ATLANTA, June 4 (UPI) -- Many of the top-level staffers involved in Georgia's gubernatorial campaign trail are fresh-faced recent college graduates.
At least six top-level staffers in the Democratic Party campaigns of Georgia Secretary of State Cathy Cox and Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor are in their 20s. Republican Gov. Sonny Perdue's re-election campaign manager, Nick Ayers, is 23 -- and he said the average age of his campaign staff is 25, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, said the trend toward hiring younger workers for key positions is growing as high-stress campaigns are becoming longer and more intense.
"Candidates used to respect gray hair," Sabato told the newspaper. "They wanted experience in their offices to handle the inevitable controversies that arise. Now that need has been superseded by the desire for youth because only young people can put up with the hours and the stress and the strain of modern campaigning."
