From The Right

By Alex Fries

I have been speaking to many “Millennials” about politics and why they are not only disinterested in politics, but rather why they have a deep disinterest in all things political. Millennials as a whole tend to have the strong urge to want better representation in state and federal government. Many find that government is made up of “old, white, rich men.”  Therefore, they find it hard to not only rally behind certain politicians or, even more so, to get interested in politicians.

If we as a generation could build the perfect candidate, what would he or she be like? It would be a candidate we can not only identify with because of their age, but would also be confident that they will represent us Millennials appropriately. That perfect candidate would be Marilinda Garcia.

I have had the extraordinary pleasure of speaking with Marilinda many times.

One was at a lobster bake at the end of last semester. I arrived relatively early to the event and Marilinda arrived a couple minutes later. She made sure to smile and shake everyone’s hand (as every politician would do). However, Marilinda, who had attended one of our College Republican meetings, came right up to me. At first I expected the usual “Hi, how are you today?” that one becomes accustomed to hearing at these kind of events. But not from Marilinda. She took her time and spent about 10 minutes simply talking to me and truly listening to what I had to say. Not only was I intrigued by her sincerity, but I also was positively surprised by how willing she was to hear my opinion on the issues!

Marilinda is a daughter of a Spanish-American father and a mother who emigrated from Italy. She earned her Bachelor of Arts cum laude from Tufts University in 2006, then went on to complete her Masters (with academic Honors and Distinction in Performance) from the New England Conservatory of Music. Lastly, in 2010 she graduated from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government receiving a Masters of Public Policy. 

Relatively a-typical for a 23 year old she then got elected as a state representative for the town of Salem, where she is a resident. During her time as a representative in the New Hampshire State Government in Concord, she not only has proven herself a more than capable legislator, but also has shown that New Hampshire is important to her.

Millennials all around the country, but especially in New Hampshire are desperate for competent representation in Washington. We need someone who is capable of sponsoring bills and pleading their case against bills, which would harm Millennials and New Hampshire. It is time to give incompetent Washington legislators, with their old ideas and false views of the world, the boot.

Let us elect Marilinda Garcia, who is part of a new generation of leaders passionate about the people and the values of New Hampshire.

I want to call upon you to accompany me in joining #TeamMari and together send her to Congress!

Alex Fries is a sophomore athletic training major and is the president of the UNH College Republicans. Follow Alex on Twitter @AJFriesN