Palatine Democrat launching 'youth movement' to claim 6th Congressional seat
A 31-year-old Palatine resident and former staffer for President Barack Obama says he aims to engage millennial voters and win the Democratic nomination for 6th Congressional District seat in the U.S. House.
Ryan Huffman launched his bid by pledging in a written statement that he will accept "no special-interest or corporate money during the campaign."
Including Huffman, seven Democrats have said they are campaigning for the chance to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam in the 2018 election.
Announced candidates who are collecting signatures on petitions in advance of a March 20 primary include Becky Anderson Wilkins, a Naperville City Council member and business owner; Sean Casten, a Downers Grove scientist and clean energy entrepreneur; Carole Cheney, a congressional aide from Naperville; Amanda Howland, a Lake Zurich attorney and College of Lake County trustee; Kelly Mazeski, a Barrington Hills plan commission member; and Jennifer Zordani, a Clarendon Hills lawyer.
Huffman, a data analyst with a bachelor's degree in journalism from Northwestern University and a master's degree in public policy from the University of Chicago, said he respects the others, but it will take "a youth movement" to win the seat for the Democrats.
"All over the country, people in my generation are looking for new leaders who will address the issues that matter to them," Huffman said in a written statement. "We are a passionate and hopeful generation, and we're ready to move beyond the tired politics of the past."
The 6th District is drawing candidates from across the suburbs because it includes parts of Cook, DuPage, Kane, McHenry and Lake counties.