13岁少年宣布参选州长!还顺带指责了川普...
If the oldest man ever elected president can “tweet like a kindergartner,” why not flip the script and see if a youngster can be elected to office and govern wisely? That's part of the logic, anyway, behind the unlikely candidacy of Ethan Sonneborn, a 13-year-old running for governor of Vermont, one of just two states with no minimum age requirement for the office. Sonneborn, who lives in Bristol, Vermont, with his parents and younger sister, Julia, 11, is seeking the Democratic nomination. A candidate's age is no gauge of their effectiveness, Sonneborn tells PEOPLE, saying that despite Donald Trump being the oldest person elected to the U.S. Presidency, “He tweets like a kindergartener.” Sonneborn says he's been dismayed not only by what he sees as Trump's troubling decisions and juvenile moments but also by the president's response after a counterprotester was killed during the August white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia — which is what cemented Sonneborn's decision to seek office. The eighth grader's candidacy is also about overcoming age discrimination, which he sees as a barrier to equality, and he says his quest for the top state spot is no joke. “I saw a woman die and I saw the president of the United States refuse to unequivocally condemn the people who killed her.” “I think the best way to engage young people in the process is to win,” he says. If he wins the primary, he would face off against first-term Republican Gov. Phil Scott, 59. “This young Vermonter clearly has an interest in service and anyone putting ideas forward with the goal of making Vermont a better place is appreciated here,” Scott's spokeswoman, Rebecca Kelley, tells PEOPLE. “As we work to keep and attract more young professionals and job creators, we appreciate every young person who is engaged and invested in our state.” |