While running for class president at Minster High School, Derrick Seaver never dreamed he would ever be running for a spot in the Ohio House of Representantives, let alone winning it. Seaver at the ripe age of 18 is the youngest member of the Ohio House and serves as a representative for the 85th district, which covers part of Auglaize and Shelby counties. A conservative Democrat, he is anti-abortion and pro-Second Amendment. He admits his stance on the two issues were crucial to winning a district that has been a Republican stronghold for the last 14 years. “Those two particular issues are very important to me and my district,” Seaver said.The Democratic Party also supported Seaver during his campaign, advising him on how to get his name out. Seaver’s mentor, Rep. Jack Ford, Lucas County, highlighted the last two weeks of Seaver’s campaign as key.”We felt he was closing in on the polls and contributed $11,000 to his campaign for cable spots and direct mail,” Ford said. “It was a tremendous boost.”Seaver recently co-sponsored a bill that creates “choose life” license plates. Regarding gun control, he is for a conceal and carry bill and against safe storage.”Pro-Second Amendment advocates must stick together on these two issues,” Seaver said.However, he does not plan to sponsor a bill anytime soon.”I’m going to take a couple of months to get settled, sit back and see what comes out. The conceal and carry bill, I would consider to sponsor if it has not been brought to the table,” he said. Seaver is also against the 12th grade proficiency tests. As the only person in the House who has taken the tests, he may be able to give some insight on the issue.”The tests do more harm than good. The school board should compare student to student.”Last week, Seaver co-sponsored a bill that would eliminate 12th grade proficiency tests. The bill’s primary sponsor is Kevin Coughlin, Summit County.”The accountability should be on the local level. The state needs to take their hands off the issue,” Seaver said.For OSU students, Seaver is in favor of higher education funding and student trustee voting rights. “The students should have a say in who is on the board of trustees.”Even with his conservative views Seaver has no desire to switch parties. Ford admits there’s a chance for Speaker of the House Larry Householder to sway Seaver to the Republican side, considering he won in a 62 percent Republican district. “Derrick sits next to me,” Ford said. “I told him to articulate what is good to you and your district, and I will support it.” Seaver’s interest in politics was sparked in the eighth grade by the movie JFK. His first political endeavor, the Young Democrats of Auglaize County, was organized in 1998 and is still active without Seaver at the helm.In the future, Seaver is considering becoming a government teacher. Right now he plans to attend Wright State University in the spring and prepare to run for office again in two years.