BY JADEN MOUNT
The primaries are less than one week away here in the state of Kansas and no race lacks its bundle of candidates, particularly for the governor election this coming November. Tyler Ruzich is the youngest candidate running for the Republican nomination. He is currently seventeen-years-old but will be eighteen by the time of the general election.
Ruzich’s campaign for the nomination centers around his personal experience in the public school system.
“I would just say it’s really my experience as a public school student, ” said Ruzich. “Being educated in the public school system, that really played a part in me deciding to run for governor. ”
Ruzich is one of two Republican primary candidates who has received an “F” rating by the National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund. Such a rating suggests the said candidate is a “True enemy of gun owners’ rights. A consistent anti-gun candidate who always opposes gun owners’ rights and/or actively leads anti-gun legislative efforts, or sponsors anti-gun legislation.”
Despite this, Ruzich firmly stands that he is a pro-gun candidate but does support background checks.
“I told them,” Ruzich said, “that I’m a very, very pro-gun candidate. That I don’t believe in, really, much more individual restrictions on law-abiding citizens, those that can pass a background check. You know, when I believe those law-abiding are responsible and mentally healthy citizens, they shouldn’t have any more restrictions on them.”
Ruzich is also a supporter of a minor increase in corporate taxes for businesses with over 50 employees as well as equal rights “regardless of race, religion, sex and LGBTQ+ identification”, according to his website.
If you would like to cast your vote for Ruzich on the August 7 primary, you must be a registered Republican voter and a resident of Kansas. For more information on voting in your area, please contact the local Kansas Department of the Treasurer office.