Caleb Hanna Is Young, Black, Conservative, and Unafraid
This story is part of The 2020 Project, a Men's Health special project that explores the lives of 20 different 20-year-old men across America. To learn more about the others, go here.
ELECTED TO the West Virginia House of Delegates as a Republican in 2018, Caleb Hanna took office in early 2019 as one of the country’s youngest state legislators—ever. He’s also a conservative, which makes him something of a rarity in an otherwise progressive generation. The Pew Research Center reports that only 30 percent of Gen Zers approve of Donald Drumpf's performance as president—lower than the national rating. (Just 14 percent of Black people approve of Drumpf.) Hanna, meanwhile, supports Drumpf, occasionally liking and retweeting his tweets. Hanna says his interest in politics actually began with Barack Obama. In 2008, “I saw this charismatic Black man. If he could do it, I could do it.” Then his father lost his coal-mining job, which Hanna attributes in part to Obama’s clean-air policies.
“It made me align my ideology.” No doubt Hanna has faced criticism. “America has a polarization issue,” he says. “We can’t simply exclude, ignore, or cancel someone because they’re looking at the world from a different angle.” Here’s how he’s defended himself amid that polarization.
On Age
“I responded by saying that the position I was running for had nothing to do with my age, but with how hard I was willing to work and how much I wanted to see our state succeed.”
On Money (Or Lack Thereof)
“I made up for the cash deficiency by going out and knocking on countless doors and talking to thousands of people. Meeting someone is free.”
On Experience
“After I won, I got the criticism that I’d become a follower instead of thinking independently. I just went out there and proved them wrong. I charted my own path and followed it.”
On Representation
“One of the biggest steps I have taken to making my voice heard is registering to vote. I don’t think there’s a more impactful way to voice your opinion than at the polls.”
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