At a “Year of the Gen Z Vote” panel discussion during last week’s Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, a Democratic candidate for the Maine State House described her previous work experience as a professional dancer and bartender, and stated her ambition to run for U.S. Senate and keep Maine “leading the nation” in abortion and transgender medical treatments.
One of two panelists was Ellie Sato, 27, a Democratic candidate running for State Representative in House District 109, covering parts of east and north Gorham.
Sato, works a legislative aide at the State House in Augusta, is also the chairperson of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Committee of the Maine Democratic Party.
In the June 11 elections, Sato won her primary race over Seven Siegel, a current Gorham town councilor.
The DNC panel discussion was held by Emerge America, a San Francisco-based nonprofit that recruits and trains women to run for political office as Democrats.
“Emerge exclusively grooms self-identified Democratic women to run for office and connects program members to networks of local Democratic politicians, leaders, and activists,” the organization states on their website.
Deja Foxx, who moderated the DNC panel discussion, is the founder of Gen Z Girl Gang, a self-described “inclusive community of womxn and femmes lifting each other up.”
“When people think about the Gen Z vote they’re thinking brat, they’re thinking lime green, they’re thinking coconuts in context,” Foxx open the discussion — a string of pop culture reference’s to Charli XCX’s new pop album “Brat” and Kamala Harris platitudes that have been pushed as online memes by the Harris campaign.
Foxx asked Sato what is “the one thing you really want people to know about the power of young people” in this November’s elections.
“I think the one thing that I want people to know about the youth vote is that we are the future,” Sato said. “And that when we are thinking about policy, we’re thinking about these elections, and what we’re fighting for, we’re fighting for the next generation and that’s Gen Z — it’s starts with us.”
WATCH:
Foxx boasted that Gen Z is “flexing our narrative power” and “setting the narrative for this election” on TikTok — the Chinese-owned mobile application that has been sued by the U.S. Department of Justice for allegedly violating child privacy laws.
In April, President Joe Biden signed a bill that will force TikTok’s parent company ByteDance to either sell their app or be banned from U.S. app stores within a year, legislation that stems from concerns the app could be weaponized by the Chinese government to collect private information from its users.
When asked by Foxx what made her run for office, Sato described her career as a professional dancer living “paycheck to paycheck” in New York after graduating with a degree in dance from Fordham University.
Sato said she worked various jobs as a personal assistant, a bartender and a caterer in between auditions to “try to make end meet and make sure that I could put food on my table and live my best life in New York.”
“When COVID happened, and I was catapulted back to my home state of Maine, I took that back up, I, you know, remained in the restaurant business and again hustled,” she said.
“I worked in three restaurants this time, a little bit less, but still working 60 hours a week, and I realized that people who live that lifestyle need a voice in politics, because I felt alone and I didn’t feel that I was heard in my places of work,” she said.
“It became very clear to me that, you know, if not who, me? And if not when, when? You know? [sic]” Sato said, adding that she has ambitions to run for the U.S. Senate.
On the issue of abortion and so-called “gender-affirming care”, Sato said “our fight in Maine is really about ensuring that we are safeguarding the progress that we’ve made and that we’re not going back in Maine.”
“All it takes is a couple of moments of relaxing and those rights will go away,” she said, referring to recent changes that allow patients to have sex-change procedures paid for by taxpayers under MaineCare, as well as the state’s new late-term abortion law. “So I’m committed to ensuring that Maine remains to be leading the nation in terms of abortion access and gender-affirming care.”
Sato said that one of the issues that matters most to young voters in Maine is the housing crisis, citing her own experience “proudly” living with her parents at age 27 because she cannot afford to buy a house or to pay rent.
“I know that I am not alone in that, there are many Mainers who are in my generation who are still living with their parents because of the reality of the housing crisis, and that’s true nationwide,” Sato said.
Climate change was another issue Sato said is important to young voters, explaining that she wants “the planet I’m living in when I’m 100 years old is still safe, is still protected, is still livable.”
Sato closed out the panel discussion by applauding the Maine Democratic Party’s delegation to the DNC for being “probably the most diverse delegation that Maine’s had in our history.”
“Over a third of our delegation are actually from the LGBTQ+ community, including myself,” she added.
Sato currently serves as Chair of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Committee of the Maine Democratic Party.
She will face off against Republican candidate Alan Livingston, a former teacher and coach, for the 109th district seat in this November’s general election.
The full “Year of the Gen Z Vote” DNC panel discussion can be watched below:
My eyes glazed over reading this pap but I powered through it. Until Gen Zers learn to end their sentences with falling intonation along with at least a smidgen of substance to them, they’ll never have any credibility.
we will go broke with woke people running things
Emerge America is a G. Soros organization and trains almost exclusively women.
Deqa Delac is a grad, as was former Rep from S.P. Morales. You can go to the Emerge Maine site to see the alum and who is currently holding office.
A Maine girl?
A dancing bartender, seems a little over qualified for Maine politics.
This chick is the PERFECT EXAMPLE of why we need to vote Democrats OUT OF OFFICE in Maine …..
Holy Shit people ……..Wake Up !
A dancing bartender who moonlights as a caterer, personal assistant and DEI coordinator with no prospects who lives at home at age 27. Sounds like she’s perfectly set up for a future as a political grifter. I wonder how many cats she has?
In my opinion, all members of any legislature, including any Gen Z members, need to be mature and responsible – and I do not see a mature, responsible person here. First, this candidate believes “people of color” and not just “people” need to be in the legislature,” and I think to be implying that the number of white people in Maine is a “negative,” certainly is not “a progressive mindset.” It is a racist mindset. After all, the Speaker of the House in the Maine legislature is a person of color while Maine is 93% percent white. Just as it would be fair to represent nontraditional groups proportionately, it is fair to represent traditional groups proportionately. Why in the video does Sato need approval from Jill Barkley Roy of Emerge America on the “white comment.” If you’re not familiar with the Democrats’ Emerge America, which has a chapter in each state, familiarize yourself with their “boot camps.”
You can obviously expect “paid for by taxpayers” to be in the back of this person’s mind if the voters hand her the privilege to create laws that will manipulate the lives of people who have worked all their lives and paid their own bills. You can also count on hypocrisy as she calls for late-term abortion while simultaneously demanding “a voice for the young.” Inconsistent? Hypocritical? Trying to be a cool kid? All the above? You betcha.
Please, Pleease Gorham, do NOT elect this fruitcake to our assembly,….
Honestly where do these people come from? Abortion and Didn’t Earn It are more important to her than roads and school buildings? These people get dumber everyday. Again you will get what you vote for and Maine is working on being California East Coast version.
An Asian Stripper who worked as a bartender in New York restaurants.
And Maine needs her WHY .?
Brought to us by a San Francisco “ non profit “ and is one of “ The Girl Gang “:.
Haven’t we heard this story once before …..aka AOC ? ….Deja Vu anyone ?
Come on people ….Get your minds right .
This woman is a threat to our way of life .
I pray that the good people of Gotham are smart enough to see this woman for what she is .
NOT FROM MAINE .
NOT WHAT MAINE NEEDS
And vote for the other guy .
I like oriental girls .
I will vote for her if she gives me a free lap dance .
“ Sugar Daddy’s Gentlemen’s Club “ in NYC anyone ?
Will she commit to debate or will she rather have a pole dance competition?
I thought NO ONE was above the law, obviously I was wrong ! Because the governor and attorney general and Maine hospitals and DHS certainly have been above the law far too long now ! Someone needs to grow a pair and stop this insanity and fraud in elections also ! I seriously doubt Maine voted for Kamala Harris ! Another lie from hell !