Hey, Congress? We're Here

Meet your first Millennial Congressperson: Representative Aaron Schock.


Schock was sworn in earlier this week as the Republican Representative from Illinois' 18th Congressional District. He defeated Democrat Colleen Callahan in November to win retiring Republican Representative and soon-to-be Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood's seat. At 27 years old, he is the youngest person in Congress, and the first to be born in the '80s.

Time Magazine interviewed Representative Schock this week to discuss his journey from Peoria's school board to the Illinois state legislature to Congress. Some highlights:

On how he's achieved so much in such a short span of time...

"I'm a big believer that when opportunity presents itself, you've got to seize it. I've been very fortunate that the doors of opportunity have been opened, and I've walked through them. I've been very blessed that back home, the community has supported me — I look back at photos of me when I was running for school board at 19 and I joke that I don't know if I would have voted for that kid.

It's humbling to know that several hundred thousand people cast their ballot to put a 27-year-old in the U.S. Congress. To have their faith in my ability to represent them and to do a good job for central Illinois means a lot. That weighs heavily on me, the responsibility to deliver for them."

On communicating with young voters...

"I think at times elected officials lose sight of the fact that the younger generation uses different means of communications. They don't necessarily pick up the New York Times to get their news. They may go online, and they may use more things like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube — things that members of the older generation aren't as accustomed to using to communicate with constituents.

If President-elect Obama's campaign taught us anything, it was how to use new media to reach out to youth. If your source of information is your iPhone and your Facebook page, then hands down, Senator Obama did a much better job than Senator McCain. Job One is just reaching out and communicating."

On being the only Millennial in Congress...

"It's a little lonely being the only one in my 20s here. But obviously, I do bring somewhat of a different perspective because I hope to be around as an American citizen for the next 50 years, Lord willing. The programs we're voting on and the policies we're implementing are things my generation will be paying for for the next 50 years. So I look at it in a different light than somebody who may be in their 60s or 70s."

Check out the full interview here.