Fall 2025: “Building Future Leaders” with Future Caucus
For the Fall 2025 semester, CPF POSC 395 Policy Research Internship students explored what influences young candidates to run for Congress and the factors that impact their chances of being elected. They developed comprehensive data on young people running for congressional office in 2026. They researched how far young candidates advance in the electoral process and compared those who have held previous offices to those running for the first time. Their findings shaped suggestions for changes that should be made to help more young people get elected to Congress. They presented their extensive research and recommendations to our partner, Future Caucus.
Gabrielle Longman, a junior majoring in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, said this about her research experience:
“Our team helped compile data for the 2026 On the Rise report, where Future Caucus breaks down demographic trends in young candidates including their age, gender, and career backgrounds. We created a presentation and research papers to support our findings. My individual focus was on how rising populism reshapes establishment parties and creates new challenges and opportunities for young candidates. This internship with CPF helped improve my research skills and knowledge of young candidates running for Congress.”
Project: Building Future Leaders
Partner: Future Caucus
USC Students: Naila Kabir, Hanna Karasinska, Gabrielle Longman, Tyreis Morris, and Julian Sanchez
Research Questions: What factors influence whether young candidates choose to run for Congress, and what barriers or advantages affect their chances of being elected? What changes should be implemented to help more young people get elected to Congress?
Read the group’s full research presentation.
Watch the video presentation on “Building Future Leaders.”