Georgia’s Dominic Mimbang overcomes early scare to be elected senate president pro tempore.
There was a point during Saturday’s American Legion Boys Nation election for president pro tempore of this year’s senate that Georgia senator Dominic Mimbang thought he saw the writing on the wall.
The senior at Coffee High School in Douglas, Mimbang was in danger of falling out of the race during one of the earlier votes, when he tied for the fewest votes. But because there was a tie, he was allowed to stay in the race. And that’s when he began to pick up momentum.
Over each additional vote, Mimbang picked up more and more votes to advance to the final showdown between he and Gabriel Rhodes of New York. And when the last tally came in, Mimbang won by a decisive 59-41.
“I kept on making the final cut by just a couple of votes. And there was a time … I thought, ‘Maybe it’s over here.’ But that did not stop me, and I didn’t give up. I kept on telling the other senators what my missions were and what I wanted to accomplish with this role. I’m so glad I was able to push myself in this way.”
While campaigning, Mimbang pledged to treat every senator fairly, to listen to what they say and to do everything in his power to ensure their proposed legislation would come to a vote.
That remains his top priority. “I want to make sure I work with every senator in helping them engage with confidence within their bills,” he said. “I want to work with the Assignment and Calendar Committee to make sure we’re able to get as many bills debated on the senate floor as possible. And hopefully make this one of the best Boys Nation senate sessions Boys Nation has ever seen.”
As president pro tempore, Mimbang will be tasked with managing the Senate's proceedings, setting the agenda, and ensuring a smooth operation.
“Going into Boys Nation, I knew I wanted to take a challenge for myself, not only looking at the skills I have, but also just the fact that I’m a dreamer,” he said. “Whenever I see an opportunity to challenge myself, a possibility to further myself in a new situation, I want to take it.
“I fell in love with the position of president pro tem. You’re engaging with parliamentary procedure, and it’s a really non-partisan position with the Boys Nation Senate.”
Ahead of the election, National American Legion Legislative Chairman Matthew Shuman was on hand to swear in the senators. Beforehand, he went over in detail what the oath of office means, asking the senators for their interpretation of it.
Shuman and Nathan Barker, Legislative Director for U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford, then took part in a Q&A session with the senators. Topics included the impact of PAC money, media coverage and bias in coverage of political issues, the urban vs. rural divide, and how division affects the political process.
Barker said it’s important to not focus on “what’s dividing us. Let’s look at those things that affect us. I find it really important when I’m working on a piece of legislation, I want to know the other side of the argument. Even more so I want somebody from the other side of the aisle to be on my side. I try very hard to make sure I bridge that gap.”
Shuman looked back at his time working in the Legion’s Washington, D.C., office as the organization’s Legislative director.
“When I was the chief lobbyist for The American Legon and was on the Hill and fought for our bills, things that mattered to us, I would not introduce a bill unless both a Republican and a Democrat each signed on first,” said Shuman.
Earlier in the day, 2024 Boys Nation President and current junior counselor Morgan Johnson offered up some advice to this year’s participants. He called the program “one of the coolest experiences you’re ever going to have in your entire life, point blank. Period. There’s about 4 million seniors upcoming in your Class of 2026. Tens of thousands attended Boys State. And just 100 of you are here right now. So, in whatever way you got here … you should be incredibly proud of yourself for what you accomplished.
“I want that to not get in your head in one good way or bad way. Don’t let yourself feel like you’re better than anyone else. But also, know why you’re here and be proud of it. Be proud of how far you’ve come here.”
Johnson, a freshman at Harvard, urged the senators to be happy to be just that: senators. “(Being president) is just sprinkles on top. Don’t get caught up in trying to push yourself and get stressed. Try your best. Put yourself out there. But remember how amazing it is that you’re here in the first place, that you have this opportunity.”
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