Former legislative staffer and environmental advocate, Tsion Amare, will run for the soon-to-open Texas House District 113.
The district covers parts of Northeast Dallas County including the cities of Garland, Mesquite, and Rowlett. The Texas Representative currently in the seat, Rowlett Democrat Rhetta Bowers, decided last month to run for Congress instead of reelection.
Born in Ethiopia, the 24-year-old Amare will be one of the youngest candidates on the ballot this year. She's part of a growing group of Gen Z candidates making a run for public office.
Earlier this year, 26-year-old former Miss Texas, Averie Bishop, launched her campaign for House District 112, a competitive seat in Northeast Dallas County currently held by Republican Representative Angie Chen Button.
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Isaiah Martin, a 25-year-old former congressional intern, is also running for a Houston-area congressional seat. Last year, 28-year-old Round Rock Republican Caroline Harris became the youngest Republican woman to win a seat in the Texas House.
"I’m a part of a generation that's seen unprecedented challenges and social turbulence but also a generation with a fire for activism and determination to create a better future," Amare told NBC 5.
According to information held on the Texas Secretary of State's website, legislative staffer Dawn Freeman also filed a campaign treasurer report for House District 113, a key step in running for office in Texas.
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Amare is a graduate of Abilene Christian University and is currently a project manager at the Environmental Defense Fund, where she works with legislators on environmental policy. Previously, she worked a session as a staffer for Texas Rep. Rafael Anchia, D - Dallas.
Amare tells NBC 5 she wants to work on four issues in the Texas legislature: gun safety, women's rights, climate issues, and public education. She's hoping to enter a legislature that's supported few restrictions on guns, strict restrictions on abortion, and protections for the oil and gas industry. The legislature will begin a special session on education reform next week.
A Democrat in the Texas Legislature often has an uphill battle on her four key issues.
“If it takes stress and disappointment to create tangible change in my community then the fight does not end. The fight does not end because of hardships, " Amare said, "A lot of these attacks are direct attacks on the future of young people."
Amare tells NBC 5, the announcement of Bishop in the district just North of HD-113 helped spur her to run. She says she understands some voters may have skepticism about her age but argues current leaders in the state have not met the needs of Texans in their 20s.
"It is my responsibility to step up and be a voice for vulnerable and marginalized groups," Amare said, "and create change that’s going to impact my future and the future of a lot of young people in the State of Texas.”
The primary election for this Democrat-leaning seat is in March 2024. The general election is in November.
