Youth statement: Lakeland teen files to run for U.S. House, though too young to serve

Lately, it seems that political discussions often revolve around age.

President Joe Biden is running for re-election at age 80, and the leading Republican contender, former President Donald Trump, is 77.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that she will seek another term at age 83. Two incidents in which Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell became rigidly speechless during public appearances have drawn attention to his age — 81.

At the other end of the age spectrum, Alex Peterson has filed to run for the U.S. House at age 18, though that makes him too young to actually serve. While there is no mandatory retirement age in Congress, U.S. House members must be at least 25. (The age minimum is 30 for senators.)

Peterson submitted paperwork in August to run in U.S. House District 15, hoping to challenge first-term incumbent Rep. Laurel Lee, R-Tampa. The district covers northwest Polk County, including most of Lakeland west of U.S. 98 and South Florida Avenue, and parts of Hillsborough and Pasco counties.

In his statement of candidacy, Peterson listed Lakeland addresses for himself and his political committee. Peterson, a first-year student at the University of Florida, said he recognizes that he is too young to take office.

“It was more so a statement that our generation is politically involved,” Peterson said of his decision to run. “We do have the ability to not only vote but also to make ourselves politically heard. Yeah, that was more so the idea behind the candidacy.”

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Peterson said he has split time in recent years between North Lakeland and Riverview in Hillsborough County, following his parents’ divorce. A 2023 graduate of Bell Creek Academy in Riverview, he plans to study history at the University of Florida.

Will he be on ballot?

Peterson is one of only two potential challengers to file so far in District 15. Kris Fitzgerald, a former Lake Wales city commissioner, is running as a Democrat.

On the website of the Federal Election Commission, Peterson is listed as an Independent Party candidate, though he said he intended to run as a non-party candidate. As of Friday, he had not reported any campaign contributions or expenditures.

Peterson said he has no illusions of being elected and would consider it a victory to see his name appear on ballots next year. But that prospect seems in question.

While the FEC enforces rules for congressional candidates, each state determines which are listed on ballots. In Florida, each candidate must submit an oath affirming that they are qualified to run for and hold the office being sought.

Mark Ard, a spokesperson for the Florida Department of State, said in an email that the Division of Elections "reviews documents to ensure statutory requirements of the form are met," citing a Florida statute.

"However, it is beyond the purview of the Department to determine if the contents of the paperwork are accurate," Ard wrote. "The candidate filing the paperwork must certify that the information provided in the paperwork is true and correct."

Ard cited another statute, under which knowingly making a false declaration on a candidate form is a third-degree felony.

Aubrey Jewett, a professor of political science at the University of Central Florida, said that several people have served in the U.S House of Representatives before the age of 25. All of his examples, however, come from at least 150 years ago.

William C..C. Claiborne of Tennessee gained election in 1797 at age 22 and was re-elected two years later, still not old enough to take office under constitutional guidelines. The House allowed Claiborne to serve after both elections.

Three others began serving at age 24 after being elected in the 19^th century — James Wharton of Tennessee, William King of North Carolina and David Dickinson of Tennessee. John Y. Brown of Kentucky was elected at age 24 in 1859 but had turned 25 before being sworn into office.

No one younger than 25 has been elected to the U.S House since the Civil War, Jewett said.

Low engagement among young

While the Constitution clearly states that anyone serving in the U.S. House must be at least 25, Jewett said it is not entirely clear whether a state could allow a younger candidate to be elected and wait until turning 25 to take office.

“More broadly, there is an argument to be made that we need a wider variety of ages serving in the House,” Jewett said. “Young people often feel that they are not well represented by the U.S. House and that most politicians are not stressing the issues they care about most. This is one reason often given for the low voter turnout of people under age 30.”

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The participation rate for voters ages 18 to 29 was about 31% in the 2022 general election, according to the Brookings Institution, at least 16 percentage points lower than that for any other age group.

The median age of current U.S. House members is 57.9, the Pew Research Center reports. In the Senate, the median age is 65.3. Lee, the incumbent in District 15, is 49.

“I believe that in the House of Representatives and in Congress, there is a very large, disproportionate representation — I mean, you've seen it in the House and Senate, a lot of the people who are in there are, I don't want to use ‘old’ because that feels a little bit disrespectful, but a lot of them are pushing in their 70s and 80s,” Peterson said. “And my statement is more so, ‘Hey, listen, young people are able to be politically active, too.’ It's not just people who are well into their 50s, 60s or 70s.”

Peterson said he favors term limits for members of Congress, a prospect the elected officials are unlikely to impose upon themselves.

A Central Florida district last year elected the youngest member of the U.S. House, Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Orlando, when he was 25.

Bartow native Adam Putnam, a Republican, gained election to the U.S. House at age 26 in 2000. He served five terms in the House and two as Florida’s commissioner of agriculture.

“I think it is great that this young person is interested in running, but my advice would be find a way to serve where he is legally able and then turn to running for Congress when he is constitutionally eligible,” Jewett said.

Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on X @garywhite13.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Lakeland teen files for U.S. House, though too young to serve