Politics: Five Rising Stars Aged 25 and Under- Former Vernon CT resident

Politics: Five Rising Stars Aged 25 and Under: "John Kleinhans, 20, Vermont Politics

When John Kleinhans fidgets with his BlackBerry in class, it's possible that he's checking Facebook. But it's more likely that he's texting with Vermont state representatives, some of whom he taught how to text in the first place. Kleinhans is barely an upperclassman at Vermont's Lyndon State College -- he'll be a junior this fall -- but he is already a significant presence in the Vermont Republican Party." Kleinhans is barely an upperclassman at Vermont's Lyndon State College -- he'll be a junior this fall -- but he is already a significant presence in the Vermont Republican Party. He's spending the summer working as the campaign coordinator for Mark Snelling, a candidate for lieutenant governor. In that capacity, Kleinhans is with Snelling around the clock, doing a little of everything -- prepping the candidate for interviews, driving, sitting in on editorial meetings, working on strategy, and more. The two met on the campaign trail last fall, during Kleinhans's unsuccessful run for secretary of the Vermont Republican Party Executive Board.

"I saw him on the campaign trail a bunch and we got to talking," Kleinhans said. "It was a perfect fit. I think he respected my work for the College Republicans, which is how I wound up where I am."

In his freshman year of college, Kleinhans became the country's youngest state chairman of the College Republicans. Under his leadership, the Vermont College Republicans went from a membership of five to around 150 active students, Kleinhans said. He's also been named one of the top 12 college Republicans in the country by the College Republican National Committee, an organization for which he serves as Northeastern regional vice chairman. And in his spare time, Kleinhans is student body president of Lyndon College.

"All young people should be involved in politics because it's our future that people are deciding," Kleinhans said. "It's also a lot of fun. You can connect with leaders across the country, you can go and have conversations with the governor, the lieutenant governor, and they actually listen to you."

What's Next?

"In the direct future, I'm contemplating a run for chairman of the CRNC (College Republican National Committee) -- that's still in the very beginning thinking process, but we're working on it," he said. "I also plan to go to law school. At some point I may try to seek public office, but I love what I'm doing right now. I'm having a lot of fun."