Review: KID CANDIDATE Documentary Is a Quirky Heartfelt Look at the Changing World of Small Town Politics

I got the chance to sit down and watch the documentary Kid Candidate from director Jasmine Stodel ahead of its premiere tomorrow, and it was such a delight. The doc follows Hayden Pedigo, a 24-year old experimental musician who decided to run for city council after making a spoof campaign video that went viral.

After making the video that sees him canvassing the city of Amarillo, Texas, with a measuring tape, wearing a Goodwill jacket and tie, he got 70,000 hits in 24 hours. This made him really sit back and wonder if a run at city council wasn’t just a funny idea for a video, but an actual attainable dream.

The movie dives into Pedigo’s upbringing and his pure love of the growing historical town of Amarillo, Texas, and his insecurity of being in the public eye. Pedigo runs a campaign with no donations, unlike the five-digit budgets run by some of his incumbents.

Pedigo is the most honest and kind person, a total deviation from your typical view of politicians. The underdog has you rooting for him the entire time. I won’t spoil the outcome for the election, but this documentary is such a delight. I have gravitated toward lighter content since the pandemic, and this was so good and heartwarming.

Kid Candidate premiered this year at SXSW Film Festival to critical acclaim, and will be available On Demand and Digital tomorrow, July 2, 2021.