ST. LOUIS — U.S. Senate candidate Jared Young has launched a new campaign to show Missourians they have more in common than they think by bringing them together at baseball games around the state.
The objective of the campaign, called United Seats of America, is to communicate the need to focus more on what Missourians have in common than what divides them — an objective that the two parties are fighting against with their divisiveness.
Young, an independent candidate running for U.S. Senate, wants the campaign to show Missourians they have more in common than they realize.
"I'm really excited about this campaign," Young said in an interview with The St. Louis Record. "It's called United Seats of America. And the point of this campaign is that part of the whole thrust of my campaign is that the two parties are constantly trying to drive us apart. But, we believe that we actually have a lot more in common than the two parties would have us believe — that most Americans share most things in common, even if the parties would have us believe that we should hate each other and we're just too different to really get along."
Young said they have gotten tickets right behind home plate at some Royals and Cardinals games and they are inviting people to sign up to get free tickets to a baseball game.
"But, the catch is they have to be willing to sit by someone who s very different from them," Young said. "And so we're going to pair up strong Democrats or strong Republicans, strong conservatives and strong liberals, and have them sit next to each other for an entire baseball game and record their interactions."
Young said the idea is that they are going to prove that even people on opposite ends of the political spectrum, when they just sit down and enjoy a baseball game together, they discover that, they can absolutely get along despite their political differences.
The campaign will have submissions open until July 26.
"We’re doing something pretty unusual—we’re running a campaign to bring people together instead of tearing us apart," the campaign website states. "America’s Two Party system is held up by party bosses that will stop at nothing to divide us. We’re working to show just how unified we actually are. So we’re giving away home plate tickets to bring people together from 'opposing' sides for a casual, enjoyable evening. We hope you’ll join us on this baseball project and in our mission beyond."
Those who are chosen will even get a private driver to take them to the game
"Look, if people really want something different than what the two parties are showing to us, they've got to be willing to try something different, and I am that something different," Young said. "I just need people to know that there's a viable option out there in the Missouri Senate race. It is not the two-party option."
Young also recently launched another campaign called Two Few, to communicate the need for more than two options, especially given the candidates the two parties are putting forward. That campaign has released examples such as TwoFlix and 2ber, which showed a streaming network with only two movie options and a ride-sharing company with only two drivers.
Young holds a law degree from Harvard University and completed his undergraduate studies at Brigham Young University. He has six children under the age of 12. He was an intramural volleyball champion in undergraduate school and an intramural basketball champion in his law school.
Young currently serves as the chief acquisitions officer at G&A Partners.