The Kid Who Ran for President

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1996

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Prologue-Chapter 2

Chapters 3-6

Chapters 7-10

Chapters 11-12

Chapters 13-14

Chapters 15-16

Chapters 17-18

Chapters 19-22

Chapters 23-24

Chapters 25-26

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Chapters 17-18Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 17 Summary: “Let the Kid Run!”

After the Associated Press article about Judson runs, several newspapers print follow-up stories that cite the passage in the Constitution that states someone must be at least 35 years old to run for president. Lane points out that the Constitution also allows for amendments and argues all they have to do is get 2/3 of Congress to propose an amendment and make sure ¾ of the states vote for it.

Judson doesn’t think this is very likely until the next day when an article in The New York Times urges the age restriction on political office be dropped. The article sparks a national debate, resulting in kids across America refusing to do their chores or eat their vegetables. After three weeks, public opinion forces Congress to vote, and Amendment XXVII (the Lemonade Stand Amendment) is added to the Constitution, which states any United States citizen’s right to run for office “shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on account of age” (98).

Chapter 18 Summary: “Pols and Polls”

Judson introduces his competitors for president—current President George White, whose approval ratings dropped earlier that year after his dog pooped on an ambassador during a televised event—and Senator Dunn from Virginia. Meanwhile, more donations come in for Judson’s campaign. Lane gets a bunch of kids to help out, all of whom work diligently because Lane promised that Judson would set a minimum allowance for kids if elected. When Judson argues he can’t promise that, Lane tells him not to worry because it’s only a campaign promise, and he doesn’t “have to actually do it” (103).

Judson and Lane make enough money for campaign commercials. Though they make several, Judson’s favorite features him on a football field. He starts at the one-yard line and works his way to the goal, all the while saying he doesn’t know anything, such as how to start a war or raise taxes. Judson shoots from 1% to 10% in the polls the day after this commercial airs.

Chapters 17-18 Analysis

In Chapter 17, the satire extends to the voters and their process. In response to the debate about whether Judson can run for president due to age, kids across America stage protests. Rather than marching or organizing in public, they make life difficult for their parents (the voters), hoping their behavior will result in their parents supporting Judson to reestablish normalcy. Lane’s idea to get an amendment added to the Constitution and the subsequent addition of Amendment XXVIII both praises and mocks the political system. In praise, it shows the forethought of the Founding Fathers to make it possible for the Constitution to be amended and how that process has benefitted many of America’s citizens. However, it also mocks the process by having it happen in a matter of weeks when the process in real life would take much longer.

The title of Chapter 18 is a play on words. Polls refer to the opinion polls that show how favored candidates are by the public. Pol, by contrast, is short for a politician, something Judson is starting to feel like as a result of his campaign and making promises he has no intention of keeping (abolishing homework and, now, setting a base allowance rate). His football field commercial foreshadows his climb in the polls, as well as winning the election in Chapter 26. At the beginning of Chapter 18, Judson has a 1% approval rating, and in the commercial, he starts at the 1-yard line and moves toward the 100-yard line (victory) while saying what the public wants to hear. Ironically, the things that Judson doesn’t know are what help improve his ratings.