Starting early: 11-year-old Lexington boy says he's running for Congress
LEXINGTON, Ky. (FOX 56) — It's not unusual for a political candidate to launch a campaign on social media, but it's uncommon for the candidate to be as forward-thinking as William Huffman of Lexington.
At just 11 years old, William can't run for Congress until 2038, but he recently announced on Instagram that he is throwing his hat into the ring now.
Starting early: 11-year-old Lexington boy says he's running for Congress
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William Huffman: 'The reason for that is you need momentum to, you know, get there to win,' William said. 'It's like a horse. You just can't send it straight off. It has to have training.'
William, a fifth grader at Christ the King School, has been around politics all his life. His dad, Stephen, is a lobbyist and was chief of staff for former Lt. Gov. Steve Pence. His mother, Kim, is also a familiar face in Frankfort. William has traveled many times with his parents to the state Capitol and the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
William has pictures of himself alongside both Republican and Democratic newsmakers, such as Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), as well as Sen. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). He promises to be a politician who works the middle.
William said, 'I feel like it's way too divided right now. I feel like every candidate just hates each other at the moment.'
He's friends with Sixth District Congressman Andy Barr (R-Ky.), but he wants his job. What if he has to run against Barr 13 years from now?
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'The primary shall state it,' William said with a smile.
His dad never pushed William's interest in politics, but he said he often finds his son watching news coverage of the Kentucky General Assembly. It was on a recent vacation when his parents realized how serious he was about running a campaign.
Stephen Huffman said, 'We were in Florida, and in his final two hours, he could've been at the pool or on the beach like the other kids, but he was in the business center making his logo for his run for Congress.'
William writes and records his own speeches, which he posts to X and Instagram, and has a slogan in mind: 'Bringing common sense to Congress,' because, he says, 'common sense is not common.'
William said he has big ideas on how to improve health care and cut government waste, a platform that will become clearer as he gets closer to the election. After all, that's years away. His dad knows he may have to help William run a campaign someday.
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Stephen said, 'I guess so. I'll be ready to write a check.'
William may have plenty of time, but he's not missing opportunities to drum up support.
Recently, he was asked if he wanted to say anything when he was invited to sit in on a meeting of the state House transportation committee. He leaned into the microphone and told the lawmakers, 'I'm going to run for Congress in 2038, and I'm going to win.'
William Huffman hopes central Kentucky voters will get to know his name now and, maybe someday, they can put an X by it.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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