Kildare teenager raising money on Gofundme to run in local elections

An 18-year-old Kildare man is running for his local elections and has raised nearly half of the funds that he aimed to raise for his campaign. 

James Stokes is a Sinn Féin local election candidate for the Newbridge local electoral area in county Kildare. He is also a member of the Traveller community and a student in Maynooth University, where he is studying to become a primary school teacher.

Mr Stokes has set up a GoFundMe page to fund his electoral campaign, and asks that the surrounding communities to get behind him. So far, he has raised over €1,500 of his €2,500 target, which he hopes to put towards advertising, leaflets and posters.

Mr Stokes says he has always been involved in activism throughout his educational career, which is why he thinks now is the right time to run for his local election.

"Young people like myself, have been left out of the decision making process. I've put my name forward to make a change for everyone in Newbridge," he says.

Local elections will take place nationally on June 7.