PRAIRIE VILLAGE – Another Kansas teenager threw his hat into the ring to run for governor in 2018. 
 
 Tyler Ruzich, 16, of Prairie Village and a junior at Shawnee Mission North High School, filed campaign account papers with the state this week. He considers himself a “moderate Republican,” and gives part of the credit for his decision to run to a Democrat in the race. 
 
 Ruzich said a history teacher had pointed out that in Kansas, there was no minimum age requirement for governor. When news broke in August that a 16-year-old in Wichita, Democrat Jack Bergeson, was running for governor, Ruzich contacted Bergeson. 
 
 Have you ever thought of running? Bergeson asked him, recalled Ruzich. 
 
 You know, he had kind of thought of that, Ruzich said. 
 
 Go for it, go for it, Bergeson encouraged, said Ruzich. 
 
 “Millennials just don’t feel any connection to the election process,” Ruzich told The News in a phone interview Monday. Having two teenagers in the race provides a unique opportunity to capture attention and to encourage youth involvement in politics and government, Ruzich said he and Bergeson agree. 
 
 The News was unable to reach Bergeson. He and his lieutenant governor running mate, Alexander Cline, a fellow junior at Wichita’s The Independent School, were slated to appear Monday evening at the Riley County Democratic Party meeting. 
 
 Republican Gov. Sam Brownback would have been unable to run for a third term in 2018 because of term limits, and he is awaiting confirmation to a State Department post. To date, 16 candidates have launched campaigns to win the governorship in 2018. 
 
 It could be a “very, very interesting election,” Ruzich said. It also will be special one for him. The general election in November 2018 will be the first election in which he will be old enough to vote. He won't be eligible to vote in the August primary, though, because he doesn't turn 18 until Sept. 25, 2018. Bergeson will be too young to vote in both the primary and general elections. 
 
 Ruzich designated himself as his campaign committee chairman. He said he has talked to one of his good friends, Calvin Tran, a junior at Shawnee Mission North, about running as his lieutenant governor. 
 
 “We’ve been partners in debate,” Ruzich said of Tran. 
 
 Ruzich was president of his freshman class at Shawnee Mission North, and a class representative his sophomore year. He is on the Prairie Village Teen Council, which shadows the Prairie Village City Council. The teens can sit on the dais during City Council committee meetings, which is “very, very cool,” he said. The teens also get an in-depth look into city government, he said. 
 
 Ruzich said his parents are progressive and were supportive of Democratic U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, Vermont, in last year’s presidential primary season. Ruzich favored U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, and liked his message of personal responsibility. 
 
 Although he is still developing the specifics of his policy positions, Ruzich described the Brownback Administration’s tax policies as “reckless.” The state gutted taxes for business and has a high sales tax, he pointed out. 
 
 Ruzich does not advocate complete legalization of marijuana, but thinks the focus should be on decriminalization. He also noted that most states allow marijuana for medicinal purposes. 
 
 Telling peers about the political race generally prompts laughs and jokes at first – “’that’s such a Tyler Ruzich thing to do’” he said he's heard – but it’s “a gateway to an engaging conversation,” he said. 
 
 “I can connect to people my age better than Kris Kobach,” Ruzich said. Secretary of State Kobach is regarded as a major contender for the Republican nomination for governor. 
 
 Besides Ruzich, Bergeson and Kobach, other candidates who have set up campaign accounts for a gubernatorial bid are: 
 
 Republicans: Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer, Insurance Commission Ken Selzer, businessman Wink Hartman, entrepreneur Patrick Kucera, and former state legislators Jim Barnett, Mark Hutton and Ed O’Malley 
 
 Democrats: House Minority Leader Jim Ward, former Wichita mayor Carl Brewer, former Agriculture Secretary Joshua Svaty and physician Arden Andersen 
 
 Libertarian: Simulator flight instructor Christopher Rockhold. 
 
 Independent: Pastor Richard Kloos. 

 SHARE COPY LINK Tyler Ruzich, a Shawnee Mission North student, launched a campaign for the Republican nomination this week. He is the second high school student to enter the governor’s race. Shane Keyser The Kansas City Star 
 
 Tyler Ruzich, a Shawnee Mission North student, launched a campaign for the Republican nomination this week. He is the second high school student to enter the governor’s race. Shane Keyser The Kansas City Star
– It's a long shot, but it's possible that when Kansas voters pick a governor next November, they will choose between two candidates whose combined age is currently 32. That's because a second teenager has joined the race. Tyler Ruzich, a 16-year-old junior at Shawnee Mission North High School (and part-time grocery store clerk), announced that he is running as a Republican, reports the Hutchinson News. Ruzich says he was inspired to do so by 16-year-old Jack Bergeson's decision to run as a Democrat. (Kansas has no age restriction for candidates.) “I thought that was just so cool that someone my age was doing that," Ruzich tells the Kansas City Star, which notes that the two teens spoke by phone. "He really started to tell me, well, why aren’t you throwing your hat in the race?'" Ruzich, for the record, describes himself as a "Republican for the next generation" and places himself in the party's moderate wing. In fact, he backed Rand Paul in the 2016 election, though he wasn't old enough to vote. He's got one advantage over Bergeson: Of the two of them, only Ruzich will be old enough to vote in the 2018 general election; he turns 18 on Sept. 25, 2018.