Kansas Teenagers Run for Governor
American students are stepping up and speaking out against the limits of a two-party system, student loans, marijuana laws, immigration, and gun control.
In Kansas, six high-school students are taking it a step further: they are running for governor. And it’s no joke. These teenagers are sincere, motivated, and ready for change.
Kansas state law does not have a minimum age requirement to run for governor.
Of course, there are a number of experienced adult politicians running for governor as well. But the teenagers, who make up roughly one-third of all the candidates, are fighting against party leadership to speak out for their generation.
“I may be too young to vote, but I am not too young to see the problems in Kansas that the government should be, but is not, working to fix," said Jack Bergeson, a 17-year-old Democrat.
Another candidate, Aaron Coleman, is the only independent of the six teenage candidates, and he says he believes that neither Democrats nor Republicans fully represent him. He wanted to run as an independent to give Kansans a choice other than “the lesser of two evils.”
Joseph Tutera, 16, is the youngest of the six candidates. He argues that his age is not an issue, noting that he feels older, more experienced politicians have not been able to provide for the people of Kansas.
