Jaylen Smith, an 18-year-old freshman in college, just became America’s youngest mayor in U.S. history.
Smith just graduated from Earle High School and now he is the mayor of Earle Arkansas.
He said although he was “confident” he’d win the runoff election Tuesday, he was still shocked when he received news of the victory. Smith will serve as the mayor of the town of just under 2,000 people which borders Memphis, Tennessee.
“I felt so grateful! I had the craziest facial reaction when I won! It was such a blessing,” Smith told NBC News. He added that his parents were proud of him and were a major source of support in his campaign “every step of the way.”
Smith received 218 votes while his opponent, Nemi Matthews Sr., got 139, according to The Hill.
The young man decided to run for mayor at the beginning of his senior year in high school. He talked about understanding the historic significance of his win.
“It feels awesome. Generations and generations of people will read about this historical moment,” he said.
Smith has plans when he enters the office that focuses on transportation, public safety, and bringing a major grocery store to the city. He has a passion to increase the town’s access to food sources.
“We had one a long time ago, but it closed,” Smith said about the now-closed grocery store. “Our seniors don’t have transportation to get to and from West Memphis to get food. So it would be better to have a grocery store here in town.”
Right now Smith is attending Arkansas State University. He hopes that his pursuit of this position will inspire other young people to get involved in politics.
“Go for it!” he said. “It would be good for more young people to step up to the plate and say, ‘I want to be the change. I want to be the leader people want to see in my community.’”
