A white-haired politician who came of age during the civil rights movement and was a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War has inspired a handful of Southwest Washington millennials to try to change today’s political landscape.

Bernie Sanders has “catalyzed a movement,” said Kaitlyn Beck, 20, who is running to be a state representative in the 49th Legislative District.

“He’s given a voice to people who were traditionally thought not to be running for office,” Beck said. “We’ve got people of color, LGBT individuals, people who have been living in poverty their entire lives who are like, ‘I want to do this. I want to make my community better.’ ”

The five candidates, all Democrats, currently live in Vancouver.

Some still live with their parents. Others can’t legally drink. But they are politically engaged and believe it’s time for a demographic shift in Olympia.

Not long ago, millennials — defined as having been born between the early 1980s and the early 2000s — were cast as reluctant to run for office and categorized as generally finding elected officials untrustworthy.