This Jewish Teen Is Seriously Running for Governor in Kansas, and I think this is fantastic! [CohenForKansas2018](https://www.cohenforkansas.com) Ilan Cohen is a 17-year-old from Maryland that has never stepped foot in the state of Kansas. The main reason he decided to try for this seemingly odd campaign is to show the youth of America that politics are not just for "the grown-ups." His generation complains seemingly endlessly about society, but until now there has not seen many teens standing up and trying to fix it. He feels in a sense; his campaign transcends party politics. Too often, the real political debate is stifled by poisonous political culture. We can’t recognise that the other side has valid ideas, even if we disagree with them, so we don’t engage in trying to understand them. For the future of an informed democracy and a unified America, we need to encourage young people to join in the political debate and engage in the political process. Ilan Cohen has always been motivated by a deep passion for civic engagement and politics. Whether it was asking his parents if he could skip school in first grade to knock on doors during the 2008 Presidential campaign in Ohio or joining his school's debate team and various political clubs throughout his high school, civic engagement has always been a central element to his identity. Ilan Cohen says it's a great honour for him to be able to get this belief of mine out there to a broader group of people and he can’t wait for the chance to make a difference, both in Kansas and across America. https://static.wixstatic.com/media/abb386_3d93922bd52a4809b712b21a1366b020~mv2.jpg/v1/crop/x_0,y_0,w_768,h_768/fill/w_440,h_440,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01/abb386_3d93922bd52a4809b712b21a1366b020~mv2.jpg Ilan Cohen said declaring his candidacy was surprisingly simple,

I went on the website, entered my name, my address, phone number and email address, and then I did the same thing for my treasurer, and then maybe one more time, and then I pressed submit. I didn’t have to show ID or prove that I’m a citizen of the United States or anything. It’s a straightforward process.

Why did he pick Kansas? It's one of the few states that allow anyone of any age to be a candidate for governor — although there is a proposed bill on the table to raise the minimum age to 18. Ilan Cohen is not the first teen to declare his candidacy. Jack Bergeson, was the first 17-year old that registered to run — he likely has the edge over Ilan Cohen, because he lives in the state of Kansas. Both teens point out that the state of Kansas has been a red state since 1968 and they would like to change that and address education inequalities and gun control.

Ilan Cohen plans to attend college when he graduates next year; he says he will assume the governorship if he is elected:

If I win governor of Kansas, we’ll see what schools there are in the area. It’ll be difficult to balance being a college student and governor. However, it is my promise to the people of the great state of Kansas that I will try my hardest.

If I lived in Kansas, I would certainly vote for Ilan Cohen. There’s no place like home, right? (The information and picture in this post were found on the web. I only reworded and presented it here on my blog). [Meet the Jewish teenager from Maryland running to be governor of Kansas](https://www.jta.org/2018/02/27/news-opinion/meet-jewish-teenager-maryland-running-governor-kansas?_ga=2.260933709.1948558749.1519784398-1075682659.1519784398) https://i.imgur.com/MNIu1fT.png * [Scented Food for thought?](https://steemit.com/food/@ozhiya/scented-food-for-thought) * [Random views from the Dames Point Bridge in Jacksonville, Florida](https://steemit.com/photography/@ozhiya/random-views-from-the-dames-point-bridge-in-jacksonville-florida) * [Getting creative with my Instagram photos with collage art](https://steemit.com/photography/@ozhiya/getting-creative-with-my-instagram-photos-with-collage-art) https://i.imgur.com/MNIu1fT.png Thanks for your support! Please feel free to comment, vote, resteem and or create your very own post on the subject matter or whatever you wish. If you create a post feel free to link it when you leave a comment. I value each and every vote, comment and resteems that I get. Hopefully you will find my posts inspirational and continue to check back for future ones! Many thanks for your support! #teenager #jewish #governor #kansas #america #usa #alirivka #ozhiya