Q&A: Joe Vogel, one of the first members of Gen Z elected to the state legislature

When Marylanders think of historic milestones from Tuesday’s election, they may look to Wes Moore, the first Black governor-elect in state history, or Brooke Lierman, who just became the state’s first woman comptroller-elect. Two names that should be added to the list are Joe Vogel and Jeffrie E. Long Jr.

Vogel and Long, both members of Generation Z, were elected to the Maryland House of Delegates this cycle.

Although the generation doesn’t have strict official bounds, the Pew Research Center labels the generation as anyone born from 1997 to 2012. Technically, Long was born just before 1997, but he still identifies as a member of Gen Z.

Vogel was one of the top three vote-getters in the District 17 race and will represent more than 140,000 people between Gaithersburg and Rockville.

A child of Uruguayan immigrants, Vogel moved to Rollins Park in Rockville when he was just 3 years old. It was there that Vogel’s community involvement in progressive political activism began by the time he reached high school.

Between volunteering on local campaigns, establishing a nonprofit to provide free tutoring for children, serving on Maryland’s Youth Advisory Council and earning a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University, Vogel said he is more than ready to advocate on a range of issues.

When he spoke with The Baltimore Banner, Vogel explained how he became one of the youngest members in the Maryland House of Delegates, the issues important to him and Gen Z and more. The interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

The Baltimore Banner: How did you campaign?

Joe Vogel: We built a campaign of young people. Our volunteers were 15, 16, 20 years old. I think the average age was probably 18 years old. We had about 50 young volunteers who were involved in our campaign making phone calls, knocking on doors and sending out text messages. But we also had support from across the community. This was a multigenerational campaign.

We had people that were out there supporting us, who had been around and local politics and state politics before I was even born. And they also saw the importance of bringing new voices to the table. So, they showed up and they backed my campaign. We were endorsed by unions, then local elected officials and activists. And people who saw not just what I could bring to the table, but also this need to really make sure that this next generation was already starting to be represented in the halls of government.

And when I kicked off this campaign, I did not take any money from corporations or corporate PACs from corporate lobbyists during the campaign. We were a campaign funded by people.

BB: What do you feel are the issues plaguing Gen Z?

JV: This is a this is a once-in-a-generation moment. We’re facing generational challenges, from climate change to a struggling economy, to an education system that is still far too unequal. And the consequences of these challenges are going to linger — definitely — the rest of our lives.

Let’s focus in on the issue of gun violence, for example. They literally call our generation, the “school shooting generation.” These days we’re learning school shooting drills before we learn how to do math, and we went to school with this constant fear of knowing that our school could be next.

And we see gun violence. Here in Maryland, there’s over 700 people every year that are killed by guns. And here in my community, just last year, we saw our first shooting inside of a school building, at Magruder High School. And I’ll tell you a few students at Magruder got involved in our campaign after that shooting.

And then if you look at the climate crisis, that’s also one issue that I think has a unique impact on our generation. We’re still moving too slow when we need to move faster, because the window to act on climate is shrinking. They say the worst impacts of the climate crisis, we’re gonna start seeing those by 2050. Well, by 2050, I’m still going to be younger than the average age of a legislator in Annapolis. So this is not some far-off challenge for me, this is the future of my life and the Earth that my future kids are going to inherit one day. We need to see the urgency in addressing climate change at a greater level than we are.

There’s the costs of housing — it’s exorbitant! People shouldn’t have to leave their communities because they just can’t afford to live there. I feel so blessed to be able to live and now represent the community that I grew up in. And I see that as a privilege. And I want to make sure that every single person that wants to live in Montgomery County can afford to live here, can afford the cost of housing here, can afford to send their children to child care here and can have access to public transportation. These are all things that our generation is eagerly waiting for, and soon, I’m going to be fighting for.

BB: How prepared are you to step into your new role? Is ageism a concern when you think about how you will begin your work at the capitol?

JV: I think I have a mix of personal and professional experiences necessary to be an effective legislator. But also, I think I have the lived experience that is is needed to create policy. I’m an immigrant, I’m a young person, I’ve spent time listening to people, understand the challenges that so many people in our community are facing, and I’m bringing all that with me.

I also I understand that our democracy belongs to all of us. It shouldn’t really be this intimidating bureaucracy, right? I’m not stepping into this dark, scary thing. I’m stepping into this body of government, whose literal purpose is to make sure that we are all represented, that we all have a seat at the table.

I know that there’s a lot to learn and a lot to navigate. But now I’m heading to Annapolis with a clear head and this commitment to fight for the people who I was elected to represent. I’m not going to play any political games here.

BB: What do you think about the future of this generation in the political sphere?

JV: We are in really uncertain times, and these next few years are promised to be very difficult. My great-grandparents fled Eastern Europe to escape the Holocaust, they escaped fascism. They sought refuge in Uruguay. That’s where my grandparents and my parents were born. And when my parents were young, the democracy in Uruguay collapsed.

I’ve made this promise to myself — and really to this country that I love — that I refuse to be the fourth generation in my family to watch democracy collapse before my eyes in the country that I love. And to do that, we have to stand up against these far-right attacks on our democracy. We have to protect our elections, protect the right to vote, protect these fundamental rights that are under attack.

But we also have to restore faith in democratic governance. We need to make sure people believe that democracy is worth it, that democracy will deliver for them. And so I’m focused now on standing up to those attacks on our democracy, and also making sure that people start to believe again, especially young people.

penelope.blackwell@thebaltimorebanner.com

Penelope Blackwell

penelope.blackwell@thebaltimorebanner.com

Penelope Blackwell is a Breaking News reporter with The Banner. Previously, she covered local government in Durham, NC, for The News & Observer. She received her bachelor’s degree in journalism from Morgan State University and her master’s in journalism from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism.

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