About Elijah Mack

Greetings! My name is Elijah Mack, and I'm running, at the age of 19, to become California's youngest-ever State Senator. Now you may be wondering why I would subject myself to running a grassroots political campaign for an office representing an area larger in population and geographical size than a Congressional District, while working and taking university classes full-time and managing everything else your average young adult has to manage in their day to day lives.

Well, the answer is that I'm driven by a vision for a free, healthy, and affordable California. Knowing that regardless of the outcome of this race, I can bring attention to issues that concern me and help encourage the healing of our divided political culture, I have been trudging through the mud of this great undertaking for about a year and a half without any regrets and no fears about my results in November. I'm utterly blessed to have received the opportunities and abilities that have brought me this far, and I'm thankful just to look over what I have built, the young people I have encouraged, and the values I have been able to fight for. My efforts in this campaign have been the most fulfilling and satisfying work I've done in life so far, there is no doubt. Now a little about me...

Born in rainy Seattle, Washington, I moved to the Golden Coast with my family at the age of six. Since then, I've called Santa Barbara my home. I'm very lucky to have been raised in a community with such a beautiful history and culture.

Growing up, I was gifted with parents who encouraged me to study politics, philosophy, and religion without really pushing me to think a certain way. Growing up I attended all manner of political gatherings, and visited various houses of worship to learn about the diverse spiritual views of my community and the world. Serving all over the western United States in soup kitchens, homeless shelters, and food banks as part of youth service projects hosted by my church, I also came to understand at a very young age, that, put simply, there were problems in the world which needed to be addressed by leaders in the Government, and that after years and years of so-called solutions, these issues still remained. This sounds like something incredibly obvious, but many young children aren't given the opportunity to really grasp the political aspect of society from a young age, see with their own eyes the issues our society faces, and come to the realization that we can't actually have sure faith in our elected leaders. Because of this, I sought to develop greater awareness of political ongoings and issues, and felt that I would eventually get involved in politics to some degree when I was old enough to do so.

At the age of thirteen, I began forming my more Libertarian worldview, idealizing a society with truly free markets, personal liberty for all, and a robust network of interdependent communities and mutual aid that we could rely on primarily, in place of Government. At the age of seventeen, I attended my first Libertarian Party State Convention. After that, I co-founded and acted as chair for a year in the Santa Barbara County Libertarian Party, I worked as Vice Chair of the Libertarian Party Youth Caucus of California, and I founded the Wild Caucus, which acts as the green wing of the Libertarian Party, and is now growing into an inter-partisan activism/policy advocacy group called the Wild Reset. 

Growing up on the Puget Sound, in the shadow of Mt. Rainier, and in between the sandy beaches and rolling hills of the Central Coast, I developed a sense of awe at the beauty of the natural world. Being greatly influenced by the American Philosophers Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, I recognized that nature's importance is not merely an issue of aesthetics, but rather, preserving and protecting expansive open spaces, untouched wilderness, and the ability for people to live self-reliant and traditional lifestyles is a non-negotiable for a healthy environment and a physically, mentally, and spiritually well humanity.

In the Spring of 2023, I was inspired to look into a campaign for an office within the California Legislature while studying State and National Legislatures at university. Within a couple of days, I put together this website, gathered contacts for advice and insights on local and state issues, and designed basic drafts for yard signs and other materials. I hit the ground running and got to building a Third-Party campaign, going months and months without any outside help or financial support until being endorsed by the California GOP.

While many figures in the local GOP have been extremely helpful and mentored me in running a political campaign, my being endorsed by an official party didn't mean money and resources would just start flowing in. The State GOP focuses energy and resources on a small number of State Legislative campaigns per year, and mine didn't make the cut for support, as it seemed, initially, like I was an underdog candidate with no chance of beating my district's incumbent. My donors, as of writing this, have all been everyday citizens like you. No corporations, no Mega-PACs, no Interest Groups. 

If you feel like I'm worthy to represent your opinions and sentiments in our state's legislature, vote for me, and help me show young people across the nation that they can be the change they want to see. Vote for me, and help make history.