Dujuan Thomas is a 24-year-old political influencer here in Paducah, Kentucky. He ran for Mayor and City Commissioner. Thomas was inspired to pursue politics by his belief that we need good representation. He claims he saw a lack of representation in our community, and he felt no one was addressing the real issues. He says, ¨To sum it up, I just wanted to do my part, and speak up and be a leader because we need younger leaders in politics.¨ Thomas´s biggest inspiration, besides family members, is Steve Harvey. Harvey’s backstory of being broke to being extremely successful encourages Dujuan daily. Thomas has lots of advice for kids interested in pursuing a career in politics. ¨First and foremost, your age is not a barrier, and don’t let anyone make you feel like you can’t accomplish big goals at a young age.¨ Thomas advises getting your name out there. He ran for mayor when he was 21 with the determination to make a difference in this community. Dujuan started with celebrity interviews and from there, his talk show was used to highlight locals and his celebrity friends. Thomas is very proud of his accomplishments. ¨Sure I didn’t win the election, but you better believe all of the issues I brought attention to are on the city´s official list of priorities to this day.¨

He was once told, ¨It’s not always about what you know, but who you know,¨ and say the best way to get involved in getting your name out there.