Highfill and Other Young Politicians Face Challenges to Public Perception, Trust

Whether Jake Highfill really  will be settled in court, but the fate of Highfill’s Iowa House campaign will be largely based on the community's perception of the young candidate.

The 22-year-old Republican candidate showed his politicking strengths when he House incumbent Erik Helland in a June primary. He will face Democrat on Nov. 6.

Being a young candidate can be a help, since many constituents look for new blood and fresh ideas in the Legislature, but youth can sometimes hinder public perception and trust.

"Young politicians face, in a sense, the same problem any politician faces, just more severely," said Dennis Goldford, a political science professor at Drake University. "Particularly the idea of name recognition and ability to make money, anyone starting out faces the same problem, but a young politician faces special difficulties."

On June 29, Johnston Patch reported that Highfill is the defendant in a lawsuit seeking damages stemming for allegedly striking a University of Iowa roommate with a glass bottle during an argument. The confrontration reportedly began after Highfill carried a shotgun into a house party the roommates were hosting; his roommate then asked him to remove the gun.

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While candidates at all political levels and ages can have uncomfortable moments or incidents to explain, young candidates are sometimes remembered for the loss of promise -- think Gary Hart. More recent online buzzing has centered on Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. and his absence from the House of Representatives this summer.

Paul French of Johnston questioned Highfill's ability to represent the district since news of the lawsuit surfaced.

"It calls into question the judgment displayed by his actions," he said. "It is his judgment, and ability to convey this into the Iowa House that he was voted for."

Voters want to have a certain sense of confidence and trust in a candidate, Goldford said.

"If you've got someone who's 20 years old who has never owned a house or paid property taxes, or someone who's 30 that has a young family and pays property taxes, who do you want in the house making decisions," Goldford said.

While Highfill's face-to-face campaign of door knocking likely brought out primary voters, the pending lawsuit could turn them off in the fall.

The lawsuit was filed in October 2011 before Highfill announced his candidacy for the Legislature.

Highfill, through his lawyer, denied any wrongdoing and contests the date of the party -- putting it outside the statute of limitations.

"You want someone that can present a … gravitas, a solidness," Goldford said.

"You don't have to be 45 or 65 to do that, but it's one of those things that a young person struggles to do. Until you can present that sense of gravitas, sense of good judgment, it's difficult to get."

But, it's not unheard of for young candidates to be elected.

Goldford offered Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and South Carolina Rep. Andy Patrick as examples of young politicians who have made a mark nationally.

"They are very young, but well respected," Goldford said.

Highfill's challenger Clark, 27, is also a young politician who graduated from Drake’s law school in May.  

Whoever wins, they won't be the first young politician to be elected in the district.

Current House District 39 representative Erik Helland, 32, was elected to his first term when he was just 28 years old in 2008. And his house tenure hasn't been without .

Still, Highfill's pending lawsuit has the community talking.

Steffen Schmidt, Iowa State University political science professor, said young and future candidates face new challenges when seeking election.

"Future candidates will pay the price of pervasive information and intrusive search engines," he said. "Anything someone had done that could be used against them in a campaign can now be ferreted out through many services, that for a fee, will compile a complete dossier of a candidate. Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites will also be mined for embarrassing information and especially pictures."

The ease with which information can be shared and found online makes it easy for any misstep or conflict in a candidate’s life to be unearthed and discussed.

“In the future almost no one will be a safe candidate from this type of total reveal,” Schmidt said. “I pity the young candidate, since few live up to Mother Teresa's standards.”