A 14-Year-Old Is Running for Governor in the United States

Can a 14-year-old upset an American election?

Update: No. Ethan Sonneborn managed only eight per cent of the vote in the Democratic Primary for Governor of Virginia. Instead, Christine Hallquist won, becoming the first trasngender candidate to win a major political party's nomination for governor in the United States. The original story follows.

Though it’s tempting to accuse the current American president of acting like a child, he is, legally speaking, an adult.

But an actual kid is having a crack at running for office in the United States, with 14-year-old Ethan Sonneborn canvassing for votes in a Vermont election.

Sonneborn is challenging sitting Vermont governor Phil Scott, thanks to a technicality that makes it totally fine for an underage person to seek the governor’s office, according to the AP.

It turns out there is no age restriction in Vermont to get on the ballot, unlike in most other American states; a contender need only have lived in the state for at least four years. And the 14-year-old Sonneborn has never lived anywhere else.

Sonneborn has only raised about $US1,700 for his campaign, on a platform that’s pro LGBTQI-rights, pro universal healthcare and pro carbon tax.

He was apparently inspired to get into politics following the riots in Charlottesville one year ago. He also enjoys low-key trolling President Donald Trump.

And in case you thought this was all still a joke, here’s a clip of Sonneborn’s closing remarks as part of the competing Vermont Democrats’ debate. Check out the adults to his left who are definitely psyched to compete against a teenager.

Ethen's unlikely to be selected as the Democratic contender in this week's Primary, but he did get co-signed by fellow teen activist, David Hogg, so that's something.

Header Image: Facebook (@ethansonneborn2018)