I have just talked with a Redditor who is planning to run for the Idaho legislature.

He's an ardent Bernie supporter, and he's running for office in a liberal area of Boise, so he stands a chance. A few hours later, I talked to a college student in Connecticut who is considering running for office.

Many state legislators run without opponents, while passing legislation that affects our daily lives more than acts of Congress do. What's more, voter turnout is much lower for state and local elections. Only a small portion of the electorate holds an outsize influence over the election process. We need to not only vote in those elections, but we need to viable candidates in them as well.

Think about it. If Bernie is to achieve his political revolution, we need to elect progressives to all levels of government, including the state and local level. This isn't just about Bernie. As he said himself: "No president can address America's problems alone".

What's more, state legislatures serve as the training field for Congressional races. Democratic losses at the state level (lowest amount of Democratic state control since the 1920s) has decimated the bench that is necessary to field a large number of Congressional candidates, which hurts the Democrats' chances of winning back the US House and Senate.

The Democratic Party needs new blood (Pelosi is 75, Harry Reid is 75, Elizabeth Warren is 66, Joe Biden is 72), and progressives must be the ones to resupply it, for the sake of America's working people.

I urge everyone to search and find out who your local state legislators are.. If they aren't sufficiently progressive, consider running against them yourself, or convince a politically active friend to. In many states, there is no minimum age to run for statehouse seats, and depending on your state, getting on the ballot is as easy as paying a fee, or gathering fewer than 100 signatures.

I will aid you, if you run for office. I will guide you through the process required to get your name on the ballot, and give you campaign tips. PM me for information.