STOWE, Vt. (AP) 鈥� Looking back, gubernatorial candidate Dean Roy says his political ambitions started in the eighth grade. And by that he means, last year.
After working as a legislative page at the Vermont Statehouse, the 14-year-old freshman at Stowe High School now has his sights set on the corner office. In November, he’ll be the first candidate for governor under age 18 to appear on the state’s general election ballot.
鈥淚 don’t expect necessarily to win,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hat I do expect is to start the movement, and get more young people to come in behind me and say, 鈥榊eah, we also want to make change.鈥欌��
Another eighth-grader, Ethan Sonneborn, sought the Democratic nomination for governor in 2018 but finished last in a four-way primary. Roy secured his spot in the general election by creating his own third party, the Freedom and Unity party. Both were able to run because the state constitution sets no minimum age for gubernatorial candidates, requiring only that candidates have resided in the state for four years.
鈥淚 know it sounds crazy, a 14-year-old running for governor, but honestly, look at the people in charge right now,鈥� Roy said in a post on his campaign鈥檚 Instagram page. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e been doing this forever and things still aren鈥檛 working.鈥�
Nearly all other states set minimum age requirements for governor, often 30 years old. In Kansas, lawmakers added a requirement that gubernatorial candidates be at least 25 years old in 2018 after ran for office.
Peter Teachout, a professor at Vermont Law and Graduate School, has a different take than Roy on Vermont’s constitution. He points to a section in the document referring to what qualifies someone to be 鈥渆ntitled to the privileges of a voter,鈥� and that is that they must be 18 years of age. Even under Roy’s interpretation, Teachout doesn’t predict a win for the teenager.
鈥淚n theory, a 4-year-old could run for governor. Should we be worried about it? No,鈥� he said. 鈥淰ermonters can be a little cantankerous and provocative just for the fun of it, but it is not something they are likely to support in this context.鈥�
But Roy’s former history teacher, James Carpenter, said he thinks it’s great that Roy is giving it his all. Though most 14-year-olds aren鈥檛 concerned with property taxes or health care, Carpenter describes Roy as an 鈥渙ld soul鈥� with endless curiosity.
鈥淚t just really shows what type of kid Dean is. He鈥檚 very earnest in what he鈥檚 doing. There鈥檚 no gimmick behind this,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think he blends that youthful optimism with some pragmatism that few kids have.鈥�
Roy, who said he doesn’t identify with either major party, said housing is the most important issue facing the state. He’s also thought about how he’d juggle school with a full-time job as governor, saying he’d consider online classes and would do his homework at night after work.
The current governor, Republican Phil Scott, applauds Roy鈥檚 interest in politics and public service but questions whether someone so young is ready for the responsibilities that come with running a state.
鈥淗e believes it鈥檚 important for our youth to get involved,鈥� said press secretary Amanda Wheeler. 鈥淏ut the Governor also believes that a teenager may not be best suited to serve in that role given the lack of experience and lived perspectives youth have at that point in their lives.鈥�
Roy disagrees that age has anything to do with whether a candidate is fit to run for office.
鈥淲hat I鈥檓 aiming for is that these career politicians look at me and they say, 鈥極h my God, he actually has a chance to disrupt things,鈥欌�� he said. 鈥淚f I can get people to think that I am a threat to them, then I know that鈥檚 been a success. Because what I want is to show them that the youth have a voice. We鈥檙e gonna make change. The future is now.鈥�
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Associated Press reporter Holly Ramer contributed to this report from Concord, New Hampshire.
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