Meet the 22-year-old candidate eyeing history in key swing state as Gen Z embraces conservatism: 'Step up'
From delivering pizzas to running for an Iowa House seat, 22-year-old Dillon Fillion hopes to make history in his swing district and inspire Gen Z to embrace conservatism, which he says he's already seeing on the ground.
Fillion, believed to be the youngest candidate ever to seek office in Scott County, spoke to Fox News Digital about his ambitions to cut property taxes, boost police funding, give parents more say in their children’s education and draw Gen Z to the polls.
"I think people are very excited that a young person is running because they see a lot of these old people running for office, no offense to them, but people wanna see some fresh new faces and I think it's time for my generation to step up," Fillion said.
Before launching his bid for the Iowa House, Fillion decided to take a gap year from Scott Community College, where he is pursuing a criminal justice degree. He currently works as a Domino’s delivery driver while hitting the campaign trail, which he described as juggling "two full-time jobs."
"Basically, I do a full-time job as well as campaigning," he said.
But campaigning wasn’t always Fillion’s vision. A lifelong hockey fan, he said his initial dream was to play professionally before stepping into politics.
Fillion said he became interested in politics in 2019 after seeing Democrats accuse President Donald Trump of colluding with Russia, saying he found it "weird" they were "calling our president a lot of weird, untrue things." From there, he said he went down a "rabbit hole" researching what he described as corruption within the Democratic Party, which he found "baffling and shocking."
"I just couldn't stand back and just watch all this stuff happen, and I decided to get involved," he said.
"Keep Iowa Great!" is the slogan Fillion has plastered across campaign signs and merchandise as he works to win over Iowa voters. One of three siblings, Fillion had an upbringing "grounded in Christian family values, a strong work ethic, and the perseverance to stand by his principles no matter the challenge," according to his campaign website.
Fillion credited Charlie Kirk with helping young men like him "find a purpose" and turn to conservative principles.
"The men in my generation are really conservative. They admire conservative principles. I think Charlie Kirk really helped with the young men in my generation in regard to finding a purpose in life. And I think that's really helped a lot of men in my generation," Fillion said. "I do think my generation is going in the right direction in regard to conservatism. It's just, I think my generation needs to turn out more in our elections."
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Fillion will challenge incumbent Democratic state Rep. Daniel Gosa for a seat representing Iowa's 81st House District. Fillion says he finally has the opportunity to "carry the ball down the field" in his district and is calling for a leadership overhaul.
"I wouldn't be in this race if I didn't think I could win it," he said. "However, my Democrat opponent does not stand up for the things that this district cares about."
Among Fillion’s most high-profile endorsements are Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Iowa House Majority Leader Bobby Kaufmann, according to his campaign website.
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One of Fillion’s top priorities is eliminating property taxes completely. His campaign website said if that isn’t "immediately achievable," Fillion will work to lower taxes as much as possible.
"I wanna keep Iowa number one in affordability," he said.
Crime and education are also on Fillion’s mind, and he told Fox News Digital those will be two of his top priorities if elected in November.
"When I get into that legislature, I will be introducing a constitutional amendment for the Back the Blue Act to make sure our police are protected so they can do their job correctly," Fillion said. "And I will continue to empower parents and teachers in our kids' education, because parents should be the forefront of your kids' education, not the government."
He said his ultimate goal is to make Iowa "the number one state to live, work, and raise a family."
With voters preparing to head to the polls in November, Fillion said his campaign aims to spread more optimism and show people that Gen Z wants to make the world a better place.
"I just want our country to know that there are people in my generation that are doing everything they can to try and save this country," he said.