Do political Parties matter? Does any Party make a difference? Could I make a difference?
Democracy works best when people organize, participate, and hold their leaders accountable. Without political parties, unregulated groups disrupt democracy.
The Democratic Party has evolved throughout American history, and it continues to adapt to each generation’s priorities, experiences, and ideas to shape what comes next.
Current Democratic Party Goals, Benefits and Programs
| 26th Amendment Support | Securing the voting age from returning to 21 from 18. Provisions included: expanding voter registration services at public universities, allowing 16–17-year-olds to pre-register in every state, requiring higher education institutions to have on-campus polling locations, prohibiting durational residency requirements for federal elections, accepting student IDs as valid identification, and creating a grant program for youth election involvement. |
| Small Business | Supporting entrepreneurship, expanding access to capital, fair access to government contracts, protecting workers, and supporting diverse business owners. |
| Social Security | Lifting the cap to preserve retirement benefits for generations to come |
| Universal Healthcare | To free young Americans from their parents’ plan through incremental reform and market regulation, advocating for a single-payer system for preventive care screening, lower prescription drug costs, protection for pre-existing conditions among many other benefits |
| Restore NATO, US Aid, and Peace Corps | Promoting a multi-faceted strategy of goodwill, humanitarianism, and peace around the world through US Aid, UN, and North Atlantic Treaty Organization — the political and military alliance between the US, Canada, and Europe |
| Universal Child and Senior Care | Education and day care affordability to assist young families to spend no more than 7% on care |
| Securities and Exchange Act Law | Restore antitrust laws and real market competition |
| Rural Infrastructure | Federal loans for the installation of internet and Wi-Fi to serve rural areas, rebuilding small town centers, healthcare access, and funding schools |
| Reproductive Healthcare | Restoring nationwide access to contraception, fertility and prenatal care, abortion as healthcare, and provider and patient protections |
| Unemployment Insurance | Extending temporary payments to the unemployed when workers lose jobs through no fault of their own and tying benefit lengths to local or national economic conditions |
| Fair Labor Standards | Raising pay and support for child and elder care to solve worker shortages. Ending the cruel practice of child labor. Dismantling monopolies. Expanding the number of salaried workers eligible for overtime pay and blocking legislative attempts to let employers bypass minimum wage/overtime rules. |
| Veteran’s | Pushing back on cuts to US forces and our defense commitments to allies around the world, and countering Russian aggression. Restoring promised promotions and housing. Fighting disability reductions. Implementing the PACT Act. |
| 1st Time Home Buyer Federal Loan Program | Providing direct financial assistance to 1st-time, 1st-generation homebuyers to cover down payments, closing costs, and interest rate buydown, allowing millions of Americans to become homeowners and restricting corporate investors from scooping up single-family homes |
| National Industrial Recovery Act | 8-hour workday, minimum wage, paid overtime, and the right to collective bargaining |
| National School Lunch Act | Free or low-cost meals for children who might otherwise go hungry |
| Voting Rights Act | Prohibiting discrimination in voting, and expanding access to voting rights |
| Diversity, Equity and Inclusion | Opposing efforts to dismantle fair education access, employment practices, and disability rights |
| Student Loan Forgiveness | Cancelling up to $50,000 in student debt for individuals earning under $100,000 with sliding scales for higher earners. Eliminating student loan interest. Forgiving public service loan forgiveness. |
| Civil Rights Act | Prohibiting discrimination and protecting civil rights |
| American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and American Rescue Plan | Saving and creating jobs, funding infrastructure, aiding small businesses and local governments |
| Financial Aid for Higher Education Loans | Expanding Pell Grants, offering debt-free and tuition-free options, reforming loan relief |
| The Family Act | Changing 12 weeks of unpaid to PAID leave and job protection for employees — for qualified medical and family reasons |
| Fair Pay Act | Living wage for all, fighting gender-based pay discrimination, ending lower minimum wages for tipped employees |
| Environmental Conservation | Eliminating political agendas from scientific research, conclusions and implementation |
| Ratify the Equal Rights Amendment | Enshrining equal pay, protecting reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and preventing gender-based discrimination |
Historical Democratic Party Achievements, Benefits and Programs
| 19th Amendment | Women’s right to vote |
| Apollo 11 | First manned moon mission |
| Social Security | Social insurance program |
| Medicare | Health insurance for seniors |
| NATO | North Atlantic Treaty Organization — the political and military alliance between the US, Canada and Europe |
| Medicaid | Health care program for low income people |
| Securities and Exchange Act Law | Oversee the trading of securities and protect investors |
| Rural Electrification Act | Federal loans for the installation of electricity to serve rural areas |
| Peace Corps | American volunteers promoting friendship, goodwill and peace around the world |
| Unemployment Benefits | Temporary payments to the unemployed |
| Fair Labor Standards Act | Ending the cruel practice of child labor |
| Servicemen’s Readjustment Act | The GI Bill, which has benefited millions of returning soldiers |
| Federal Home Loan Program | Guaranteed loans that allowed millions of Americans to become homeowners |
| National Industrial Recovery Act | 8-hour workday, minimum wage, paid overtime, and the right to collective bargaining |
| National School Lunch Act | Free or low-cost meals for children who might otherwise go hungry |
| Voting Rights Act | Prohibits discrimination in voting |
| National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis | Forerunner of the March of Dimes |
| Head Start Program | Comprehensive services for low income families |
| Civil Rights Act | Prohibits discrimination and protects civil rights |
| Marshall Plan / European Recovery Act | Rebuilt a secure and peaceful Europe after World War II |
| Financial Aid for Higher Education Loans | Guaranteed student loans that enabled over 50 million Americans to receive a college education |
| Family and Medical Leave Act | Temporary unpaid leave and job protection to employees — for qualified medical and family reasons |
| Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act | Protect workers against pay discrimination |
| Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act | Health care reform: preventive care screening, lower prescription drug costs, protection for pre-existing conditions among many other benefits |
| American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 | Pandemic recovery, economic stimulus payments, free vaccines, funeral expense assistance, expanded child tax credits, block grants for schools, funds for small businesses, and many other benefits |
What if your next act of service led to your next great friendship?
