Youth-Focused Democratic PAC Throws Its Weight Behind Two Upstart Candidates

Future Forum PAC, a political action committee aimed at boosting young Democrats for congressional seats, has endorsed a pair of challengers taking on Republican incumbents in “key Democratic pickup seats” organizers believe can be flipped.

The group backed Cait Conley, an Army combat veteran looking to unseat Rep. Mike Lawler in New York’s 17th Congressional District, and Chaz Molder, the mayor of Columbus, Tennessee, running against Rep. Andy Ogles in the state’s 5th Congressional District.

“Many younger Americans cannot remember a time when the country was not at war, and they are tired of watching Donald Trump and House Republicans spend taxpayer money on foreign fights that drive up their everyday costs like gas and groceries. They want leaders in Washington who know the consequences of these decisions and are laser focused on making their lives easier, not more expensive,” the co-chairs of Future Forum PAC said in a press release. “Cait Conley and Mayor Chaz Molder are the principled and community-driven candidates who will win their race and deliver for people at home.”

Conley is one of six Democrats in the primary looking to face off against Lawler.

“I am so grateful to receive the support of Future Forum, a group that’s focused on new ideas and a new generation of leadership in Congress,” she said in a press release. “As an Army combat veteran and public servant, I’ve spent my career in roles where results matter and you’re accountable for what you do. That’s what being in Congress should be about.”

Conley is a first-generation college graduate and served 16 years as an active-duty Army officer. She’s racked up several other endorsements, such as those from Majority Democrats, Equality PAC, Defend the Vote and Veterans for Responsible Leadership.

Molder is one of four Democrats in the primary to take on Ogles, a staunch Trump ally who was recently under fire for his anti-Muslim social media posts.

“The next generation deserves representatives focused on the issues that shape their lives: the cost of a first home, quality healthcare, a good-paying job,” Molder said in a press release. “I’m running for Congress to bring that same focus and Middle Tennessee values to Washington.”

Molder is also backed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee as part of its national “Red to Blue” program.

Future Forum, the coalition group behind the PAC, was founded in 2015 by Rep. Eric Swalwell to focus on bridging the gap between young Americans and their government. The group is now co-chaired by Reps. Gabe Amo, Janelle Bynum, Morgan McGarvey and Brittany Pettersen. Over 50 members of the 119th Congress are members of the coalition.

The group’s PAC has also endorsed Paige Cognetti for Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District, Rebecca Cooke for Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District, JoAnna Mendoza for Arizona’s 6th Congressional District and Sarah Trone Garriott in Illinois’ 3rd Congressional District.