From the Associated Press: STOWE, Vt. (AP) — Looking back, gubernatorial candidate Dean Roy says his political ambitions started in the eighth grade. And by that he means, last year.
After working as a legislative page at the Vermont Statehouse, the 14-year-old freshman at Stowe High School now has his sights set on the corner office. In November, he’ll be the first candidate for governor under age 18 to appear on the state’s general election ballot.
“I don’t expect necessarily to win,” he said. “What I do expect is to start the movement, and get more young people to come in behind me and say, ‘Yeah, we also want to make change.’”
Another eighth-grader, Ethan Sonneborn, sought the Democratic nomination for governor in 2018 but finished last in a four-way primary. Roy secured his spot in the general election by creating his own third party, the Freedom and Unity party. Both were able to run because the state constitution sets no minimum age for gubernatorial candidates, requiring only that candidates have resided in the state for four years.
The report notes that most states have a minimum age of 30 for someone to run for governor. In 2018, Kanas added a law requiring gubernatorial candidates be at least 25 years old after six teens ran for office.
Although running under his own newly-formed party, many of the policies Roy is promoting appear to align with progressive Democrats. On his Instagram page, he has been pushing out daily videos outlining what he stands for.
In one post in July of last year, Roy declared that he will “stand for LGBTQ+ rights and reproductive freedoms,” and vowed to “strengthen ties with Canada and the EU.”
In another post, he claimed he will lower property taxes by taxing short-term rentals and large corporations.
Roy said in a video posted to Instagram earlier this month that he is running as a “centrist.”
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In a post on March 1, he ranted against the US-Israeli airstrikes against Iran.
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In a video this week, he wildly claimed that ICE is spying on Vermont citizens, by collecting people’s social media data using AI.
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He also claimed the electoral college should be eliminated:
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Dean Roy, a 14-year-old freshman in Vermont, is set to be the first candidate for governor under age 18 to appear on the state’s general election ballot. https://t.co/HFyjNETKIa pic.twitter.com/vAZiq6wyWM
— ABC News (@ABC) March 27, 2026
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