This past summer, Sam Cao knocked on the front door of a house in Mason, Ohio. When a woman answered, he handed her a pamphlet. Then he asked a question that surprised her: Will you vote for me?

    At the time, Sam was 17. He was hoping to get elected to serve in the Ohio state legislature. That’s the government body that makes the state’s laws. First, he had to win the primary election on August 2. Then he would have to win the general election in November.

    As part of his campaign, Sam knocked on more than 2,500 doors. Many voters wanted to hear his ideas about how to make his state better.  Others slammed the door in his face. A few said he was too young to be a state legislator. 

    Would Sam be able to prove them wrong?

    This past summer, Sam Cao knocked on the door of a house in Ohio. A woman answered. He handed her a pamphlet. Then he asked a question that surprised her: Will you vote for me? 

    Sam was 17. He hoped to get elected to serve in the Ohio state legislature. That’s the government body that makes the state’s laws. First, he had to win the primary election on August 2. Then he would  have to win the general election in November.

    As part of his campaign, Sam knocked on more than 2,500 doors. Many voters listened to him.  Others slammed the door in his face. Some said he was too young to be a state legislator.

    Would Sam be able to prove them wrong?

    This past summer, Sam Cao knocked on the front door of a house in Mason, Ohio. When a woman answered, he handed her a pamphlet. Then he asked a question that surprised her: Will you vote for me? 

    Sam, who was 17 at the time, was hoping to get elected to serve in the Ohio state legislature. That’s the government body that makes the state’s laws. First, he had to win the primary election on August 2. Then he would have to win the general election in November.

    As part of his campaign, Sam knocked on more than 2,500 doors. Many voters expressed interest in his ideas for making his state better, while others slammed the door in his face. A few said he was too young to be a state legislator.

    Would Sam be able to prove them wrong?

    Sam wasn’t always interested in government. In eighth grade, his favorite thing to do was to make videos and post them on YouTube.

    One day Sam heard that a candidate for president of the United States was coming to his town. His name was Andrew Yang. Sam asked if he could interview Yang for one of his videos. To his surprise, Yang said yes. 

    Sam had fun doing the interview. Like Sam, Yang is Asian American. “The fact that someone who looked like me was able to run for president was amazing,” Sam says. 

    Yang inspired Sam to get more interested in politics. But it wasn’t until this past January that he got the idea to run for office himself.

    Sam wasn’t always interested in government. In eighth grade, he loved to make videos and post them on YouTube.

    One day Sam heard that a candidate for president of the United States was coming to his town. His name was Andrew Yang. Sam asked if he could interview Yang for a video. Yang said yes.

    Sam enjoyed meeting Yang. Like Sam, Yang is Asian American. “The fact that someone who looked like me was able to run for president was amazing,” Sam says.

    Sam was inspired to learn more about politics. But it wasn’t until this past January that he thought of running for office himself.

    Sam wasn’t always interested in government. When he was in eighth grade, his favorite activity was making videos and posting them on YouTube.

    One day Sam heard that Andrew Yang, a candidate for president of the United States, was going to visit his town. Sam asked if he could interview Yang for one of his videos—and to his surprise, Yang said yes.

    Sam enjoyed doing the interview. Like Sam, Yang is Asian American. “The fact that someone who looked like me was able to run for president was amazing,” Sam says.

    Yang inspired Sam to get more interested in politics—but it wasn’t until this past January that he thought about running for office himself.

    It all started because Sam had some ideas about how Ohio could do a better job handling Covid-19. 

    His teacher encouraged him to email his state legislator to share his thoughts. 

    When Sam looked that person up, he saw that the lawmaker was stepping down from the job. That gave Sam an idea: Could he run for the seat? 

    Sam and his mom met with election officials to find out the answer. A person has to be 18 to run for the state legislature in Ohio. The officials said that since Sam would turn 18 before the November election, he could be a candidate.

    Sam decided to do it. 

    “Government affects everyone, including young people,” he says. “Shouldn’t we be represented?” 

    It started because Sam had ideas for how Ohio could do a better job handling Covid-19. His teacher said he should email his state legislator to share his ideas.

    Sam looked that person up. The lawmaker was leaving the job. Sam wondered: Could he run for the seat?

    Sam and his mom met with election officials to find out. Here’s what they learned: You have to be 18 to run for the state legislature in Ohio. Sam would be 18 before the November election, so he could run.

