David Oks | |
---|---|
Born | David E. Oks 2001 (age 22–23) |
Education | Pembroke College, Oxford |
Known for | Managing the Mike Gravel 2020 presidential campaign |
David E. Oks ( /ɒks/) is an American writer and former political activist, best known for organizing and managing the Mike Gravel 2020 presidential campaign as a high school senior. [1] [2] [3] [4] In 2020, Oks helped found the Gravel Institute, a progressive political advocacy group named after Mike Gravel, following the end of Gravel's 2020 presidential campaign. [5]
Oks was born to a family of Jewish immigrants from Argentina. [6]
Oks attended the Masters School, where he was a student when he convinced former senator Mike Gravel to enter the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries. [6] He enrolled in Pembroke College at the University of Oxford in the fall of 2019. [7] [8]
Oks previously ran an unsuccessful write-in campaign for mayor of Ardsley, New York in 2017. [9] His campaign for mayor was notable for his young age, which received attention in The New York Times and on WNYC. [10] [11] He garnered 50 votes, or approximately 3% of the vote, in the election. [12]
Oks contacted Gravel on March 14, 2019, to propose a campaign in the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries. [3] The stated goal was not to win the primaries but to reach the Democratic debate stage. [13] Gravel was hesitant at first, but Oks and school friend Henry Williams convinced Gravel to launch a campaign in order to promote their left-of-center political views. [3]
According to Oks, he first learned about Gravel from Nixonland by Rick Perlstein, but was also encouraged by Felix Biederman's praise of Gravel on Chapo Trap House. [14]
Shortly after the campaign unofficially launched on March 20, 2019, Oks claimed authorship of posts that attracted much attention on Twitter. [2] [13]
Along with Williams, Oks was the subject of a June 9, 2019 profile in The New York Times Magazine. [1]
After Gravel's campaign ended on August 6, 2019, Oks said that his goal with the campaign was "to push for a new sort of politics" and "to talk about issues we thought no other candidate was talking about." [7]
According to The American Prospect, Oks was involved with the creation of the Gravel Institute, a now defunct advocacy group that promoted progressive causes and ideas through YouTube videos. [5]
Oks has written several articles for Palladium Magazine, [15] including reporting from Afghanistan [16] and Ukraine. [17]
With Henry Williams, Oks published a piece in American Affairs arguing that outside of East Asia, development built on manufacturing has generally failed and has weak prospects. [18] [19]
David Oks | |
---|---|
Born | David E. Oks 2001 (age 22–23) |
Education | Pembroke College, Oxford |
Known for | Managing the Mike Gravel 2020 presidential campaign |
David E. Oks ( /ɒks/) is an American writer and former political activist, best known for organizing and managing the Mike Gravel 2020 presidential campaign as a high school senior. [1] [2] [3] [4] In 2020, Oks helped found the Gravel Institute, a progressive political advocacy group named after Mike Gravel, following the end of Gravel's 2020 presidential campaign. [5]
Oks was born to a family of Jewish immigrants from Argentina. [6]
Oks attended the Masters School, where he was a student when he convinced former senator Mike Gravel to enter the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries. [6] He enrolled in Pembroke College at the University of Oxford in the fall of 2019. [7] [8]
Oks previously ran an unsuccessful write-in campaign for mayor of Ardsley, New York in 2017. [9] His campaign for mayor was notable for his young age, which received attention in The New York Times and on WNYC. [10] [11] He garnered 50 votes, or approximately 3% of the vote, in the election. [12]
Oks contacted Gravel on March 14, 2019, to propose a campaign in the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries. [3] The stated goal was not to win the primaries but to reach the Democratic debate stage. [13] Gravel was hesitant at first, but Oks and school friend Henry Williams convinced Gravel to launch a campaign in order to promote their left-of-center political views. [3]
According to Oks, he first learned about Gravel from Nixonland by Rick Perlstein, but was also encouraged by Felix Biederman's praise of Gravel on Chapo Trap House. [14]
Shortly after the campaign unofficially launched on March 20, 2019, Oks claimed authorship of posts that attracted much attention on Twitter. [2] [13]
Along with Williams, Oks was the subject of a June 9, 2019 profile in The New York Times Magazine. [1]
After Gravel's campaign ended on August 6, 2019, Oks said that his goal with the campaign was "to push for a new sort of politics" and "to talk about issues we thought no other candidate was talking about." [7]
According to The American Prospect, Oks was involved with the creation of the Gravel Institute, a now defunct advocacy group that promoted progressive causes and ideas through YouTube videos. [5]
Oks has written several articles for Palladium Magazine, [15] including reporting from Afghanistan [16] and Ukraine. [17]
With Henry Williams, Oks published a piece in American Affairs arguing that outside of East Asia, development built on manufacturing has generally failed and has weak prospects. [18] [19]