UW-Green Bay student Noah Reif, age 23, is running for State Assembly in the 88th District this coming Election Day. At first glance, it seems easy to overlook or write-off a candidate who is so young. Public office has a perception of seasoned, experienced, gray-haired males, with elbow pads on their brown, low-thread count suit coats, as lifetime politicians as representatives. But elected officials should be those who genuinely represent the population. And for the people of the 88th district, which includes the UW-Green Bay campus, Noah is an accurate and valid representation.
“I believe that I’m fighting for, and giving a voice to people who have been pushed out of the political process in our state. It started a year ago when I worked for Sanders, and now, more than ever, I believe what I did is extremely important,” said Reif in a recent discussion I had with him.
He spent about a year assisting with the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign. Through that experience, he was able to liken himself to some political processes he was previously unexposed too. This also ignited a passion for him, as he felt as if he had found something worth committing his energy towards. “It was a great experience, it was a chance to give back, to fight for something I believe in. And to do it in a way that was constructive, hopefully to start the conversation moving forward.”
“After the primaries, I was thinking what I was going to do next, with an upcoming semester, and looking for jobs. Then, I got a call one night from a group of friends I worked with, and were attached with the Democratic Party here in Green Bay. They asked, ‘So would you be interested in running for state assembly in the 88th?’ I thought they were joking, I said, ‘No, really, what do you need?’ I, without thinking, almost immediately said yes without understanding the gravity of it.” After thinking it through and discussing the idea with his family, he decided it was the right thing to do.
Much of his policies are aligned with those of the Sanders campaign. In our discussion, he identified a few issues that he is particularly passionate about, including public education, workers’ rights, and clean water. “For me, a lot of what my policies and my beliefs are based on, what I think are, common sense issues. I believe that, as a government, our responsibility is to ensure that we are passing policies that benefit the highest number of people. Its basic Public Policy 101. All your policies are meant to minimize the suffering that exists, and maximize the benefits that can exist. ”
For the sake of context, I could have littered this article with a number of policy-driven quotes, highlighted by the list of issues I had included above, as the discussion that I had with Noah regarding some of his policies turned into an animated dissertation on his beliefs and focuses, with layers and wrinkles of below-the-surface thoughts and ideas, all backed up with evidence. But for the sake of space, I instead provide this background info. It spoke volumes, in my opinion, to his preparedness as a candidate.
“We’re being paid to serve people. We are a public servant. That starts by helping the people who are struggling the most.”
Beyond the tangible issues and policies he believes in, in which he considers himself a progressive, he also is interested in the intangibles in life too. “What I see when I talk to people who are in these very unfortunate circumstances, not even of their own making, it could be the color of their skin, bad luck, wrong place wrong time, not having access to education, healthcare, and transport, they’re stuck. The one thing that crushes me to hear is ‘I just want there to be hope. For me, and for my kids.’ That’s so painful. Life is meaningless without hope. That’s why I want to do what I talk about. I think we have a moral imperative to help people. I’m doing it because I want to see humanity to succeed. Some say that’s too philosophical and vague, but you know what, then why are you doing it? ”
Through this entire process, it’s once again the intangibles that have been illuminated when reflecting on what he has learned about himself since making the decision to run for State Assembly. “I’ve learned to really, really appreciate the small things. There’s a phrase that gets thrown around a lot, ‘I’m thinking of you, you’re in our thoughts, our prayers,’ however you want to say it. It means a lot to hear that from friends and family.” Considering his whirlwind of busyness over the last few months, that certainly makes a lot of sense.
He shared an anecdote with me that he said served as a reminder to him, almost symbolically reassuring him that he’s doing the right thing. “I love McDonald’s chicken nuggets. It’s my one concession to junk food. One day, a couple weeks ago, I got done with a long Monday, just returning back to my apartment on campus. I threw on a hoody and a comfy pair of shorts, and said, I need chicken nuggets. So I left to McDonald’s. I was just hanging out in the lobby, on my phone, Snapchatting people. Then the manager comes out, and says, ‘Hey, you’re the guy, you’re running for State Assembly!’ He comes out and hugs me and says ‘I saw you on the news, keep fighting, we’re so happy to have people like you out there.’ It was so surreal. I just appreciate that. I think that means we’re doing the right thing. I told him ‘this is the stuff that gets me through the week.’”
“I’ve gotten to meet Tammy Baldwin, Bernie Sanders, Russ Feingold, I’ve done all these big fundraisers, but that’s the moment that’ll stick out to me. Those moments are the ones I live for, those small little moments are huge for me.”
Intangibles, the little things in life, common sense policies, chicken nuggets. Sounds like the people’s candidate to this writer.
