In four years, Chehalis resident Ethan Brunton hopes to become the youngest governor in U.S. history.
At the age of 15, he is not currently eligible to run for governor, but he will turn 18 just in time to register for the 2028 primary election.
Brunton said he will announce his candidacy to the community for the first time publicly on July 16 during a campaign speech at the Vernetta Smith Chehalis Timberland Library.
The speech will be the first of a series of appearances he hopes to make in the area at public locations such as the library. That’s partly because, as a minor, Brunton cannot legally accept campaign donations.
However, Brunton sees his youth as a strength, not a weakness. Echoing a call from many politicians before him, he notes that he is not a career politician but rather a community member looking to serve.
To those who wonder about his age or question the experience of someone so young, Brunton said results should matter more than age and that the current powers-that-be are not delivering those results.
“Experience means nothing without results. We've seen the same political system fail over and over again,” Brunton said. “I'm willing to work harder and smarter than anyone. Young people often feel ignored in politics … I want to give them a real voice in that aspect and have someone relatable in office.
As a teenage politician, representation for younger generations is baked into his campaign, a stark contrast from much of American politics. The average age of this year's U.S. congressional members is 58, and the last two U.S. presidents to take up residence in the White House were 78 on the day of their inaugurations, with president Trump being 70 on the day of his first inauguration and 78 on the day of his second. President Trump is the oldest president elected in U.S. history, with former President Biden holding the record previously.
Along with leveraging his youth to his advantage, Brunton plans to run as a Republican and on a platform largely in line with the party's priorities.
His goals, he said, are to address the housing and fentanyl crises along with lowering the tax burden on average Washingtonians.
Brunton pitches himself as a youth with a deep passion for public service and leadership. The student has worked as a volunteer for Timberland Regional Library and currently does work with a local nonprofit that he preferred not to name.
If Brunton were to be elected, he would not only be the youngest governor in state and U.S. history, he would follow the legacy of young people being elected in the state of Washington, with many of them coming from the state's southwest region.
Most recently, 18-year-old Lilian Hale, R-Cathlamet, became the youngest person to serve as a Washington state legislator last year when she was sworn in as a proxy for her stepfather, Rep. Joel McEntire, R-Cathlamet, during the 2024 legislative session.
Just a few years earlier, a legislator from Ferndale, Simon Sifzek, became the youngest ever Washington State senator in 2022 when he was appointed to the position by the Whatcom County Council after the death of Sen. Doug Erickson. Sifzek was 22 years old when he was sworn in and served as the senator for Washington’s 42nd Legislative District for the 2022 legislative session.
Even earlier, Chehalis attorney and prominent member of the community J. Vander Stoep was elected to the Washington state House of Representatives in 1980 at the age of 23, becoming, at the time, the youngest ever member of the state's lower house.