“It is vital both to our country and the world that politics again become a place of leadership – a place of action and progress – and a place of hope. And we must begin to rebuild each office now. There is no time to be lost. The hour has struck. This is the year of our greatest challenge. This is the year of our greatest victory. For it is a time of decision – a time for Democratic leadership – a time, my friends, for greatness.” – John F. Kennedy
Your welfare and your survival will depend to a very large degree on the actions – the leadership and the vision – of the next governing body in Florida and of the United States.
In a political landscape seemingly overwhelmed with Baby Boomers and Gen X lawmakers, it’s hard to feel represented, or like anyone actually gets what younger generations need. Some young Americans have grown tired of asking that question and are stepping up, becoming the change they want to see in ways that range from calling their representatives, signing petitions, attending town halls, protesting… and, perhaps most exciting, running for office themselves. And they’re not just running against Republicans — they’re working to change the Democratic Party from within.
Young Democrats are forming and leading clubs and caucuses, leaning and committing to work with candidates, and are not only running for office but also pushing the party to be more representative of younger voters. They range from high-profile national figures to local leaders who are reshaping their communities from within. Their influence spans policy innovation, grassroots organizing, and challenging the status quo in Democratic politics.
The youngest U.S. congressman is typically older than the youngest MPs in Commonwealth countries. This is partly because the minimum age requirements enumerated in Article One of the United States Constitution bar persons under the age of 25 from serving in the House and under the age of 30 from serving in the Senate, respectively. Additionally, the political culture of the United States encourages young politicians to gain experience in state and local offices before running for Congress. Although the vast majority of members of Congress gained state and local experience before being elected to Congress, members lacking state and local experience have increased recently.
Leading a country crushed by debt or a destroyed world perishing under sickening water, air, and food supplies sounds daunting. Government reform must lead us from the edge of destruction – to restore America to the path of greatness and leadership – so that serving your country is laudable again.
Bottom line: The Democratic Party of Lee County is not going anywhere. We continue to be fully operational in a long-term office as the strongest and most consistent political Party for American democracy.
“Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” – John F. Kennedy
Your Generation. Your Future. Your Turn.
Notable Rising Stars
• Maxwell Frost – the youngest member of the 119th Congress at age 29. He succeeded a one-term representative.
• Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) – Congresswoman from New York, known for bold progressive stances on climate, healthcare, and economic justice
• Zohran Mamdani – Congresswoman from Illinois, recognized for her work on housing, education, and progressive policy
• Jon Ossoff – U.S. Senator from Georgia, a key figure in the 2024 Senate race against incumbent David Perdue
Other Promising Young Democrats
• David Hogg – Parkland school shooting survivor and DNC Vice Chair, leading grassroots efforts to challenge incumbents he believes are out of touch
• Everton Blair Jr. – first black, first openly gay, and youngest chair of the Gwinnett County Board of Education; running against a long-serving Democrat in Georgia’s 13th District
• Caitlin Conley – politician and activist focusing on youth engagement and progressive policy
• Saikat Chakrabarti – helped manage 28-year-old AOC’s winning campaign in an extraordinary upset.
• Deja Foxx – 25-year-old Tucson native and Columbia University graduate, says, “I am fighting an uphill battle against a system that was built to keep people like us out.. People need someone they can get excited about, and I’m putting myself on the line to be that person”
• Elijah Manley – started his political career at 19, is ready to bring his years of experience organizing progressive groups to Washington. The 26-year-old substitute history teacher has launched a primary challenge against incumbent Democrat
• Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick – from Florida’s 20th Congressional District, and hopes to bring genuine change and drive to not just Florida, but the entire Democratic Party.
• Michaela O’Brien – FGCU ’24, rose from president of the Lee County Young Dems to Field Coordinator for the Gay Valimont for Congress