Candidate can drive change, not a car
Democratic governor hopeful in Vermont is 14
BURLINGTON, Vt. — One of the four Vermont Democrats seeking the party nomination to run for governor in the fall election isn’t old enough to vote, let alone drive.
“I think Vermonters should take me seriously because I have practical progressive ideas, and I happen to be 14, not the other way around,” Ethan Sonneborn, of Bristol, said in a gubernatorial forum. “I think that my message and my platform transcend age.”
The Vermont Constitution doesn’t have an age requirement for people seeking the state’s highest office beyond having lived in the state for four years before the election.
That was enough to encourage the teen to collect the signatures needed to place him on the primary ballot.
He said he’s long been fascinated with the concept of building coalitions. Robert F. Kennedy most embodies that for him.
Sonneborn said his decision to run grew out of frustration with state and national politics. The teen learned he could, then decided to do so as a gut reaction to the clashes in Charlottesville, Virginia, one year ago.
His July finance report shows
Ethan has raised just over $1,700, not enough to make him competitive.
Still, Ethan has been on the stage with Vermont’s other Democraticcandidates. It might be a stretch to call the other candidates traditional politicians.
Former utility executive Christine Hallquist says her experience and ideas make her the best choice as Vermont’s next governor, but outside Vermont she’s pitching herself as someone who would, if elected, become the nation’s first transgender governor. James Ehlers, an environmentalist, and Brenda Siegel, a dance festival organizer, also are running.
In January, two Vermont lawmakers introduced a bill that would require candidates to be registered voters. The proposal went nowhere. At a recent news conference, Republican Gov. Phil Scott said he thought lawmakers should look at who should be able to run.
“I think you should at least be able to get your driver’s license at the time that you become governor,” said Scott, who is seeking re-election and is facing businessman Keith Stern in the Republican primary.