John Kleinhans has grown up surrounded by politics, and this year, he’ll be trying his own hand at the national level.
“I want to be leading the force of taking back the White House,” he said.
Kleinhans, who is serving his first year as Student Government Association president, will be announcing his candidacy for National Chairman of the College Republicans on Nov. 19 in New Orleans, La., which happens to be his 21 birthday as well.
“I’ve been pretty active on the national level,” Kleinhans said. “Right now I’m the Northeast Chairman of the College Republicans. I represent Maine to Maryland. It’s been an incredible experience.”
The National Chairman position would take Kleinhans away from Lyndon State if he is elected, at least for the time being.
“It’s a paid two-year term in Washington D.C. You’re in charge of running the national group of College Republicans,” he said. Some responsibilities of this position include fundraising money, running a field of operations program, and coordinating election efforts.
The campaign process will take Kleinhans across the country to every state, but he said he will be able to complete his term as president of the SGA this year.
“The election is in June, so obviously I’ll finish out my tenure as student government president,” he said. “But past that, I eventually want to finish my degree at Lyndon. We have great leaders here. This is definitely the place for me.”
Kleinhans is currently in his third year at Lyndon. While this is his first year as president of the SGA, he was previously the secretary, and a former leader of the Lyndon State College Republicans. He has been involved in numerous campaign efforts, including auditor Tom Salmon, Mark Snelling, John McCain, and others. He has also interned for Tucker Carlson in Washington, D.C.
The National Convention, where the results of the election will be announced in Washington D.C., will take place in either June or July, Kleinhans said.
While a campaign across the country will take up much of Kleinhans’ time, he is still focusing on what Lyndon students want and need through student government.
“The number one goal is to be as much of a voice of the students as possible,” he said. This includes getting more students involved, continuing a green initiative, and to create strong student committees. He wants more student involvement on campus.
“There’s a tremendous amount of ability to communicate,” he said. “Your voice can literally be heard.”