These Young Politicians Want to Fix America’s Housing Problems

A cohort of young Millennial and Gen Z politicians have centered their campaigns this year on housing costs, and the divide is more generational than partisan.

By Kate Zernike | Reporting from Providence, R.I.

Besides his suit and tie, David Morales had little to set him apart from the other 20-somethings he met as he campaigned over Memorial Day weekend to be the next mayor of Providence, R.I.

He stopped among the deal-seekers at a clothing swap to try on a blue velvet blazer. He leaped before a crowd outside a dive bar where music blared and bubbles blew from a machine on the back of a bicycle.

“We’re building a city all our neighbors can afford,” Mr. Morales, the youngest member of the Rhode Island Legislature, promised the crowd outside the bar, a mayoral candidate’s message that reflected his generation’s most fervent desire, “a city where you don’t find yourself priced out when it’s time to renew your lease, a city that’s not dominated by luxury housing.”