Why More Inexperienced Candidates Keep Winning In Politics

Experience seems to matter everywhere ... except politics. Inexperienced candidates across America for both parties are running and winning in larger numbers than ever before, according to a statistical analysis by data analytics site FiveThirtyEight. The reasons why range from the obvious (people don't trust career politicians), to the concerning (a growing influence from third parties). The downside is clear: more candidates elected who may be beholden to outside influencers and who lack the know-how to actually govern.

The upside is that this willingness to consider outsiders is also driving historic numbers of women and minority candidates to win elections and change the face of politics. The article summarizes the core issue by observing that the real problem is that "many successful political amateurs are uninterested in governing." When we elect people who are solely motivated by prestige or power rather than actually doing the work, we end up with what we too often have now. A dysfunctional government that doesn't work for anyone.