By: Hannah Zhang

John F. Kennedy, the youngest president in office after Theodore Roosevelt, will always be remembered as the president who led us through the Cold War. Now, as if taking after JFK’s legacy, another young president may soon step into the office. Presidential candidate Ron DeSantis will be 46 years old on the Inauguration date, making him the youngest president since the beloved JFK—but only if he is elected.

Being over three decades younger than our candidates in 2020, Mr. DeSantis is one of the only candidates who have children that are not yet grown. As of today, his young children are 6, 5, and 3.

Mr. DeSantis rarely talks about his age, but some speculate that he relies on subtler ways to hint at his youth and the advantages that come with it.

Some believe that Mr. DeSantis’s goal is to make himself distinct from his rival candidates, which include President Joe Biden and former President Donald J. Trump. According to the New York Times, “Voters have expressed about the age and fitness of both men, especially Mr. Biden.”

Mr. DeSantis’s views vary from other people in his age bracket, evidence suggests. Mr. DeSantis has a negative view towards abortion, as a Republican candidate, while many his age are in favor of legal abortions. Additionally, Mr. DeSantis has decided to focus more on our adaptation to climate change instead of reducing the effects of it.

Because of his dissimilar views from most others his age, only 40% of voters his age favor Mr. DeSantis. Although Mr. DeSantis does not seem to appeal to people of his age bracket, he does have a “natural knack for capturing youthful enthusiasm,” according to the New York Times.

Unlike many, Mr. DeSantis highlights his worries as a parent on a regular basis. His children have joined his campaign for the presidency.

Mr. DeSantis’s family-centric image has sometimes been proving to work out in his favor. According to the New York Times, a Democratic voter, Janie Jackson stated that “I [she] don’t [doesn’t] like him as a politician, but I [she] think [thinks] he is a good father and husband.”

Before Mr. DeSantis became involved in politics, however, he “pitched and played third base to help lead his baseball team to the Little League World Series in 1991,” according to Politico. His team finished in sixth place.