This past weekend I joined phone banks for the my Congresswomen, as I have from my college town for the past 2 election cycles. This time I got to introduce myself as the youngest candidate in the commonwealth for the VA general assembly in the next election cycle.
Obviously hair isn’t a problem for me at 20, and this ad aired 18 years before I was born, but that doesn’t mean the message doesn’t carry over. I don’t just talk the talk, I’m doing everything in my power as an out-of state college student to keep our democratic incumbents in office; Including running in VA-98 and working to turn out as many Gen Z voters as possible.
Working with the Luria team, and meeting impassioned volunteers lead to me hitting the phones with lots of enthusiasm. I think it reflected well as I had some of the best conversations I have ever had canvassing for a candidate.
I met a voter who told me that she was so confused regarding this cycles election, and I was able to walk her through the early voting schedule and her sample ballot. I know that there are frustrations in Congresswoman Luria’s turf and my own from voters who don’t know where to begin learning about the voting process (that seems to change each year).
Obviously for these next few weeks my top priority is turning out folks in my district to keep VA-2 blue, but the secondary benefits of learning from this well oiled campaign are also invaluable. From my internship to the interactions I’ve had with the Elaine campaign this cycle I feel prepared and confident to organize my own field team and volunteers.
My name is Zach coltrain, the youngest candidate in the history of the VA general assembly. If you want to help me in my efforts to be a team player for VA Dems, and to unseat a long-term republican incumbent (a rather hairy challenge). Feel free to help me out or keep up with my work using the links below.