Imagine a high school freshman, barely old enough to get a learner’s permit, tossing his hat into the ring for governor of Vermont with a mission to upend the status quo.
In a historic move, Dean Roy, a 14-year-old student from Stowe High School, has launched a campaign to become Vermont’s governor alongside his equally young running mate, Charlie Bass, aiming to tackle housing and youth engagement while founding a new political party, as the Daily Mail reports.
This all started as a playful remark from Roy’s eighth-grade teacher about managing his campaign, a jest that sparked a serious ambition.
After digging into state laws, Roy discovered Vermont stands alone in having no age limit for gubernatorial candidates, unlike most states that require contenders be at least 30.
Now, as a high schooler who can’t even vote or drive, Roy is chasing a dream to be the youngest governor in U.S. history, a record currently held by a 24-year-old from Michigan in 1835.
Joined by 14-year-old classmate Charlie Bass as his pick for lieutenant governor, the duo is pounding the pavement, collecting signatures to secure a spot on the ballot.
Roy’s platform zeroes in on housing as the critical issue, promising to build homes for $150,000 or less to draw younger residents to a state with a median age of 43, trailing only Maine and New Hampshire.
“The cornerstone of my platform is housing, by far housing is the biggest issue for Vermont, for New England and for the country,” Roy declared in a Zoom chat with the Daily Mail.
While some might scoff at a teenager tackling such a complex crisis, his focus on affordability speaks to a real frustration with policies that seem to lock young folks out of the American dream.
Roy also argues that Vermont, home to 84-year-old Sen. Bernie Sanders, desperately needs fresh blood to revive its economy. It's a point that’s hard to dismiss in a state aging faster than a fine cheddar.
“We seriously need new young people in Vermont because our population is aging out. We are a dying state,” Roy told the Daily Mail, hitting on a demographic reality that progressive policies often gloss over.
His blunt take might ruffle feathers among the establishment, but it’s a wake-up call for a state that can’t afford to ignore its shrinking workforce.
Rejecting both major parties, Roy has founded the Freedom and Unity Party, inspired by Vermont’s motto, as he finds the state’s Democrats too far left and the national GOP too extreme. However, he leans closer to local Republican views.
With current Gov. Phil Scott yet to confirm another run and other potential candidates like Attorney General Charity Clark mulling statewide bids, Roy’s campaign. He's backed by supportive parents who own a local pizza shop—stands as the only declared effort so far.
Even if this long-shot bid falls short, Roy’s determination to finish high school online while governing, his legal clearance from the Vermont Secretary of State, and his nearly completed signature collection show a grit that’s rare in any age group, let alone a 14-year-old knocking on doors at the local post office.
