Joshua Collins, 26

At 26, Joshua Collins could become the youngest member of Congress in history and its first openly autistic member. A self-described socialist and a founding member of the Rose Caucus, Collins has gone viral on TikTok and Twitter for his political content. Now this young truck driver is hoping to represent the working class communities he doesn’t believe have a voice on the Hill.

Name: Joshua Collins
Age: 26
Running For: U.S. House of Representatives (WA - 10)

What was the best piece of advice you received before running for office?

Start early.

You've been a truck driver ever since you were 21. Why did you decide to pivot towards politics? When did the light bulb go off?

So I decided to run for something because Bernie Sanders had advocated for the young working-class people to run for office. I decided to go for Congress when I saw Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez win her primary in New York and Sarah Smith win her primary in Washington state.

You’ve gone viral on Tiktok, with close to 2 million likes on your videos. Especially in the age of COVID-19, what role do you think platforms like Tiktok will play in digital organizing? 

I think they're more important than ever because right now there's not really a way to reach voters beyond the internet or over the phone, right?

Before you could knock on voters’ doors and speak at events. But now, the internet is pretty much all you got. So I think largely we're in a good position relative to other campaigns and making adjustments under this situation have been fairly easy for us.

There's so much discussion recently about increasing diversity in Congress, but you’ve highlighted the importance of socioeconomic diversity in particular. As a candidate for and of the working-class community, what perspectives do you think you’ll bring to Congress that is currently missing?

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I know what it's like to be paid poorly and to be treated like dirt. I know what it's like to struggle - to do everything right and still have everything go wrong and not have any safety nets there for us working people in America.”

I am also autistic, and I'd be the first openly autistic member of Congress. But as far as my class, I'm only 26 but I’ve been working since I was 15 years old. My experiences in the workforce in America led me to understand what people go through because I've actually lived the same life as them. I feel that I have more consideration for people's needs. 

The beliefs that I have are based in the realities that Americans are living under right now. I know what it's like to have a boss lay you off without reason. I know what it's like to be paid poorly and to be treated like dirt. I know what it's like to struggle - to do everything right and still have everything go wrong and not have any safety nets there for us working people in America.

If elected, you would be the youngest member of Congress in history. What challenges have you faced as a young candidate?

The biggest one is getting people to take me seriously. When you're young and inexperienced, you're treated like you're not a serious candidate, even if you have more money, more volunteers and more support than other candidates.

You’re a member of the Rose Caucus and describe yourself as a socialist. In your own words, how do you define socialism?

When I say that I'm a socialist, I believe the working class should own and control the government and the economy. The alternatives is the system we have now, where corporations and the very rich run everything.

“I believe the working class should own and control the government and the economy. The alternatives is the system we have now, where corporations and the very rich run everything.”

You’re refusing to take contributions from corporate interests, instead entirely funding your campaign through grassroots donations. What is your fundraising strategy and where have you found success?

I decided to completely swear off corporate PAC money and to not try and appease wealthy donors. We've actually raised over $200,000, which is currently more money than all other people in our race. With well over $200,000 I think that's enough to be viable when you have the actual grassroots support on top of that. We’ve shown that you don't actually need to take corporate PAC money to be a well-funded campaign. That’s allowed us to pay every single member of our staff a living wage of $21 per hour.

It is easy to focus on only the challenges young candidates face. Instead, I’m curious to know, what special advantages do you think you have as a young candidate?

One thing I have is energy. I can spend 18 hours a day working on this campaign, and it doesn't even faze me. I think that's in part due to my autism as well. I don't really have any hobbies outside of this. Politics is my hobby. So I spend every waking moment working on campaigns, working on helping people, working on organizing. That's something that is really advantageous, and also necessary. 

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You've probably heard from Greta Thunberg that autism can be a superpower. And for me, it largely has been.”

You've probably heard from Greta Thunberg that autism can be a superpower. And for me, it largely has been. Being young as well does give me some wiggle room if I make mistakes, your people understand that. It also allows me to work online in a way that other candidates can't. You can pay someone a lot of money to try and run social media as effectively as I have, but even still it would be very difficult for them. I've managed to build hundreds of thousands of followers online and fund a campaign entirely through social media.

What is the best piece of advice you’d give to another young candidate considering a run for office?

The same advice I got, start fairly early. If you're planning on running in 2022, you need to start in 2020. It took me about two years to build up my social media following to as big as it is now. Funding a campaign is the most difficult part of being a first-time young candidate. But if you use social media effectively, you can actually probably raise more than a lot of other candidates going the other route.

The views expressed in this interview are those of the candidate, and do not reflect the beliefs and views of Ballot Breakers or its staff.