KENOSHA — A Carthage College student is taking his passion for politics from the classroom to the campaign trail — announcing his run for Wisconsin governor at just 22 years old.
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Zachary Roper, a political science major at Carthage College, says his message is simple, it’s time for change and unity.
“We need new leadership in office,” Roper said. “The old guard has been there for quite some time, and with the younger generation coming in, we need change that is more suitable and adaptable to the current climate of today.”
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Roper says his campaign centers on improving education, raising teacher pay and fixing Wisconsin’s aging infrastructure.
“We can’t keep passing budgets that don’t show that education needs work and infrastructure doesn’t need work,” he said. “We need to get that passed immediately.”
The 22-year-old says his passion for leadership started early — back in third grade — when he watched former President Barack Obama’s inauguration speech.
Watch: 22-year-old Carthage student steps into Wisconsin governor’s race
“It kind of just resonated with me of something I want to do. I want to help people,” Roper said. “Every day I’ve worked towards that goal, slowly but surely. The people need to be heard."
Roper is the youngest candidate in the race so far. He says whether he wins or loses, he hopes to inspire more young people to get involved and bring a fresh perspective to Wisconsin politics.
“We need to work together,” Roper said. “We can’t keep leading through division; we need to work to get things across the aisle, and to get things accomplished."
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