Conservatives at Work: Gen Z Elected Officials

January 16, 2023 12:00 pm

Over the past year, I have met so many impressive, up-and-coming young Conservatives from across the country. However, I am quite grateful to have gotten to know several young Conservatives who won their elections in November 2022 and now hold elected office. So, today’s article is going to highlight three promising elected officials to keep an eye on in the coming years.

I. Rep. Austin Smith (Arizona Legislative District 29)

Representing Arizona’s 29th Legislative District, Austin Smith is a 5th generation Arizonan and an America First conservative activist. Over the past few years, Austin has served as the chair of the Arizona Young Republicans and worked as the National Field Director for Turning Point Action (TP Action). During the 2020 election cycle, Austin helped organize massive doorknocking campaigns on behalf of President Trump through the “Students for Trump” organization and led efforts to audit the election results in Maricopa county following the 2020 election.

Certainly, Austin Smith has proven his commitment to conservative causes and values throughout his life. Fortunately, Austin decided to stand up for the people of Arizona by running for Arizona’s State Legislature in November 2022. On election night 2022, Austin garnered over 34,000 votes to become the next Representative for Arizona’s 29th District (State House).

Going into Arizona’s Legislative session, Representative Smith is looking to propose legislation protecting Arizonans’ 2nd Amendment rights (HB 2394), school choice, and the life of the unborn. In particular, House Bill 2394 protects Arizonan’s from unfair taxation meant to prevent law-abiding citizens from purchasing firearms. Additionally, Rep. Smith hopes to start fixing Arizona’s election integrity issues and immigration crisis in the coming year.

Rep. Smith’s committee assignments in the Arizona State House include the Ways & Means committee; Natural Resources, Energy, & Water committee; and Municipal Oversight & Elections committee.

Last December, I had the chance to meet Rep. Austin Smith at a Republicans for National Renewal event in Arizona. Anyone who meets Rep. Smith will notice his genuine passion for promoting conservative values. So, we should all look forward to the good work Rep. Smith will do in Arizona’s State Legislature!

Here is some useful advice that Austin has for young conservatives thinking about running for office:

“If you’re going to run for office, cut your teeth first. Get involved in grassroots politics for a few years and earn the trust of the party faithful before you run. Their approval matters more than lobbyists and special interest groups.”

II. Rep. Mazzie Boyd (Missouri State House District 2)

Representing Missouri’s 2nd State House District, Representative Mazzie Boyd is a 1st-term conservative legislator from Northwest Missouri. Prior to running for office, Rep. Boyd’s gained valuable experience working in the Trump administration.

Last year, Boyd decided to challenge a RINO incumbent for Missouri’s 2nd House District. Fortunately, she notched a resounding 35% point victory over her RINO opponent to win the Republican nomination and cruised to an easy victory in the November 2022 general election.

Following her election victory, Representative Boyd became one of the youngest State legislators in America and in Missouri state history. Despite her youth, she is already becoming one of the most active conservative legislators in the Missouri State House. During her brief time holding office, Representative Boyd has already introduced bills supporting gun rights, preventing foreign ownership of agricultural land, and ending gender transition procedures for minors. Not a bad start.

Rep. Boyd’s committee assignments in Missouri State House include the Agriculture policy committee, Budget committee, and Special Committee on Government Accountability.

Personally, I first met Rep. Boyd back in January 2022 at the annual Run Gen Z conference in Dallas. We initially hit it off after discovering our mutual admiration for the legendary political commentator Pat Buchanan. So, I knew from then on that Rep. Boyd would make a fantastic legislator in her home state of Missouri. Let’s all wish Rep. Boyd the best of luck in her first term!

On a closing note, here is a tip from Rep. Boyd that we should all follow:

“Do the small things extremely well and the big things will come.”

III. Rep. Chris Lonsdale (Missouri State House District 38)

Representing Missouri’s 38th State House District, Chris Lonsdale is a freshman state legislator from Missouri’s Clay county. Rep. Lonsdale first got involved with Conservative politics as college student and later for the Trump presidential campaign. However, Rep Lonsdale was not satisfied with the lack of conservative leadership in his home state of Missouri.

After moving back to his hometown after college, Rep. Lonsdale initially ran for local office back in 2020 and was edged out in a close race. Admirably, Rep. Lonsdale decided to run again in 2022 for the Missouri State House. Fortunately, he won a contested primary election against a GOP Establishment-backed candidate, so Rep. Lonsdale will now represent his hometown as a genuinely conservative elected official. His hard work and persistence truly paid off!

Heading into his first Legislative session, Rep. Lonsdale hopes to lower property taxes, improve local infrastructure, and keep inappropriate content out of Missouri classrooms. Let’s hope that he is successful in these policy areas and more in the coming year.

Rep. Londale’s committee assignments include Local Government committee, Utilities committee, and Special Committee on Tourism.

Fortunately, Rep. Lonsdale provided us with some some honest advice about running for office:

“Campaigns aren’t friendly resume competitions. They are battles of will and grit. Establishment-types will always try and tell you to wait your turn and you can’t win because your competition has a better story or resume. Be honest with yourself about your flaws and analyze your opponent’s strengths and weaknesses. When you attack your opponent, make sure it is aggressive and fair. Also, even if you lose your first time or second time, your name recognition and connections only grow and expand as you put yourself in the arena. If you run in a winnable district, your chances of victory only grows.”

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed reading about these three young, conservative elected officials! All three have bright futures both as Legislators and as leaders in the Conservative/America First movement. We should all be excited to see what the future holds for Rep. Smith, Rep. Boyd, and Rep. Lonsdale.