Younger candidates make runs for office

Nic Kipke knocked on a voter's door. The older man who answered simply asked the House of Delegates candidate how old he was.

"Twenty-seven," Mr. Kipke replied.

"That's all you needed to tell me," the man said. "I want some young folks with vinegar in their veins."

The new kids on the block this election season likely grew up listening to New Kids on the Block. One in three candidates running for the House or County Council is 40 or younger, and they're finding acceptance from their gray-haired brethren.

"We need people that are young," said state Sen. Phil Jimeno, D-Brooklyn Park, who is retiring after 28 years in...