Senator Vin Gopal is wrapping up his first term as a state senator and, indeed, coming up on his first two years ever of holding elected office. The millennial senator brings us behind the scenes on the campaign trail, first as chair of the Monmouth County Democratic Party as he managed a victory against incumbent Republican assemblywomen in 2015, and then, what it took for himself to defeat a popular three term incumbent Senator and help turn a Republican stronghold in Monmouth County blue. He tells us about his learning curve in joining the senate as its youngest member, and how he took steps to ingratiate himself with more experienced colleagues across generational and ideological divides. The Senator takes constituent relations seriously, and shares how he leverages social media to reach his neighbors in real time to ensure their concerns are heard. His highest priority is keeping those commitments made to his constituents, and he tells us that sometimes that means having to oppose his own party on key issues, such as the minimum wage increase. Senator Gopal came of age politically in the turbulent time of the Iraq War, but instead of focusing on national politics, his passion has been more local. He shares with us why this is important and how he hopes to continue opening a pathway for younger candidates to run for office.