The Vermont Democratic Party has shunned H. Brooke Paige — a perennial, obscure Democratic statewide candidate — after he made derogatory comments on Facebook about a party staffer.
Paige, who is running in the Democratic gubernatorial primary, accused Brandon Batham, the chair of the Windham County Democrats, of being a “flatlander” in a lengthy Facebook post. Paige made the comment after he was left out of a gubernatorial primary forum.
Paige has also made other unkind remarks about Batham’s weight on Facebook, some of which have since been deleted.
Paige wrote that you “Can’t miss [Batham] in a crowd!” in one Facebook comment, writing in another “I’m guessing this piece of meat is tipping the scale well over 300 lbs, – I guess the Dems are getting their money’s worth!”
The Vermont Democratic Party sent a letter to Paige, a Washington resident, requesting he refrain from attending “all future events sponsored by the Vermont Democratic Party” because of his Facebook screeds. The party also refunded $245 Paige contributed to the state party this election cycle.
“The Vermont Democratic Party is committed to protecting our staff and volunteers from harassment and bullying,” the unsigned letter reads. “Your comments violate the policies that we as a Party and as a staff strive to uphold. This includes respecting all Vermonters – something we expect of all of our candidates.”
In response, Paige sent a five-page letter to the VDP, claiming his expulsion was unfair.
“The most amusing aspect of all of this is the childish view that I somehow ‘bullied’ Mr. Batham — what the heck?” Paige wrote. “I had assumed this was the ‘big leagues’ of rough and tumble politics.”
Paige continued his attack on Batham in the letter to party officials, calling him “think-skinned” and accusing him of “running to the party elite for protection.”
While Paige has not received much attention, he will be on the Democratic gubernatorial primary ballot alongside Peter Galbraith, Matt Dunne and Sue Minter. He is simultaneously on the Democratic primary ballot for attorney general, running against Chittenden County state’s attorney T.J. Donovan.
Paige accused the party of banishing him in order to “remove an inconvenient candidate from the Democratic political landscape.”
