Southeast alum Kevin Windham, 25, was voted in the Aug. 7 primary election to represent the 85th District as Democratic candidate for the Missouri State House of Representatives. If elected in the general vote in November, the corporate communications major will be one of the youngest representatives to be inaugurated.

Windham received 43 percent of the vote in a four-way race, with 8 percent more than the nearest competitor.

“It was a hard-fought campaign,” Windham said. “We definitely put some sweat equity into it.”

He said his campaign success would not have been possible without his mentors and a team of motivated college and high school students; young people who are ready for change in the political landscape.

“We’re at a beautiful time, not only in politics, but in our social lives and culture where young people are having an increasingly large impact on things that are going on,” Windham said. “It’s important for our voices to be heard.”

There was some doubt among constituents of the 85th district concerning his youth, but extensive political experience at the state and federal levels, along with heavy involvement in community initiatives, such as FOCUS St. Louis, outweighed their fears.

Windham said prior to the murder of Mike Brown and the subsequent Ferguson uprising, he had not considered politics as a career. But he discovered a niche for himself in the wake of those events, as a policy analyst, leader and bearer of the torch for change.

“I’ve always been one to run to the fight,” he said. “I’m always in the middle of it.”

He immersed himself in extracurricular leadership programs such as the Black Student Union, Student Government and the President’s Task Force for Diversity Education. After college he was brought on by Missouri State Senator Maria Chappelle-Nadal to follow-up with constituents through a series of town halls centered around the the eradication of a local landfill.

Then he was off to Washington, D.C. to take on the role of staff assistant for United States Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo. He said there were sometimes issues brought up by constituents not being addressed on the federal level.

“I was able to hear right from the voters exactly how they felt about a multitude of issues,” Windham said. “I was seeing a lot of things going on back home such as working families being under attack in the state legislature, women and women’s rights issues under attack, and some of the senseless murders that were happening in my home town and even in my neighborhood.”

Windham was born and raised in the 85th district, where his family has lived since the late 1960s. He said the 20 municipalities that make up the district —which include Normandy, Ferguson and Florissant school districts— are some of the most economically distressed communities in the region.

The median household income in the municipality where he lives with his great-grandmother is about $22,000, Windham said. But just two miles away, in the municipality of Bellerive, the median household income is about $100,000 higher.

“The whole district isn’t impoverished, but there is a lot of room for economic development, both in terms of business and investing in the people of the community,” he said. “The biggest opportunity for the district at large is to increase educational opportunities, whether they be higher education with more scholarships or developing our young scholars with opportunities such as trade schools and different technical and vocational education.”

The Windham 2018 campaign was endorsed and largely impacted by the mobilization of several labor unions who reached out to voters to support him.

If elected as a state House representative, Windham said he intends to do much more than simply fulfil the basic job requirements —spending five months of the year in Jefferson City, voting yes or no on bills that come up in the State House— but also doing good in the community, through the not-for-profit sector, education and building a sense of camaraderie in the community.

“I hope this run for office influences more young people to get involved in politics and pick up the mantle,” he said. “It wasn’t just about me as a candidate. It was about young folks ready to take the torch while it’s still lit, and run hard and be able to pass that torch again when it’s time. It’s about moving the district forward.”