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Last Updated: Oct 16th, 2008 - 13:33:17 |
Metro student Sean Doherty has aspirations to become a delegate for Colorado to the Republican National Convention this September in Minnesota.
Doherty, a 21-year old junior, thinks more young people need to get involved in politics.
Heeding his own advice, he became a representative to the Colorado Republican Party for House District 29, Jeffereson County.
This weekend Doherty will attend the Colorado Republican Party state convention as one of 3,000 elected delegates.
The convention will take place at the Westin Westminster Hotel on May 30 and The Broomfield Events Center on May 31.
Mitt Romney will speak at the convention in place of Republican Presidential nominee John McCain.
If he's picked to go to Minnesota, Doherty will be one of only 22 delegates chosen by Coloradoans to attend the RNC.
Every asipring national delegate must present a 1-30 minute speech to the entire convention.
Speaking about his passion for politics is easy for Doherty. He says he believes politics are a part of everyday life.
"People can avoid politics their whole life and still lead a successful life, but that is not for me. I just find politics exciting," Doherty said.
While attending political conferences in college, he noticed an important demographic was missing. "There were not too many college kids involved," Doherty said.
In the last presidential election only 48 percent of voters aged 18-24 turned out to vote.
The lack of participation from college students fueled Doherty to get active and involved. "Students would talk to me about how they were not happy with the choices being made in Congress."
He thinks that by being elected at the May 31 state convention, he will be able to deliver to the national convention a fresh new point of view and be a representative of younger republican voters, Doherty said.
Doherty also wants to show the younger voters they can and should be heard by the politicians on Capitol Hill.
He wants to lead by example and show college-aged voters that they can become involved in the decision-making process, according to Doherty.
"It is possible for students to get involved, by showing them through hard work and perseverance that their voice can be heard," Doherty added
Doherty also expressed his excitement about the possibility of walking into the Republican National Convention and being a part of the decision making process. His strong feelings for politics and participating in his community give him a great sense of pride.
Doherty's campaign has focused on his young age and desire for change. He has experienced some hurdles during his campaigning, mostly because of his e age.
While a lot of people admire his tenacity to run, some are reluctant to see him as a leader.
"The hardest part of campaigning is people's perception about my age or if I am deserving of the position because of my lack of experience," Doherty said.
To combat people's misperceptions of his lack of experience, Doherty goes out to the community and meets and greets as many people as he can.
He has also sent out over 3,000 flyers since he first began campaigning in February.
"By introducing myself and talking about the concerns of citizens and the policies of government, I can show these voters that I am aware of the events that are going on right now and show them all that I am deserving of becoming a delegate of Colorado," Doherty said.
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