The Christian Science Monitor

Forget prom king – they're running for governor

Tyler Ruzich – "rhymes with music," he says with a smile – decided to run for governor of Kansas as a Republican after Democratic teen candidate Jack Bergeson encouraged him to make the youth movement bipartisan. He is 17, but will be eligible to vote in time for the 2018 elections in November.

Jack Bergeson, the garrulous 17-year-old Democrat running for Kansas governor, hadn’t even bothered to put his phone number on his campaign website until recently – because everyone already seemed to have it.

“National networks all have my stuff,” says the young Mr. Bergeson, nibbling on a few fries at his parents’ Wichita burger joint. “They can get ahold of me if they want.”

It’s a Saturday, and he has been up since 4:30 a.m., when he headed to Kansas City for a CNN interview – only to be displaced at the last minute by the latest Trump drama. “They’re going to reschedule me, hopefully. I don’t know when. But they said they would.”

At least five other teenagers, and, briefly, a dog named Angus, have followed Bergeson’s lead since he discovered one

How it all beganNot welcome on the debate stageWhat their peers are saying

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from The Christian Science Monitor

The Christian Science Monitor2 min readPolitical Ideologies
Civic Joy In South Africa’s Vote
Thirty years after South Africa ended its violent system of racial segregation called apartheid through peaceful elections, it may be poised for another watershed moment: a transition from one-party rule to pluralism and power-sharing. For the first
The Christian Science Monitor4 min readPolitical Ideologies
Young Poles Led A Political Revolution. Now They Need To Learn Patience.
Life in Poland is finally moving in the right direction, says Łukasz Dryżałowski. The Warsaw-based engineer-turned-filmmaker helped rally friends and strategize how and where to vote six months ago, in an election that saw 69% of Poles under 30 turn
The Christian Science Monitor5 min readInternational Relations
Historic Israeli Desire To ‘Go It Alone’ Is Tested By Gaza And Iran
As the world grows increasingly critical of the war in Gaza and pressure builds for a permanent cease-fire, Israel finds itself torn between two inclinations: cooperate with the international community that rallied to its side after Hamas’ attack in

Related Books & Audiobooks