Around New England

14-Year-Old Running for Governor of Vermont

August 1, 2018

Ethan Sonneborn, 14, is appearing on the Democratic primary ballot later this month and now that school is out he is campaigning just about every day — driven by his parents.

Bernie Sanders, Howard Dean, and Barack Obama are his political heroes.

Sonneborn told Seven Days that the toughest thing about running for high office is “finding a way to show voters that I’m a candidate with practical, progressive ideas who just happens to be 14, instead of a 14-year-old who just happens to have practical, progressive ideas.”

Vermont is one of two states in the country that have no minimum age requirement for governor. So if Sonneborn wins the primary Tuesday, August 14, he’ll be the Democratic nominee. If he wins the general election in November, he’ll be the governor.

But win or lose, he’ll be a freshman at Mount Abraham Union High School in the fall.


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