[T]wo young upstart Republicans in two very different districts, an activist for women candidates, and a crowded field for a single open Washington County seat offer compelling narratives in otherwise snoozy races for Senate across the state.
Republicans are poised to recapture the two seats left open by Sen. Carolyn Branagan, R-Franklin, and Sen. Peg Flory, R-Rutland, and have candidates running for the two seats vacated by Sen. Claire Ayer, D-Addison, and Sen. Francis Brooks, D-Washington.
But even if the GOP managed to upend the odds in those Democrat-leaning districts, they would fall short of the 10 seats needed to gain a third of the seats, which would give them some semblance of power in the Senate. In the last biennium, Republicans held seven seats.
Franklin County
Corey Parent, a 28-year-old insurance agent from St. Albans City, has left his seat in the House of Representatives in a bid to replace Branagan, who decided to retire after 16 years in state politics.
Sen. Joe Benning, R-Caledonia, and the Senate minority leader, said Parent is at the fore of efforts to develop a “younger approach” for the Vermont Republican Party.
“Corey is an up and coming Republican,” Benning said. “He has done very good work in the House, I would love to have him in the Senate.”
But Democrats aren’t ceding the seat without a fight. Senate Majority Leader Sen. Becca Balint, D-Windham, said she is confident her party’s candidate, Pam McCarthy, president of the Vermont Family Network, an advocacy nonprofit, has a solid shot at the seat.
“I like that Pam would bring to the chamber a lot of great experience from her work life that I don’t think a candidate like Corey Parent brings to the table yet,” Balint said.
McCarthy is joined by Dustin Tanner, a young, progressive Democrat from Fairfield.
Sen. Randy Brock, who was appointed by Gov. Phil Scott after Dustin Degree took a job in the governor’s administration, is also running. He was the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor in the last election.
Addison County
Competing for the district’s two seats — one left open by Sen. Claire Ayer — are incumbent Sen. Christopher Bray, D-Addison, Democrat Ruth Hardy and Republican Peter Briggs.
Hardy, of East Middlebury, is executive director of Emerge Vermont, an organization that trains and recruits Democratic women to run for elected office. Briggs, who also ran in 2016 and finished third, is a fourth-generation dairy farmer and vice chair of the Addison Selectboard.
Balint said the party was worried about Addison a few months ago due to gun legislation that passed this session, but those worries have been alleviated.
“I think there are more immediate concerns that hit voters,” she said.
Washington County
The race is on for the seat vacated by Sen. Francis Brooks, and both parties have candidates gunning for it. Six Democrats will face off in the primary for three spots on the general election ballot, while Republicans have a full slate of three candidates running.
Balint said she expects incumbents Sen. Anthony Pollina, a Progressive Party leader, and Sen. Ann Cummings, a Democrat, to keep their seats.
That would leave one seat open. Four candidates are vying for the slot: Andrew Brewer, former owner of Onion River Sports; Theo Kennedy, a lobbyist and gelato shop owner; Ashley Hill, a deputy state’s attorney in Washington County; and Andrew Perchlik, who heads the state’s Clean Energy Development Fund.
“We are delighted that so many people have stepped up to run, as it’s not easy to run,” Balint said.
The most prominent candidate on the Republican side is Chris Bradley, a computer systems engineer who was a leading voice in the campaign against new gun laws as head of the Vermont Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs.
Benning said he always sees an opportunity to grab a seat with a full state of candidates.
“You’ve got candidates there that are known and respected,” he said, “and if anyone there joins the Senate, they will listen and be a strong voice for the county.”
Rutland County
Democrats won’t even try to take the seat left by Sen. Peg Flory, R-Rutland, who decided to retire this spring after over two decades in state politics, in this Republican stronghold.
Incumbents Sen. Brian “BC” Collamore, R-Rutland, and David Soucy, R-Rutland, are seeking re-election, leaving three other Republicans — Edward Larson, James McNeil and Terry Williams — to compete for the open seat.
Benning said both Collamore and Soucy, who was appointed to the seat, had proven their effectiveness as senators. Larsen is a former Rutland City alderman; McNeil is a former House representative for Rutland-4; and Williams is a Poultney selectman.
Balint said the Democrats made a decision early on that they would only compete in the district if they could recruit a full slate of candidates to run.
“Sometimes you have to look at the chessboard and say it’s not worth it for us to put time and energy there right now,” she said.
Chittenden County
The six incumbent Democrats in Vermont’s most populous county are running for re-election as a slate.
Balint said the decision to run a united campaign was made by the incuments, not the party. Those seeking to return to their seats are Sens. Tim Ashe (the current Senate leader), Phil Baruth, Debbie Ingram, Ginny Lyons, Chris Pearson and Michael Sirotkin.
Balint said the move will allow them to cover more ground while campaigning in a “incredibly large” district. “I think they felt like together they had a better chance with sticking together,” she said.
They will be facing competition from both sides.
Democratic primary challengers include Val Carzello, Steve May and Finnian Boardman Abbey. Carzello, of South Burlington, works at the University of Vermont library. May is a self-described “longtime progressive-activist” from Richmond, and Abbey is a Jericho resident.
Republicans have thrown their full support behind Alex Farrell, a moderate, young Burlingtonian who has already become a widely recognized political figure in the area. Farrell works as a business intelligence analyst at Union Mutual of Vermont, and is on the city’s board of registration of voters and Neighborhood Planning Assembly Steering Committee.
Benning said he has his “fingers crossed” for Farrell, but acknowledges that Chittenden is a tough district for Republicans.
Campaign finance reports show that Farrell is leading the pack in fundraising, with $22,622 raised and just over $10,000 spent. Two-thirds of those contributions have come from donations of over $100.
“The Chittenden voting bloc is certainly a difficult nut to crack,” Benning said.
The other Republican in the race is Dana Maxfield, of Milton, a sales specialist in the agriculture industry.
Carzello is top among Democrats in campaign contributions, with a little over $2,000 in her campaign coffers so far. All of the other candidates have under $2,000.
Correction: Ashley Hill is a deputy state’s attorney in Washington County; she had been in the same position in Addison County until November.
