A 24-year-old UC Berkeley law school student this week announced his candidacy for the congressional seat Democratic Rep. Jerry McNerney held by only 2,700 votes in November.
Ricky Gill of Lodi, a registered Republican, is centering his campaign around giving San Joaquin County "a seat at the table and a voice in American politics."
The Princeton University graduate served on the California State Board of Education (after being appointed by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger) and worked for former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn. He hopes to curb regulations that restrict farmers and small businesses, raise education standards and rein in medical malpractice insurance costs. Both of his parents are physicians.
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If elected, Gill would meet the constitutional age requirement of 25 to be a member of the House of Representatives when seated.
Gill is practically an old man in comparison with some other political figures. For instance, The Providence Journal reports:
For Daniel P. Reilly, his first year in the state House of Representatives has meant long hours in the basement of the State House.
As a member of the budget-writing House Finance Committee, he sits in on hearings on Governor Chafee’s tax and spending plan for the next fiscal year.
The youngest House member this session, the 21-year-old Portsmouth Republican says the assignment has been an “eye-opening” experience. “The budget is such a fluid process. There are so many more things in motion than you would have ever expected,” he said.
But the Providence College senior, who is studying business management, says he is following along just fine with the sometimes arcane, sometimes wonky discussions that the committee’s work entails.
“I really enjoy in a sick way getting those PowerPoints and reading the budget documents. We get so much background being on that committee,” he said.
