Arizona young – Millennials and Gen Z candidates are seeking Arizona House and Senate seats, arguing their age offers fresher views on today’s affordability and politics.
A new wave of Arizona candidates under 30 is challenging how the state Legislature looks and who it serves, with millennials and Gen Z portraying youth not as inexperience but as a lived understanding of today’s economic pressure.
At least 16 candidates age 29 or younger are running for seats in the Arizona House or Senate, with additional hopefuls under 35. They say they want to bring a different perspective to lawmakers and state policy at a moment when many voters question whether government is keeping up with modern life.
The age gap they highlight is stark.. The average state senator is about 57.6, while the average state representative is roughly 51.. Republicans average around 56, compared with about 49 for Democrats.. For some of the young candidates. that gap matters because it can shape priorities and decision-making. even if lawmakers bring long experience.
State Sen.. Flavio Bravo, D-Phoenix, a 31-year-old Democrat running for re-election, argues that age alone doesn’t guarantee maturity.. He said he entered politics as a candidate before turning 30. was first elected to the House at 28. and later appointed to the Senate.. In his view. his early start met expectations and also helped him recognize how life experience. timing. and financial reality can affect what lawmakers are able to do.
Bravo recalled visiting the Arizona Capitol as a student and feeling disappointed by what he saw. even after first being drawn into civic engagement during high school and college.. He described himself as optimistic about government and policymaking early on. and he said his own engagement continued despite the divisive tone politics can take.. He also said he doesn’t want his generation to be deterred by the risks of getting involved.
Still, he acknowledged the tradeoff that comes with serving.. With a legislative salary of $24,000, young legislators often must return to full-time work after sessions end or during extended breaks.. Bravo described timing as less difficult than the question of stability—how to support a family and maintain financial footing while participating in government.. He pointed to some legislators who can rely on other work arrangements. such as retirement. making legislative service more feasible as a primary job.
This financial reality also shapes how at least some candidates talk about motivation and campaigning.. Their efforts range from legislative races grounded in party affiliation to bids that come from outside the two-party structure—each arguing that politics should better reflect the values and pressures people feel day to day.
Brendan Trachsel. 25. is running for the Arizona House in Legislative District 6. seeking to win in a race that includes three Democrats. among them incumbent Rep.. Mae Peshlakai.. A member of the Green Party and a Quaker. Trachsel said he grew up in San Diego before moving back to Arizona in 2019 to attend Northern Arizona University. where he is nearing completion of a master’s degree in counseling and student affairs.
Trachsel’s campaign centers on the idea that today’s political discourse does not speak to the values and topics he believes young people care about.. He framed his approach as a kind of “do it yourself” politics. saying that when faith in the two-party system erodes. candidates and voters should not assume the system will deliver results without direct participation.
Although Trachsel said he shares a number of ideas with Democrats. he also described working with Independents and Republicans on other issues.. He argued that limiting the options to just two parties can’t capture the range of political beliefs in the system.. If elected. he wants to pursue what he calls the five paths to dignity: labor rights. education. the environment. democracy. and privacy.
For Trachsel, the reason for running is not only dissatisfaction but also belief in government’s obligation to improve lives.. He said his generation has watched institutions try to protect people and raise quality of life. but that progress has also seemed to slip.. He described the moment as one that calls for young people to step up so new leadership can address what he sees as gaps in current systems.
He said the easiest part of campaigning has been direct. in-person conversations with voters—finding opportunities to connect and learn what people are worried about.. But he also described getting endorsements from organizations as a major challenge. highlighting how resources and institutional support can be difficult for lesser-known candidates.
Another young candidate. Danielle Skranak. 30. is running as a Republican for a House seat in Legislative District 2 and challenging incumbent Rep.. Justin Wilmeth in the GOP primary.. Skranak. who lives in Gilbert. earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Arizona State University and has worked as a paralegal for 10 years. recently starting her own business.. She is also a veteran. having served in the Army as a military police officer and a correctional officer at Fort Leavenworth prison.
Skranak said her entry into politics was shaped by her community work.. The Arizona Veteran Leadership Council approached her with the idea to run. and she said they viewed her résumé and determination as signs she could help drive change locally.. Her platform includes addressing education needs, public safety, and supporting small businesses.
While Skranak said she does not dismiss the wisdom of incumbent lawmakers. she argued that younger candidates often view issues through different circumstances.. She pointed to the cost of living and what she described as the difficulty of competing with older legislators’ financial stability—especially when younger lawmakers must weigh renting and the need to maintain work between sessions.
She specifically said that her own rent burden is significant compared with what older legislators may experience. and she contrasted that with the higher pay and potential retirement status that can give incumbents more flexibility.. In her account. the campaign is also personal: she said the inability to purchase a home affects living expenses and complicates the ability to invest. while also emphasizing the difference between Phoenix housing costs and what she described as legislative pay realities.
Skranak said what she finds most manageable is turning her energy toward meeting people and working through the demands of campaigning—talking with lawmakers. campaign managers. policymakers. constituents. and knocking on doors.. The hardest part, she said, is the learning curve of elections, politics, and the mechanics of governing.
Outside politics, her interests range from a personal routine with her German shepherd, Zovina, to outdoor time and weekend leisure.. She described hiking and visiting Lake Bartlett. where her dog likes to swim. and she said on some weekends she rides her Harley Davidson with friends.. She also said she bought the motorcycle new and has been riding for about three years.
In another part of the state. Eric Stafford. 28. is running for state senate in Legislative District 29 as a Democrat. challenging incumbent Sen.. Janae Shamp.. Stafford lives in Goodyear and has worked across multiple jobs, including as an aviation mechanic, veterinary technician, and medical assistant.. Like the other candidates, he said he rents.
Stafford’s first political experience came through working on U.S.. Sen.. Mark Kelly’s campaign as a field organizer, along with time at the state Legislature as a constituent.. In his account. what pushed him toward running was disillusionment with the people who dictate policy. which he said does not consistently appear to aim at helping the public.
He criticized what he described as bills being “ridiculous” and framed his goal as building a politics that works for constituents rather than for personal interests.. His platform includes education, addressing how politicians are supported, eliminating dark money from politics, and working on affordability.
Stafford said young people have more to lose than those who are nearing retirement or already out of the workforce.. He argued that earlier generations have not set up the future for success. and that young candidates need to push action now rather than later.. He described the campaign as much like operating a business. pointing to the challenge of sustaining the effort required to run.
The broader push from under-30 candidates reflects more than generational change at the ballot box—it also reveals how policy debates are being framed.. Several of the hopefuls argue that affordability. education. and the role of money in politics are not abstract ideas but immediate conditions shaping daily life.
Their messages also suggest a parallel argument for institutional change: whether the Legislature will prioritize labor and dignity-centered policies. whether veterans and public safety concerns will receive renewed focus. and whether transparency and limits on dark money will regain attention.. Even as they take different routes—parties. independents. and third-party identity—the candidates’ common thread is that they want their generation’s experiences to carry more weight in how the state governs.
For voters, the choice may come down to more than age.. The candidates repeatedly stress that the question is not whether young people are “ready” in the abstract. but whether their lived circumstances and priorities match the moment.. In interviews. they described campaigning as accessible in its most human form—talking with people—but difficult when it comes to endorsements. financial tradeoffs. and the everyday mechanics of turning a candidacy into a workable path to office.
Arizona Legislature young candidates state House state Senate millennials and Gen Z campaign endorsements affordability