Listen, I have nothing against old people, and this is probably the worst way to initiate the argument I am about the make. There is, all around the world although in differing limits, an age of retirement and it baffles me how people above the retirement age are taking up politics as their second career paths. It is not surprising in the way that, from the first tribes, older and supposedly wiser members of the society were there for others to council. However, it is not the surprise factor I am searching here.

The fact that people living under democratic states are able to have a say in who govern them, and at least that is the democratic story, should have changed some things. It is striking how the average age of a politician goes from 50 to 70 all around the world right now. The magical thing about an average is that it shows there are members of that set that are larger or smaller than the average number. Considering this, again it is no surprise that the most prominent figures of our day are old men. Let me leave the issue of gender for another piece, since it is too complicated for me to even brief in this limited article.

So, with these set of conditions in our hands, it can be discussed whether the new generations are drawn to politics as an expertise or not, which I will try to do with flash examples from the UK, Japan and the USA. However, before I go on with my examples, let me state some of my opinions as a starting point.

I think the new generation in politics will change quite a lot of things and this is not because of the century long cliché of “we are the best generation” bit. Both later millennials and early Gen Z are now important parts of the workforce, and they are beginning to rise, to obtain more power both in terms of monetary matters and societal prestige. This and the effect of a technological development like none before combined, I think “the young” are about to change things, not necessarily for good or bad but just to change, drastically. Also, this is no surprise of a statement considering change is one of the primary definers of the 21st century.

Hannah Kathrine Spencer, a British Green Party politician, has been conducting her role as an MP since the February 2026 elections. She is her party’s first MP in Northern England, and she has always been a career woman. Hannah, after dropping out of school at the ripe age of 16, completed her qualifications for becoming a plumber and she went on to complete her training as a gas engineer. Her story with politics began with her soulful opposition against greyhound racing and she has been in it ever since. The election that gained her, her current position went impressively as she won with the 40.7% of the votes.

Her story goes on and we have some things to figure from it. First of all, this story shows flexibility in social status in the UK. Her having an occupation in a traditionally male-dominated field and working from there to the parliament shows a considerably open system of social stratification. This is important to consider since this is a success story that would be impossible in some other parts of the world, even from the start.

Takato Ishida (石田 嵩人), is the governor of Fukui Prefecture ever since he was elected in January 2026 elections. Due to his occupation as a surgeon, he spent his childhood in London and came back to Japan later in his early adulthood. This combination of Japan’s state system and Takato’s personal background as a sign of class again builds up this story. Takato has joined the elections as an independent candidate but actually under a quite interesting party that has a DIY mentality and system. This party, Sanseitō, is the Political Participation Party, which can be translated literally as a Party of DIY. Although the mentality behind its existence seems ultimately appealing at first sight, it comes with a unpleasant surprise, at least for me. To be honest, I figured this DIY logic would belong to a left-wing organization however it is an ultraconservative, right-wing populist political party. Before this affiliation, he had worked for the National Democratic Party (DPFP) of Japan which is closer to center in the political spectrum. In short, regardless of me not agreeing with his political orientation, he is the youngest governor in Japan and the first to obtain that title. He shows off his youth by engaging mainly through social media and I have to say his usage is effective, effective enough for me to get to know him through Instagram anyway. Takato Ishida is 36 years old.

Manny Rutinel, who is probably the most dear to my heart in this list, is the son of a single mother raised in the Dominican Republic until he hit the 6th year mark of his life. They immigrated to Florida and he attended schools there. I came across Manny Rutinel also on Instagram and before I knew who he was, his story moved me. And frankly more than his, his mother’s dedication to offer him a better life is nothing less than inspiring. Manny served for two years as an economist for the United States Army Corps of Engineers and moved on to graduate from law school to work as an attorney at Earthjustice. He has worked as the CEO of a non-profit organization called Climate Refarm since 2021 as well as being active in the Democratic Party.

He has been elected in the Colorado House of Representatives in 2023 October elections and he set his goals even higher from then. In January 2025, he announced that he would run for congress in Colorado, aiming to unseat Republican Gabe Evans. The reason I point this story out as different is because Manny did not start advantaged. We can of course, state the similar claim for Hannah Spencer but I think immigration is higher stakes to deal with considering the current political climate of the US. Manny Rutinel is 32 years old.

These stories are important not because where they as people stand on the political spectrum but because they bring a fresh air to the suffocating scene of politics. So I think, yes, the youth is interested in politics and they should be. This can be due to the fact that the world is on the verge of changes we cannot even begin to imagine right now, although this can be mere speculation. So rather than taking this matter in hands from a “it is happening” aspect, I would rather say “it should happen and eventually it will.” We understand change, adaptation and flexibility much better than the former generations which is why these qualities should step up our participation in politics. Also, all these examples show how technology changed the way politics work in the first place.

All three of these people use social media as a channel to campaign and spread their voices. Is it the new face of politics? It appears to be so for now, but who knows what will life, or the synthetic things we fill it with, bring the next year? Anyway, the spirit is there and it always will be, after all yes, man is a political animal. The ultimate and urgent conviction of mine is that we should cover more space as people who will be there much longer. We should take the lead since we are the ones that actually understand the terms and conditions of any fresh development better. So, beware! Here comes the young politician!