By Phillip C. Parrish
Candidate for Governor of Minnesota 2026
Hey — I’m talking straight to you. If you’re 18, 19, or 20 years old in Minnesota right now, you feel it in your gut. The whole system is rigged against you, and nobody in St. Paul wants to admit it.
They told you that when you turn 18, you’re finally an adult. You can vote. You can sign contracts. You can join the military and fight for this country. You can even sit on a jury and decide someone else’s freedom.
But then they turn around and treat you like a child who can’t be trusted with real life.
You can’t rent a car until you’re 21. Most landlords demand credit scores and income levels you haven’t had time to build. They want three times the rent in income or a co-signer — basically telling you to go back home to mom and dad. Building credit feels impossible because you need credit to get credit.
You can’t buy a beer, a pack of cigarettes, a vape, legal cannabis, or even kratom until you’re 21 — because suddenly the state doesn’t trust your judgment.
Yet the same machine that infantilizes you at 18, 19, and 20 spent years telling kids they’re mature enough to make permanent, life-altering medical decisions without their parents even knowing. They’ve turned Minnesota into a refuge for minors to change their names, their bodies, and their futures — often while keeping parents completely in the dark.
They trust a 15-year-old to make irreversible choices, but don’t trust a 19-year-old with a six-pack or an apartment lease.
That’s not compassion. That’s not protection.
That’s manipulation and control.
You’re being used.
The DFL machine and their nonprofit and corporate allies keep you dependent as long as possible — stuck paying sky-high rent to their connected landlords, borrowing from their banks, and relying on their government programs. An independent, strong, self-reliant young adult is a direct threat to their racket. So they squash you with rules, regulations, high costs, and low expectations.
As a former teacher, I learned a fundamental truth: people tend to live up to the expectations set for them. If you treat someone like they’re irresponsible and incapable, most will prove you right. Minnesota’s system has been sending your generation that exact message for years.
You’ve been lied to. You’ve been exploited. And the system is designed to keep using you.
But here’s the truth they don’t want you hearing: You don’t need their permission to win.
You were created for more than basement living, endless dependence, and jumping through their hoops. You were made to work hard, build something real, stand tall, and live free.
Real independence starts by rejecting their game. Learn a trade. Work with your hands. Get on a farm crew or start a small business. Live lean. Pay your bills on time. Build your credit the old-fashioned way — one responsible step at a time. Get roommates you trust and get out of the expensive metro trap if you have to.
The Minnesota our grandparents built wasn’t handed to them by politicians. It was built by young people who bet on themselves.
That’s the Minnesota I’m fighting to restore as your next Governor.
When I’m in office, we’re tearing down the stupid barriers that treat you like children while letting you make the most dangerous decisions of your life. We’re cutting the waste, stopping the grift, and making Minnesota affordable again — for working families and young people ready to build, not just for the connected insiders.
We will get government out of your way so you can actually start your life.
You don’t have to stay stuck. You don’t have to believe their low expectations. The system has been lying to you, but it does not get the final word on your future.
Your life is still yours to take back. Roll up your sleeves, reject their control, and let’s build a Minnesota where young people are free to become everything God created them to be — strong, capable, and independent.
I’m Phillip C. Parrish, and I’m running for Governor to give you that chance.
Let’s do this together.
Phillip C. Parrish
Candidate for Governor of Minnesota 2026
Contact the Campaign:
Email: phillip@parrish4mn.com
Campaign Manager: heidi@parrish4mn.com
Phone: (612) 460-1717
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