Aundre Bumgardner - Victorious at 20 Years Old

Elected Officials of America: Underdog Stories

While most kids at the age of 20 are partying it up in college or working, Aundre Bumgardner was campaigning to win elected office and become the youngest legislator in Connecticut history, which he did in 2014 at the expense of a long-time incumbent. He even won as a Republican in a very Democratic district. While Aundre lost his reelection bid in 2016, he is not done yet. If you want to have hope for America’s youth and future, listen in.

2:40 - Can you speak about your brother who is on the spectrum, and how it shaped you?

5:40 - Is it true you had Abe Lincoln on your birthday cake when you were 6?

6:35 - Aundre talks about his young interest in politics and his mentors.

8:05 - What was your first thought about running for office?

10:20 - What did people tell you when you told people you were running at 19?

14:20 - How was election night?

18:40 - What discrimination did you face as a person of color?

23:40 - What was your biggest lesson as an elected official?

29:20 - Any lesson learned from the losing in 2016?

31:40 - What would you say to a young person interested in running for office?

34:50 - How will your life not be the same?

37:40 - What have you been doing since?

43:40 - How can we come together as a country?

46:00 - Can you touch on how the heroin epidemic has affected CT?