    He decided to do it. “Government affects everyone, including young people,” he says. “Shouldn’t we be represented?” 

    It all started because Sam had some ideas about how Ohio could do a better job handling Covid-19. His teacher encouraged him to email his state legislator to share his suggestions.

    When Sam looked that person up, he discovered that the lawmaker was stepping down from the job. That gave Sam an interesting idea: Could he run for the seat?

    Sam and his mother met with election officials to find out the answer. A person has to be 18 to run for the state legislature in Ohio. The officials explained that since Sam would turn 18 before the November election, he could be a candidate.

    Sam decided to do it.

    “Government affects everyone, including young people,” he says. “Shouldn’t we be represented?” 

    At first, Sam’s friends couldn’t believe he was running. They thought it was a big joke. They nicknamed him “Mr. Politician” and teased him when he talked about the campaign.

    But then word got out about Sam. He was interviewed by reporters. He was invited to give speeches. By July, Sam had 22,000 Twitter followers. His campaign had raised more than $20,000. He bought yard signs and printed pamphlets to give to voters. 

    Soon, Sam’s friends were among his biggest helpers. His family pitched in too. Instead of hiring a big, expensive team of people, Sam relied on them. His campaign manager was a friend from high school. His mom responded to emails and booked events. His dad took care of the money. 

    When he knocked on voters’ doors, Sam wore shorts and a T-shirt, not a suit. He thinks his age was actually a good thing. “People saw a kid knocking on their door, not a politician,” he says.  

    At first, Sam’s friends couldn’t believe he was running. They thought it was a joke. They nicknamed him “Mr. Politician.” They teased him about the campaign.

    But then word got out about Sam. Reporters interviewed him. He was invited to give speeches. By July, Sam had 22,000 Twitter followers. His campaign had raised more than $20,000. He bought yard signs and printed pamphlets to give to voters.

    Sam’s friends got excited. They helped him. His family helped too. Sam didn’t need to hire an expensive team of people. His campaign manager was a friend from school. His mom answered emails and booked events. His dad took care of the money.

    When he knocked on doors, Sam wore shorts and a T-shirt, not a suit. He says his age helped him. “People saw a kid knocking on their door, not a politician,” he says. 

    At first, Sam’s friends couldn’t believe he was actually running. They treated the idea like a big joke, calling him “Mr. Politician” and teasing him when he mentioned the campaign.

    But plenty of people took Sam’s plans seriously. Sam was interviewed by reporters and invited to give speeches. By July, he had 22,000 Twitter followers, and his campaign had raised more than $20,000. He bought yard signs and printed pamphlets to give to voters.

    Before long, Sam’s friends were among his biggest supporters. Instead of hiring a large, expensive team to run his campaign, Sam relied on friends and family. His campaign manager was a friend from high school. His mother responded to emails and booked events, and his father managed the money.

    When he knocked on voters’ doors, Sam wore shorts and a T-shirt, not a suit. He thinks his age was actually an advantage. “People saw a kid knocking on their door, not a politician,” he explains.  

    Shortly after Sam decided to run, a woman put in her name to run against him in the primary. From the beginning, the two got along. This is rare in politics. “We tried to show there is such a thing as a friendly campaign,” Sam says.

    That woman ended up winning. But Sam still considers his campaign a huge success. 

    Why? He helped show that young people have good ideas and care about the world. He proved that it’s possible to run a positive campaign.

    And he hopes he inspired other teens to follow in his footsteps. 

    Shortly after Sam decided to run, a woman put in her name to run against him in the primary. The two got along. That’s rare in politics. “We tried to show there is such a thing as a friendly campaign,” Sam says.

    That woman won. But Sam sees his campaign as a success.

    Why? He showed that young people have good ideas and care about the world. He proved that a campaign can be friendly.

    And he hopes he inspired other teens to follow his lead. 

    Shortly after Sam decided to run, a woman put in her name to run against him in the primary. The two got along well, which is rare in politics. “We tried to show there is such a thing as a friendly campaign,” Sam says.

    That woman ended up winning the primary, but Sam still considers his campaign a tremendous success.

    After all, he helped show that young people have valuable ideas and care about the world. He also proved that it’s possible to run a positive, respectful campaign.

    And he hopes he inspired other teenagers to follow in his footsteps.