Interview with Andreas Moser

Q: What made you become interested in politics?

That's a hard one because there is no single specific event that I can blame for that. My parents were interested in politics, so I was exposed to it from early childhood on because of the talks at the kitchen table about it and the daily watching of news shows. And I loved to read from childhood on but didn't have enough children's books, so I just had to read my parents' books and the newspaper to satisfy my eagerness for reading material. Thus, I had access to political information very early on. I was also raised in a way that encouraged me to speak my mind, to help others who cannot help or represent themselves effectively, and to get involved for the "common good." And I somehow internalized all this and have kept this until today.

Q: What made you decide to run for office?

I have a very simple approach to that: I look who is doing the job right now, I look how he or she is doing it, and I think about whether or not I can do it better. If I am not satisfied with some public official, and I think I can do it better, and I think I have the slightest chance, then I run. I think I owe this to democracy, because the more candidates people can choose from, the better the outcome will be. I also hope to increase voter turnout by just participating in elections, because maybe I am exactly the candidate for some people who otherwise would not have voted at all.

Q: Do you view your relatively young age as an obstacle?

I think it depends on the office. Obviously, nobody would take me seriously if I were to run for Chancellor or President of the Federal Republic of Germany or governor of a state. But for lower offices, like my current campaign for city council, I am getting the impression that people are happy about young people getting involved and I get a lot of encouragement because of my young age. And to those who still think that my young age is a problem, I say: My age is about the only problem in this country that will solve itself with time, just wait.

Q: What is your strategy for winning?

My strategy is to get to know as many voters as possibile on a personal basis. The more people I talk to, the better I think I will do, because they will realize that I am serious about my dedication and they will hopefully spread the word. I think personal contact is far better than an ad in the paper or on TV or the radio. People want to see the guy they should vote for, because they need to find out whether or not they can trust him.