Too Young to Run? Gen Z Filipinos Are Taking Power Anyway

These 3 Filipino Americans are Claiming Space in Government and Redefining Politics

July 9, 2025
Written by Clifford Temprossa

They said we were too young. Too brown. Too bold. But we’re here, and we’re not waiting our turn.

Across the country, Gen-Z Filipino Americans are stepping into power. Not just as candidates…but as electoral strategists, policy advocates, nonprofit leaders, and government operatives. They are redefining what leadership looks like, and in this case, being unapologetically young, boldly Filipino, and deeply rooted in human dignity.  

This isn't a quiet revolution. It’s loud. Young Filipinos are rising in politics. And it’s already begun.

The Revolution Has No Age Limit

In an era where cynicism about politics runs deep, where apathy and empathy are at a crossroads, and Gen Z Filipinos are looking towards action. They are tired of being told that they are too young to run, that they haven’t lived enough, and that they are too progressive. They aren't just walking into the halls of change, they are running forward with conviction. 

Deja Foxx began her activism at 16 when she powerfully challenged Senator Jeff Flake on access to birth control. This sparked a viral moment that launched her into national organizing. A proud Filipina American, Deja later founded Gen Z Girl Gang, a digital platform building sisterhood and political power for young women of color. Known for merging policy and personal expression, she’s made it clear: leading with identity, authenticity, and joy isn’t a liability…it’s a strategy.

@dejafoxx

Cameron Saisai, Filipino American trailblazer, made history as the youngest Filipino elected official in the United States and currently serves as Mayor of the City of Pinole in California. Cameron formerly served as a member of the City Council in the City of Pinole. Today, as Mayor, he brings those same values into city leadership, centering pakikipagkapwa-tao in every policy decision. Cameron’s leadership is grounded in care, cultural humility, and coalition-building, proving that you can lead with both power and heart.

@mayorsasai

Averie Bishop, the first Asian American and Filipina Miss Texas,who ran for the Texas House of Representatives. The daughter of a Filipino immigrant and a trained attorney, Averie has used her platform to champion education access and civic engagement, amassing millions of views on TikTok along the way. With roots in rural Texas and a vision for inclusive public service, she’s proving that representation and policy can go hand in hand, and that young Filipino Americans are ready to lead from everywhere.

@averiebishop

Decolonizing Our Way Into Power

For Gen Z Filipinos, entering politics isn’t about mimicking the old rules. It’s about rewriting them. This generation is unafraid to challenge colonial structures, elitist traditions, and gatekeeping that have long excluded people like us. 

They’re bringing healing and heritage into politics. Deja turns digital content into organizing tools. Cameron challenges the boundaries of organizing and trunks them into sacred spaces. Averie turns pageantry into political momentum. They don’t lead in spite of being Filipino.They lead because they are.

Still wondering what decolonizing politics looks like? It looks like campaign materials in one of the thousands of Philippine language and dialects, titos and titas voting for the first time lolos and lolas donating to campaigns, and strategy sessions with your all of your pinsan. 

Today’s Gen Z Filipino leaders are not starting from scratch. They’re standing on the shoulders of farmworkers, student organizers, domestic workers, and movement builders who came before them. They’re not just continuing a legacy of resistance. They’re remixing it with their lived experience, and reimagining what liberation can look like when culture, identity, and policy move as one.

More Than Representation. It’s Reimagination.

Young Filipino leaders are blending culture with civic action. They’re remixing electoral organizing with TikTok and Reels, voter education with fashion and storytelling, and public policy with lived experience. They’re showing that politics doesn’t need to be sterile…it can be spiritual, stylish, and subversive.

These young leaders are building systems for the next generation of Filipino voters, caregivers, immigrants, culture bearers, and freedom fighters.

And they’re not asking for permission. They’re bringing their whole selves, queer, femme, rural urban, immigrant, multiracial, multiethnic, and more. Proving that identity is strategy.

What Could Filipino Power Look Like in 10 Years?

Imagine it’s 2035, and the fastest-growing generation of Filipino American elected officials includes mayors, commissioners, and legislators across the country. From California to Texas to New York, they speak multiple languages, come from working-class backgrounds, and organize through community, not celebrity.

They champion ethnic studies, climate justice, immigrant protections, mental health equity, and cultural preservation. Campaign teams are filled with titos and titas united around political purpose. Nonprofits are staffed by experienced and effective Filipino leadership. Local and federal governments are filled not with volunteer appointees, but by ates and kuyas with a vision to make government more accessible to the people. 

This isn’t a dream. This is the world Gen Z Filipinos are already building.

We’re Not the Future. We’re the Moment.

Too often, we’re told, “You’ll lead someday.” But Gen Z Filipinos know….We’re leading now.

We are the strategists, the storytellers, and the organizers. We are redefining what it means to be both young and powerful, both Filipino and American.

So when they say we’re too young to run, we say -
We’re running anyway. We’re organizing anyway. We’re building power anyway.

Because Filipino power is timeless. And this generation? We’re just getting started.

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Written By Clifford Temprosa

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