Unlike previous generations, today’s emerging leaders have been shaped by hyper-connected digital communities and an increase in political division. “Polarization is the biggest threat facing our generation,” said Karsh Institute Practitioner Fellow Reed Howard, who is also the chief strategy and public affairs officer at Future Caucus, which works with millennial and Gen Z elected leaders in Congress and state legislatures to bridge divides. “If we can’t get our government to work together, we’re not going to solve any of the problems we’re facing.”
We sat down with Howard to find out more about the work he is doing through Future Caucus and the Karsh Institute to train America’s next generation of leaders.
Q: Why are young leaders our greatest hope for bridging the partisan divide to make government more responsive and effective?
Howard: Young leaders have watched previous generations get stuck in gridlock, and they’re tired of the lack of action. Many Americans have become disillusioned with politics, but when we elevate young leaders who are curious, open-minded, and not convinced there’s only one “right” answer, we inspire more young people to participate in democratic life.
Young leaders have watched previous generations get stuck in gridlock, and they’re tired of the lack of action.
Young people have also been burned by party politics. They aren’t loyal to party brands in the way earlier generations were, which you can see in the larger numbers who register without a party affiliation. People no longer fit neatly into one ideological box—someone might be pro-choice and fiscally conservative. American politics are realigning.
Q: How does all of this tie into your work with the Karsh Institute?
Howard: At the Karsh Institute, I’ve been exploring how to support the type of leadership needed for American democracy in the 21st century. If a politician is first and foremost a partisan, there is no shortage of infrastructure set up to help them rise, on the right and left alike. But this is not the case with pragmatic, solutions-oriented leaders. Through interviews with young elected officials across the country, I’m working on a playbook called “Leadership for Democracy.” The mission is to support lawmakers focused on solving public problems and getting results for the communities they represent. The Karsh Institute helped me scope out themes of leadership and develop the right pedagogy to understand how lawmakers can lead the charge within legislatures to overcome division and strengthen the values and institutions that anchor U.S. democracy.
The mission is to support lawmakers focused on solving public problems and getting results for the communities they represent.
In addition to this work, I’ve interviewed 89 officials over the past year to understand what life is really like for people serving in public office. We’re exploring why so many young lawmakers leave office before their term ends, often due to frustration with institutional gridlock or because political violence has become more acute. We have a major report, “The Exit Interview,” coming out in January.
Q: Through this work, how do you see young leaders approach politics and public service differently than previous generations?
Howard: Future Caucus is the nation’s largest organization of Gen Z and millennial lawmakers—about 1,900 elected officials in Congress and state legislatures. Overwhelmingly, their approach starts with relationships. They know that to get anything done, they have to build trust.
Young lawmakers often tell us they’re frustrated that on their first day in office they aren’t even introduced to colleagues across the aisle. There’s no training on bipartisan collaboration, and sometimes no opportunities to meet at all. Many have their first introductions at a Future Caucus event. Once trust is established among these young colleagues, they begin to share the “why” behind their work. Too many elected officials skip that step today, but young leaders see its value.
There’s no training on bipartisan collaboration, and sometimes no opportunities to meet at all.
Things have gotten worse over the past 20 years because of polarization. We’re trying to restore collegiality and ensure that inclusion is a driver of policymaking. We train lawmakers to legislate with a future-oriented mindset—how to integrate long-term thinking into budgets and state systems so solutions are durable.
To do this well, leaders have to welcome all viewpoints. If only one party owns a policy, it won’t last when the majority changes in that governing body. That may feel like a throwback to an earlier era, but it’s what the 21st century requires—and it feels more urgent than ever.
Q: What young leaders have you worked with to advance policy that transcends party lines?
Howard: This year in Arkansas, two young state lawmakers—Democrat Ashley Hudson and Republican Aaron Pilkington—worked together on prenatal-to-three children’s health policy. They come from different parties and parts of the state. After the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade, Rep. Hudson was frustrated because her proposals were routinely dismissed due to the “D” next to her name.
Arkansas has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the nation; 38 of its 75 counties lack a hospital or ob-gyn. Even though Hudson and Pilkington disagreed on Dobbs, they found common ground in providing mothers and babies with more support—on issues like funding rural health centers, supplementing Medicaid, improving telehealth, and easing access to post-natal care.
The “Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies Act” passed earlier this year, and we expect it to significantly reduce maternal mortality.
Q: With those successes in mind, what barriers remain?
Howard: We need to support young leaders as human beings. These roles are extremely taxing, so Future Caucus provides leadership training, including to people as young as 19 who are elected to state legislatures basically straight out of high school.
American institutions aren’t set up for young people. They’re designed for those who are retired or independently wealthy, and legislative schedules are rarely conducive to family or work obligations. We can fix that by providing training for lawmakers.
American institutions aren’t set up for young people. They’re designed for those who are retired or independently wealthy, and legislative schedules are rarely conducive to family or work obligations. We can fix that by providing training for lawmakers.
Policymaking is difficult, and lawmakers often have little support. The myth that politicians have large, well-paid staffs is simply not true. In one office in Georgia, for instance, there is only one administrative assistant for eight lawmakers.
How we address these barriers is the real question. Future Caucus’ Policy Innovation Lab provides evidence-based research on what has worked in other states, helping lawmakers understand the other side’s arguments. We also provide on-demand experts and connect lawmakers who are working on similar issues.
Perhaps the biggest challenge is that conflict drives clicks. That creates an upside-down incentive structure to find common ground. We try to lift up the stories of bipartisan lawmakers to counteract that. I believe our institutions will ultimately be more responsive and better for it.