House Democratic leaders unveiled their 2016 slate of candidates Thursday morning, a list of 111 people of various backgrounds, ages and hometowns.
“House Democrats have a proven track record of fighting for Vermont’s hardworking families, and we are working to win in November to continue this mission,” said House Majority Leader Sarah Copeland-Hanzas in a news conference on the Statehouse steps.
Vermont Republican Party officials did not return multiple calls Thursday from VTDigger seeking the number of GOP candidates running. The deadline for filing was the close of business Thursday.
More than 45 percent of the announced Democratic House candidates are female. Seventeen of the 111 are younger than 40, including 11 first-time candidates.
Three of the young first-timers spoke about their political priorities Thursday, from raising the minimum wage to expanding cellphone coverage.
“At the age of 22, the most important issue to me is the war on opiates,” said Jay Hooper, a candidate in Orange-Washington-Addison. “Additionally, I want to create a climate of opportunities where young Vermonters like me can live, work and grow their businesses.”
“I have the youth perspective,” Hooper added. “I have insights that are going to be very beneficial to a graying General Assembly, with all due respect.”
Georgia resident Caroline Bright, 25, who ran unsuccessfully for a Franklin County Senate seat in 2012, said she hopes to bring her ideas to the House.
“I will fight to protect our most vulnerable, I will work hard for Vermont families, and I will work toward common-sense solutions so that we can work together to solve the challenges that we are facing as a state,” Bright said.
Dylan Giambatista is anything but a stranger to the Statehouse. The 30-year-old spent two years as chief of staff to House Speaker Shap Smith, who is running for lieutenant governor.
“I want to go out into my community, I want to hear what people are thinking, and I want to bring their voices back to Montpelier,” said Giambatista, who is running to represent Essex Junction.
Democrats have been reaching out to communities across the state for months, working to recruit candidates. Copeland-Hanzas said she was happy to have candidates running for at least 111 of the 150 House seats, though she acknowledged that 150 candidates would be ideal.
“It’s not without a bit of trepidation that people decide to step in in the first place,” she said. “It’s a little bit like your first day of middle school where you hope that if you put yourself out there, people will like you.”
The secretary of state’s office won’t have the full list of legislative candidates until Wednesday, when town clerks are required to have submitted candidates’ information.
By late Thursday, 215 candidates had registered to run for seats in the Senate and House, although the number wasn’t broken down by party.
