TEEN LEARNS ABOUT POLITICS

Political conventions are for kids, too.

That's the take from Cy Hudson, the 17-year-old son of delegate Angela Hudson, of Jeffersonville, who tagged along for some political clarity.

"I've been considering myself a Republican for many years. And now I have a lot of questions and things I hope will be answered," said Hudson, a senior at Choate Rosemary Hall School in Wallingford, Conn. "I thought the convention could answer some of those questions."

Hudson is among several sons and daughters of Hoosier conventioneers -- including U.S. Rep. Mike Pence's children -- who tagged along with their political parents to attend the Republican National Convention in New York.

Monday's speeches, Hudson said, helped resolve his uncertainties about the reason the United States went to war with Iraq.

"I thought (Sen. John) McCain and (former New York Mayor Rudolph) Giuliani gave really good defenses on the war on terror and why it was important, and that really made me think about it."

Hudson isn't certain whether politics is his calling, however.

"I'm not sure where my life's gonna lead at this point, but definitely being here at the convention makes you think a little more about (a career in politics)."

Story by Allison Gardner, 14, and Jordan Denari, 13, of Y-Press, an Indianapolis-based nonprofit youth news group that writes stories for The Star's Sunday Indiana Living section.