Guest Spotlight: Zach Wahls, The Next 50
This is the first installment of a series in which we spotlight an activist who has visited and/or partnered with Markers For Democracy. The MFD Guest Spotlight is a casual Q&A that helps us to get to know them a little better as they share some of their background and inspiration with you.
Zach Wahls
Executive Director
The Next 50
What personally pushed you into being an activist?
Growing up with lesbian parents, I learned at a young age that politics was very interested in me, so I got interested in politics. When I was a senior in high school, Iowa became the third state in the country to recognize marriage equality, but just two years later, Iowa Republicans attempted to amend our state constitution to ban same-sex marriage. I delivered a short speech against that proposal, and when a video of my speech went viral, I dropped out of my civil engineering program at the University of Iowa and began working across our state and country to protect and advance LGBTQ rights. I’m a proud Eagle Scout, and I drew on that experience to co-found Scouts for Equality, the national organization that led the campaign to successfully end anti-LGBTQ discrimination in the Boy Scouts of America. (And don’t worry, I did eventually complete my undergraduate studies at the University of Iowa, and then earned a Master in Public Affairs at Princeton.) In 2018, I ran for and was elected to the Iowa Senate following the retirement of a longtime incumbent. As hard as it is for me to believe, I’m now completing my sixth legislative session.
Can you tell us the origin story of your organization?
For the last fifty years, right-wing forces have been executing a multi-decade strategy to build political power in the United States, and their strategy started by investing in a new generation of political leaders, including a then-young man named Mitch McConnell. The left has had no comparable effort during that time. The Next 50 was founded in 2019 because we believe the next fifty years must be different. We believe deeply in the importance of identifying and supporting the next generation of political leadership, providing them with direct financial support, connecting them to other political leaders and donors in our network, and helping them develop their political and leadership skills. We believe our “value-add” is in talent identification and vetting, direct-to-candidate donations and donor bundling, and serving as “connectors” in the broader political ecosystem on the left. We know that the single biggest challenge next generation candidates face is raising money and building their donor network, and that’s the problem we’re trying to solve. And we know it’s important because the Right has been doing it for fifty years.
Who are your role models and why?
My most important role models are my two moms, Jackie and Terry. Their love, strength, and dedication to our family shaped me into the man I am today. I am so grateful for all their support. US Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) is one of my closest political mentors, and he did me the honor of officiating at my wedding in 2021. Tom’s dedication to building a fairer society for every Iowan – and every American – is an example I try to follow every day.
How do you spend your time outside of running your organization?
I really enjoy my work as Executive Director of The Next 50, and when I’m not leading our work, I serve as an Iowa State Senator. Iowa, like most rural states, has a part-time “citizen legislature,” that is in session four-days a week, four months per year. So things are normally pretty hectic while the legislature is in session, but thankfully I am able to manage both my legislative responsibilities and professional responsibilities with The Next 50. When I’m not working, I enjoy spending time with my wife, playing cards with friends and family, training for my next triathlon, and watching the Green Bay Packers and the University of Iowa Women’s Basketball team, which has had an incredible run over the last several years.
Tell us about a book that influenced you.
I’m going to cheat and talk about several books because I love reading. Last year, I read an incredible book called “Politics is for Power” by Tufts political science professor Eitan Hersh. The book talks about the importance of getting off the sidelines of being a political spectator or hobbyist and instead rolling up your sleeves to do the hard work of organizing, building, and using political power. If you care about politics, I can’t recommend it highly enough. On a more personal note, I love “Man’s Search for Meaning,” by Viktor Frankl, and “Meditations” by Marcus Aurelius, both of which have been instrumental to my life and career by reminding me to focus my time and energy on the things I control and to worry less about the things beyond my influence. Finally, I want to mention the books written by my wife, Chloe Angyal (it’s pronounced “Angel”), who is about to publish her second novel in a three-part romance series about the ballet world. Although romance isn’t my go-to genre, (I’m more of a Jack Reacher guy) I love reading her work, and her books always remind me that reading is for pleasure, too, not just learning.
How do you maintain commitment in the face of challenges? Is there a personal motto that keeps you going?
I recite the Serenity Prayer almost every day, “God, please grant me the courage to change the things I can, the serenity to accept the things I cannot, and the wisdom always to know the difference.” Growing up in the Boy Scouts, our motto was “be prepared,” which I also like. I also often talk to my team about the importance of “stacking success,” which is something my high school football coaches would always say. To me, stacking success is all about making an improvement in some area, and then building on that success in another way. If you do that often enough, you can accomplish incredible things. And finally, I’m a big believer in the importance of self-care, whatever that looks like for people. For me, it’s regular exercise, conscious breathing, strong coffee, and the occasional glass of whiskey or cigar.
What’s on the horizon for the year ahead, and what are your hopes and dreams for the next 5-10 years?
The Next 50 is going through a really important and exciting transition this year. Our founding executive director, Zak Malamed, decided last year that the time was right to bring on a new long-term successor, and I started in January, with big shoes to fill. Thankfully, we’re working closely together through the transition process to position The Next 50 for success over the next decade and beyond. From my perspective, success means continuing our work of identifying the fifty “best and brightest” next generation candidates every two years, growing our support for them both financially and through leadership development support, and building out a peer mentorship program through our alumni network. If we’re able to do that every cycle for the next ten years, we’re going to have supported, at a high level, more than 250 of the best and brightest leaders in our country, and I think that would be an incredible accomplishment. To make that happen, one of our top priorities for this year is expanding our membership program, which is made of recurring monthly donors, starting at $25/month. Our members receive discounts for our in-person events, special updates on our candidates and their campaigns, and the gratification of knowing that they are supporting a new generation of political leadership in our country. If you’re interested in joining, please check it out here.