Sen. John Rodgers, D-Essex-Orleans, has been one of the loudest opponents of gun restrictions this legislative session, and now that Republican Gov. Phil Scott is prepared to sign three gun control bills into law, the senator from Glover says he is pondering a run for the state’s top office.
Rodgers made the announcement during a Statehouse press conference Tuesday where he and other pro-gun rights lawmakers urged Scott to veto S.55, which makes sweeping changes to the state’s gun laws. The governor intends to sign the bill Wednesday.
“I could see myself running as a Democrat, an independent, and even a Republican,” the 52-year-old Rodgers said. “I’ve always run as a Democrat, that’s where I’m comfortable. I think that’s where I would most likely run.”
He was among the most vocal critics during debate in the Senate last month of S.55, a bill his colleagues in the chamber advanced on a 17 to 13 vote. Two other bills that allow police to seize guns from violent or dangerous people were passed unanimously.
During the debate on S.55, Rodgers often referred to his rural background (he was raised on his family’s dairy farm in the Northeast Kingdom) and efforts by those moving into the state from outside to change the state’s culture.
“When I was young it seemed like that people who moved here, moved here because they loved it here and they embraced our values and our heritage, and didn’t want to change them,” he said. “It seems now like we’ve been overpopulated by people for different reasons and aim to take much of that away.”
Those comments have drawn the ire of the Essex County Democrats, who wrote this week that they would withdraw their support for Rodgers ahead of his upcoming re-election bid if he didn’t stop making remarks about so-called flatlanders (out of state visitors and residents).
“To disagree on policy is one thing,” Laura Wilson, chair of the Essex County Democratic Committee, wrote in a commentary. “To engage in ugly innuendo about fellow Vermonters is another matter altogether and does little to foster a spirit of cooperation. It is divisive and damaging.”
Whereas the two gun seizure bills have received broad unanimous support as they have moved through the Legislature, S.55 has proven highly divisive. It expands background checks to private sales, limits a magazine size to 15 rounds for a handgun and 10 for a rifle, increases the age to purchase a firearm to 21, and bans the rapid-fire aiding devices called bump stocks.
Rodgers questions the enforceability of many of the bill’s provisions and says they will only take away rights from law-abiding Vermonters. He believes the ban on high-capacity magazines is a violation of the constitutional right to bear arms.
He said Tuesday that prior to the consideration and passage of S.55, he had no intention of running for governor.
“There’s been a whole bunch of people asking me to run, many of them are sportsmen, many of them are not Democrats,” he said.
Rodgers, who flirted with running for lieutenant governor two years ago, said if he enters the campaign for governor this year he intends to have a broader platform that extends beyond gun rights. He highlighted economic issues and energy reforms among his top priorities.
“One of my main focuses would be on improving our rural economy,” he said. “The urban areas are doing good in the state, and I think the rural economy is struggling.”
Rodgers offered no specific timeline for making a decision on whether to enter the race, though he said a big part of that consideration would be managing his construction company on top of campaigning.
“We’re going to be pretty busy this summer,” Rodgers said, adding that he also planned to start up a hemp business with his son after the legislative session. “The thought of a statewide campaign is a little daunting on top of everything else I have to do.”
Should he run as a Democrat, Rodgers would face at least three candidates in the August primary who have announced intentions to seek the governor’s office. They include Christine Hallquist, former CEO of Vermont Electric Cooperative, James Ehlers, director of Lake Champlain International, and Ethan Sonneberg, a middle schooler.
On the Republican side, Scott is seeking his second term in office while Keith Stern, a grocery store owner from Springfield and a Trump supporter, is making a bid for Scott’s job.
Rodgers’ colleagues say he could have the greatest impact as an independent, turning the general election into a three-way race and splitting conservative votes with Scott.
Scott, who previously had said he saw no need for more gun restrictions when he ran two years ago, has said he was “jolted” into changing his position.
That jolt, according to the governor, came after an 18-year-old man from Poultney was arrested in mid-February in what police say was a foiled plot to shoot up his former high school in Fair Haven.
Eric Davis, a political analyst and retired Middlebury College political science professor, said in a recent interview that an independent candidate with a pro-gun agenda would change the dynamics of the general election.
In a three-way gubernatorial battle, Davis said, a pro-gun independent could siphon away Republican support from Scott, making the governor potentially vulnerable to a Democratic candidate.
Evan Hughes of the Vermont Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs said Tuesday that before committing to supporting a candidate he would need to see that person’s platform. Hughes said gun club members have been reaching out to Rodgers.
“They find him and Sen. (Joe) Benning very convincing,” Hughes said, referring to the Rodgers and his fellow state senator, a Republican from Caledonia County.
He said Rodgers’ opposition to S.55 is “a plus factor.”
Asked if he thought Vermonters would vote solely on the issue of gun restrictions, Hughes replied, “Absolutely.”
House Minority Leader Don Turner, R-Milton, said Tuesday that while he may align with Rodgers on S.55, there are many other issues to also consider in deciding on who to support for governor.
“I’m not going to support a Democrat,” Turner said, later adding, “I’m not going to sit here and say I’m going to vote against the governor based on this one bill.”
Conor Casey, executive director of the Vermont Democratic Party, said that before Tuesday he was not aware that Rodgers was considering entering the race for governor.
“The question I would have, just looking at this for the first time, would be, is this a single-issue campaign, and if so, it would be an issue we fundamentally disagree on,” he said. “The Democratic Party platform is pretty explicit that we do support universal background checks and other measures to prevent gun violence.”
Ultimately, Casey said, it would be up to the party’s state committee to decide on which candidate or candidates to endorse in the primary.
Casey said while candidates can often differ on certain issues within the party platform, gun legislation has recently been in the forefront.
“This is one of the major issues coming out of the Statehouse,” he added.
