little that politics was a way to make a difference in the world and it appealed to me. my junior year of high school sender barack obama at the time is doing a students for obama tour just before he announces presents her campaign he went and gave a speech at george mason university just across the street from where was a junior. i skipped school which i never did. and i went and saw him speak and i knew in that moment i would work for someone like him. in fact i wanted to work for him specifically. so i ultimately ended up going to northwestern for college in part because if i'm in chicago nearby maybe i will be able to work when he runs for reelection and the long-term planning worked out because i got a job at his campaign. >> what did you do? >> i was doing online fundraising for the email team. if you got emails saying hey we are free to meet for dinner that was me on the team. >> what did you learn from your political experience what did

you learn than that you applied to the job now. >> such a good question. excuse me. candidate matters. the way that you campaign, the tactics you use and the message you use, the way people respond to you are so dependent on who the candidate is. i think a lot about traveling in the state of florida with governor charlie crist and he was running for governor again in the way he would go up to people and have conversations with them and spend 20 minutes in a gas station in the middle florida having a conversation face-to-face with the guy behind the counter and at the end asking for his vote in such a meaningful way. i think about that when working for secretary clinton how people in little girls respond to her the campaign rallies and how people engage with us online and it certainly mattered what they were saying. but it also was incredibly important who was the person saying it. when i think about the work they do and the broader conversation for the democratic party,

message and the words we say are important but messenger is what matters and what makes a breakthrough. message does not exist in a vacuum distinct from who is doing the communicating. host: as you look to 2028 what you think the state of the party is bringing someone with that message and do they have to be younger? guest: i do think they have to be younger. i do think they need to be younger and i think we are about to see a surge in leadership. a lot of this point in 2017 we didn't know who aoc was, we didn't know who so many of the people who are now mainstays of our public communications even jamie raskin had just entered congress after 2016. the leaders who we to now for guidance were not on our radar eight years ago. so i think the surge of people who raise their hand, just about 20,000 people of raise their hand to run for something is the election a couple months ago.

almost half of them since inauguration. those of the folks in the years to come probably who >> will be looking to for leadership. we surprised with the amount of young people who voted for president trump the last election? >> young people are experiencing inflation and really specific way. i think some studies young people expense inflation higher than those were older. especially about issues or childcare or housing, housing i think is a big one. entering the housing market and likely a renter or first-time buyer. and it is so hard and so expensive that no i am not surprised young people said i am mad at the quality of my economic life and i want to punish someone who i feel is responsible. so i am disappointed a little bit but i also think those are folks who we can win back in years to come because i don't think what trump is doing will make their life any easier. host: our conversation with amanda litman.

up next rick in new york, independent line. caller: thanks for taking my call. i joined a little late so i hope i'm not repeating someone. would just make a suggestion. i am very hopeful that you guys focus on developing leaders and not just having young people join an organization, that they are creating organizations individually. focus on leadership in civil rights and economic projects, start ups. that is going to be something that republicans cannot overcome because they are generally followers. but you create every individual with the mindset of a leader and you will have a great ability to overcome anything that they put in front of you. thanks. guest: love that and i think so

many of our alum, we have more than 3000 young people who've endorsed. once were going to win serve -- but the ones who lose leadership doesn't end after election day. seeing them go on to start community groups, takeover parties, they have been incredible advocates for their community in a way that i think is really sustainable. host: becky in massachusetts, republican line, go ahead. caller: thank you. i'm one of those baby boomers as well. but anyway, my -- the reason that i called in is this young lady has a tremendous effect on the young people that are running and what i would suggest is if she has influence on the young people that are running and especially for congress, washington, that it is time we have a term limit because there

are way too many old people in congress. and i suggest that we -- that the young people that are coming , so they don't grow old in congress, that they approach the idea of 25 years maximum. in congress. whether you do 10 years in the house. and your limited to 25 years. >> we leave it to take you live to a senate and can committee hearing, looking at the regulation of digital assets. >> i am looking forward to working with you and the other members of the subcommittee. this has been a long time coming, so i am delighted to get started.