Vermont voters are accustomed to unusual politics, but a freshman in high school launching a gubernatorial bid is testing the boundaries of what even the Green Mountain State has seen before.
According to PEOPLE, Dean Roy, a 14-year-old from Stowe, has entered the race for governor — a move Vermont allows because it places no age limits on candidates for statewide office.
Far from shying away from the disbelief his age invites, Roy is leaning into it.
“I know it sounds crazy, a 14-year-old running for governor,” he said in a video he released on Instagram on Nov. 11. “But honestly, look at the people in charge right now. They’ve been doing this forever and things still aren’t working.”
Roy argues the state needs fresh thinking, not more experience. He frames his campaign as an invitation for Vermonters to reconsider who is capable of leading.
“I’m not pretending that I know everything,” he told supporters in the same video. “But I do know this: Vermont deserves
better. And maybe the first step toward real change is taking a chance on something different, even if that change comes in the form of a 14-year-old.”
His platform centers on affordability and a trimmed-down state government. Roy promises tax relief for families and small businesses, housing reforms, and a rejection of Gov. Phil Scott’s paused electric-vehicle mandate. He also vows “no new restrictions of any kind on guns, construction, or farming,” outlining what he describes as a commitment to “personal freedoms.”
Roy is not running inside either major party. Instead, he has launched a third-party bid under the Liberty and Union Party banner — a decision he says gives him a clearer path to getting on the ballot. He’s approaching the 500 signatures required, though he admits persuading voters can be unpredictable.
“A few people just say no,” he told ABC News. “Which is totally reasonable. I understand why they do.”
The teen is realistic about his odds. In an interview with the Stowe Reporter over the summer, he said he doesn’t expect to beat Gov. Scott. But he views the campaign as a way to introduce himself to voters and begin building a political future.
If he did win, Roy says he wouldn’t abandon school. Instead, he would switch to virtual instruction.
“It’d be hard, but I can do it,” he told ABC News.
Roy is not the first teen to test Vermont’s open-door rules for political candidates. In 2018, 13-year-old Ethan Sonneborn mounted a Democratic bid for governor.
Before launching his run, Roy served as a legislative page in Montpelier last winter. He told the Stowe Reporter he was hoping for a recommendation from Sen. Bernie Sanders for a similar page position in Washington, D.C.
If he manages to surpass the steep odds before him, Roy would become the youngest governor in American history — a distinction he says isn’t the point, but also doesn’t shy away from.
