Have you ever wanted to ask a politician, or someone in a position of power, a tough question but were too afraid to ask?
Well, that’s what 15-year-old Quinn Mitchell, an aspiring journalist from New Hampshire, has been doing — posing pointed questions to presidential candidates at public forums.
But not everyone is so happy about that.
In “Known for His Pointed Questions, a 15-Year-Old Is Ejected From a G.O.P. Event,” Neil Vigdor writes about some recent encounters that Quinn has had on the campaign trail:
It was the type of tough question a Republican presidential candidate might get on a Sunday morning talk show, only the person asking it was 15: Quinn Mitchell wanted to know if Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida believed that former President Donald J. Trump had violated the peaceful transfer of power on Jan. 6, 2021.
Video of the uncomfortable exchange at a June 27 town hall in Hollis, N.H., for Mr. DeSantis, who dodged the question, ricocheted online. So did the pair’s next encounter at a July 4 parade in Merrimack, N.H., where a video showed Quinn, an aspiring journalist, being shooed away by a handler for the Florida governor.
But the teenager said he was not prepared for what happened on Friday, when he was briefly ejected by police officers from the First in the Nation Leadership Summit, a candidate showcase organized by the New Hampshire Republican Party. The two-day event in Nashua, N.H., featured Mr. DeSantis and most of the G.O.P. field, but not Mr. Trump.
“They said, ‘We know who you are,’” Quinn, who has his own political blog and podcast, said in a phone interview on Saturday from his home in Walpole, N.H., referring to the organizers of the summit.
Quinn, who received a guest credential for the summit from the state’s G.O.P., said a person associated with the event had told him that he had a history of being disruptive and had accused him of being a tracker, a type of political operative who records rival candidates.
The next thing he knew, Quinn said, he was being led to a private room and was then ushered out of the Sheraton Nashua hotel by local police officers. His ejection was first reported by The Boston Globe.
Jimmy Thompson, a spokesman for the New Hampshire Republican Party, said in a text message on Saturday that the teenager’s removal had been a mistake.
Students, read the entire article and then tell us:
What question would you like to ask a politician or person in power? What would you hope to learn? How do you think the person might react to your query?
How much do you follow politics? Does it feel relevant to your life as a teenager? Do you think being able to talk face-to-face with a politician would help you feel more engaged with political issues?
What’s your reaction to 15-year-old Quinn Mitchell and the pointed questions he has posed to political candidates like Governor DeSantis? What does his story tell you about the power of young people’s voices?
According to his website, Quinn has attended more than 80 presidential campaign events since he was 10, and he has his own political blog and podcast. Does he inspire you to become more interested in politics or journalism?
Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public and may appear in print.
Find more Student Opinion questions here. Teachers, check out this guide to learn how you can incorporate these prompts into your classroom.
