Ethan Sonneborn
Ethan Sonneborn (born May 24, 2003) is an American high school student from Bristol, Vermont, who was a candidate for Governor of Vermont in the 2018 Democratic primary.[1]
Though at 14 years old he was not old enough to vote, the Vermont Constitution only requires candidates for governor to have lived in the state for the previous four years.[2] It does not have an age requirement to run for office and does not require its candidates to be registered voters.[2][3] Sonneborn indicated some prior experience in student government and had previously served as a page in the Vermont state legislature.[3][4]
Campaign for governor[edit]
Sonneborn began his campaign when he was 13 years old.[2] The election was held a few weeks before he entered his freshman year of high school.[4] His campaign was focused on healthcare for all, the environment, economy, and education.[5] Had he won, he would have been the youngest governor in Vermont's history.[5]
Sonneborn told his parents, Dan and Jenna, and his younger sister Julia, about his intention to run only after announcing his candidacy in August 2017 via a press release to a local newspaper.[6][3][4] He participated in several candidate forums and was taken seriously by his primary opponents.[3][4] He said he was inspired to run following the racial violence at the Unite the Right rally in 2017.[6] If elected, he promised that he would continue his education through a homeschooling-type program outside of normal business hours as governor.[citation needed]
The Washington Post said Sonneborn was an "emblem of what can happen when a young citizen identifies an issue, finds his voice and decides to get involved in the political process. What can happen when they seize on the power of that rhetoric, and those tweets, and Obama-style grass-roots organizing, and insist that others listen."[3] Shortly before the primary election, Sonneborn participated in a debate on Vermont public radio with fellow Democrats Christine Hallquist, James Ehlers, and Brenda Siegel. He performed respectably and was treated as a serious candidate by all parties involved.
The primary election was held on August 14, 2018. Sonneborn finished with approximately 4,696 votes and 6.71% of total votes cast among the four listed candidates.[7] His best showing was in Addison County, which includes his hometown of Bristol, where he finished in third place with 13.04% of the vote.[7] In Bristol, he finished in second place, with 136 of the 590 votes cast.[8]
Similar races[edit]
Several other teenagers ran for Governor in Kansas[3], the only other state that did not have an age requirement as of the 2018 elections.[9][10]
Moreover, in Vermont, Finnian Boardman Abbey, a 16-year-old, ran for a state Senate seat. Vermont has restrictions to be elected to a public office, but none of them are age requirements.[3]
References[edit]
- ↑ Cross, Caleigh (2018-05-24). "Bristol teen tilts for top office". Stowe Reporter. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 McCullum, April (August 8, 2018). "Meet the 14-year-old running for Vermont governor". Burlington Free Press. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Epstein, Kayla (August 9, 2018). "This 14-year-old is running for governor before he can even vote". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Robinson, Adia (August 14, 2018). "14-year-old is running to be Vermont's next governor". ABC News. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Luz Henning Santiago, Amanda (August 14, 2018). "The website for Vermont's 14-year-old gubernatorial candidate has convinced me he's fit for the job". Mashable. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 O'Keefe, Ed (August 14, 2018). "14-year-old Ethan Sonneborn hopes to inspire with bid for governor of Vermont". CBS News. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Vermont Election Night Results". Vermont Secretary of State. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
- ↑ "OFFICIAL RETURN OF VOTES" (PDF). Town of Bristol. August 15, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
- ↑ "This 14-year-old is running for governor". CNN. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
- ↑ "Colyer signs bill setting minimum age to run for governor". ljworld.com.
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