David Oks

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David Oks
Born
David E. Oks

2001 (age 22–23)
EducationPembroke College, Oxford
Known forManaging 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]

Early life and education[edit]

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]

Campaign work[edit]

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]

Mike Gravel 2020 presidential campaign[edit]

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]

Subsequent work[edit]

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]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Keiles, Jamie Lauren (June 6, 2019). "Are These Teenagers Really Running a Presidential Campaign? Yes. (Maybe.)". The New York Times. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
  2. ^ a b Crosbie, Jack (March 20, 2019). "Mike Gravel's Viral 2020 Campaign Is the Brainchild of a New York Teen". Splinter. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c Graham, David A. (April 10, 2019). "Mike Gravel's Plan to Rock the Democratic Primary". The Atlantic. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
  4. ^ Farzan, Anita Noori (March 21, 2019). "An 88-year-old ex-senator is the newest Democratic dark horse". Press Herald. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
  5. ^ a b Pollard, Amelia (May 11, 2021). "The Gravel Institute Punches Up". The American Prospect. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  6. ^ a b Pink, Aiden (May 20, 2019). "An Orthodox Teenager Is Running The Most Unorthodox Presidential Campaign". The Forward. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
  7. ^ a b "Mike Gravel's former campaign manager reflects on end of run". CBS News. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  8. ^ Bring, Daniel M. (August 28, 2019). "David Oks's day off". Spectator USA. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  9. ^ "16-Year-Old Wants To Become Next Mayor Of Ardsley, Then Go From There". Greenburgh Daily Voice. November 7, 2017. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  10. ^ Foderaro, Lisa W. (September 28, 2017). "Too Young to Vote, but Asking for Yours". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  11. ^ "Teen Betting on Write-In Campaign for Ardsley Mayor | WNYC | New York Public Radio, Podcasts, Live Streaming Radio, News". WNYC. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  12. ^ "VILLAGE OF ARDSLEY - MAYOR" (PDF). 2017 General Election Canvass Book: 557 – via Westchester County.
  13. ^ a b "An 88-year-old ex-senator is the newest Democratic dark horse thanks to the 'acerbic' teens running his Twitter". www.msn.com. Archived from the original on May 28, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  14. ^ Adjei-Kontoh, Hubert (April 20, 2019). "Meet the 88-year-old powering his insurgent 2020 bid with teens". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  15. ^ "David Oks, author at Palladium Magazine". Palladium Magazine. February 23, 2023. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
  16. ^ "The West Lives On in the Taliban's Afghanistan". Palladium Magazine. February 23, 2023. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
  17. ^ "Waiting for the Russians in Ukraine". Palladium Magazine. February 18, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
  18. ^ "The Long, Slow Death of Global Development". American Affairs. November 1, 2022.
  19. ^ "Odd Lots Transcript: So Much of the World Economy Has Been Going in Reverse". Bloomberg. November 1, 2022.
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