INDIANAPOLIS – One of the newest members of the Indianapolis City-County Council was born in the year 2000.
Democrat Nick Roberts won 54% of the vote and will represent Indianapolis District 4, which includes the Castleton and Geist areas in the northeast corner of the capital city.
“I’ve always had that drive for service in my life,” Roberts said.
Roberts said he and his team spent hours knocking on thousands of doors in his district during the campaign.
“I knew it would be a longshot,” Roberts said. “But, I knew regardless of what happened no one could outwork me for this campaign.”
Along the way, Roberts has amassed quite a following on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. He has more than 22,000 followers and has even caught the attention of Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hammill.
As for why a 20-something would want to run for politics instead of doing more usual 20-something activities, Roberts explained how he sees it.
“Being young this is a perfect opportunity to really make a difference and to give back to the community,” he said.
Roberts joins Terre Haute Mayor-elect Brandon Sakbun in making local election headlines. Sakbun, who is just 27, beat out Republican incumbent Duke Bennett for the office.
“We are going to relentlessly fight to make the city of Terre Haute better again and the number one city in west central Indiana,” Sakbun said during his election night victory speech.
Laura Wilson, an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Indianapolis, said there seems to be a youth movement lately in politics.
“I think voters are interested in fresh new ideas and energy as much as they are in experience,” Wilson said.
Wilson said more young people winning elections is great and should encourage more young people to vote and be active in politics.
”You see a candidate you can really resonate with,” Wilson said. “It’s not someone your dad’s age or your grandparents’ age, this is someone who probably has a lot of similar experiences to you.”
Roberts said he hopes his time on the City-County Council can inspire more people his age to get involved in politics.
”Ultimately it’s our future and local politics is where the difference is made the most, so really the involvement, the need to get involved is so high,” Roberts said.
He’ll be sworn in in 2024, but Roberts said he’s ready to go now.
”I look forward to being an advocate for things in my district that are specific to it while also being a city-wide advocate for things that benefit a greater Indianapolis,” Roberts said.
