“Just water” was what Dawson Holle wanted to drink at his election party.
Holle would have broken the law if he had chosen one of the beers on tap at Mandan’s Seven Seas Bar and Grill. He’s just 18.
When he is sworn in to the North Dakota House of Representatives next month, a dairy farmer who just graduated from high school will be the state’s youngest lawmaker ever.
Legislative staff don’t have official information about the ages of lawmakers, but they think Holle is the youngest.
Holle had to beat a well-known incumbent in the Republican primary and a former tribal chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux in the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 8.
Holle and Christensen both said that young candidates think about how political and economic decisions will affect their generation in the long run.
Christensen said that young people “have everything to lose,” while older people may not have to deal with the results of making bad decisions and taking on financial burdens.
Christensen hopes that the recent wins for young people running for office will encourage more people in this often-overlooked age group to get involved in politics.
“This should show anyone who thinks they can’t make a difference because they’re young that they’re wrong,” Christensen said.
Holle, who is now a student at the University of Mary in Bismarck, said that his win was “not that big of a deal” and that he just wants to do a good job representing his district, which goes from Mandan to the South Dakota border.
But Mark Jendrysik, a professor of political science at the University of North Dakota, said that Holle’s rise to public office at such a young age is impressive and good for the state.
Jendrysik said, “Given how old our Legislature is, I think it’s good that a younger voice will be there.”
Holle’s victory makes him stand out in history, but he won’t be the only member of Generation Z in Bismarck’s government.
In the North Dakota House of Representatives, there is a movement of young people who are conservative. Five Republican legislators under the age of 25 will serve in the lower chamber next session. One of them, Cole Christensen of Rogers, who was re-elected Tuesday, will be one of them.
Christensen gave Holle advice during his campaign, and he said that voters are becoming more aware that young people have a lot to offer in public service.
Christensen said, “People know that the next generation is the future, so they’re willing to give young people a chance.” “I think the idea that you have to be retired or well-known in your field before you can represent people is becoming less common.”
A “workhorse” campaign by a teen
Last spring, when most seniors at Mandan High School were thinking about prom and graduation, Holle was getting support for his underdog campaign for the legislature.
Holle said that he decided to run for the House after talking with his grandfather in April about how the number of dairy farms in North Dakota was going down.
“I was afraid because I want dairy to stay in North Dakota and do well,” Holle said. “I thought, ‘I want to do something because I don’t want to look back in 20 or 30 years and realise I could have done something.'”
But it’s not easy to get elected from a district where Republican Reps. Karen Rohr and Jim Schmidt are already in the House.
Holle needed about 200 signatures just to get on the ballot for the June primary. Christensen told him to go around the large district and knock on doors to meet the people he wanted to represent.
Just like he said he would, the young candidate went door-to-door in every town in District 31.
Holle said, “I feel like I have a strong message to share with the people in my district, and when I went door-to-door, people really felt that I had their best interests in mind.” “I feel like I’m moving forward.”
Holle said that besides helping dairy farmers and agriculture in general, his most important goals are to protect gun rights, help military veterans, protect the state’s energy industry, and support the interests of Native American tribes. Holle is in charge of the area that includes the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation.
Former President Donald Trump, U.S. Senators John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer, both R-N.D., and members of his family who have supported North Dakota’s dairy industry are some of his political heroes.
Holle told voters that even though he has conservative beliefs, he keeps an open mind and looks at both sides of complicated issues.
Holle, who will be 19 later this month, said, “I want to listen to people, and I do have a lot to learn.”
When it came time for the primary, Holle had more votes than both Rohr and Schmidt. He and Rohr both beat the former Standing Rock Tribal Chairman, Mike Faith, in the general election.
Christensen said Holle’s unlikely success at the polls was due to his “workhorse” attitude and willingness to listen.
Jendrysik pointed out that young candidates like Holle might be more likely to be able to handle the demands of running for office.
Jendrysik said, “In the end, and especially here, politics is a face-to-face, knock on doors, go to the church picnic, choke down the lutefisk business.” “Young people do have more stamina than old people.”
Jendrysik pointed out that young candidates may not have the same professional credentials as most politicians, but they offer a valuable perspective in an older state like North Dakota that has trouble keeping young people.
