Best of luck to John Mitzel and Ross Lien who are running for state office in North Dakota on a joint ticket. Both young men are Republicans and they share a concern for the future of their generation.

Regina Conley of Red Alert Politics reports.

College Students Run for State Office in North Dakota

What do University of North Dakota students John Mitzel and Ross Lien have in common, besides the fact that they are both taking 18 credit hours and are active members of their fraternity Lamda Chi Alpha?

They are running on a joint ticket for state senate and state house in N.D. district 42.

Neither of them have even reached legal drinking age, but they don’t let anyone get them down about their age. For them, it doesn’t matter how old you are, as long as you have the right ideas.

“You’ve gotta get out there and do it,” said Lein in a phone interview. “John and I went for it and the support pulled through. Just stick to your convictions.”

Mitzel and Lein decided to run for office when they were approached by the former seat-holder for the N.D. district 42, who thought they would be great candidates.

In North Dakota, a senator and a congressman from each district run as a joint ticket and campaign as a team which made it all the more fitting that Mitzel and Lien, who are best friends as well as fraternity brothers, decided to go for it together.

“Young people are waking up,” said Mitzel. “I saw this as an incredible opportunity and almost an obligation to work for North Dakota.”

Mitzel says that young people were seduced by Barack Obama and are now realizing that their future under an Obama administration is very bleak.

“We are the ones that are going to be dealing with these things,” said Lien. “And it is going to be up to the young voters.”

Higher education is the biggest issue for both candidates who feel that it is their duty to carry the interests of college students and the rising costs of education to the state government.

For Mitzel, a big problem with status quo education systems is student property rights. Currently Universities have property rights over students’ work. He says professors frequently tell students not to bring their new ideas and projects into class, in order to prevent the University from stealing their ideas.

“We have a situation where we need more entrepreneurship in this country,” said Mitzel. “And this is stopping that.”

Mitzel and Lien are listed as endorsed legislative candidates on the North Dakota GOP site.