Two prominent business owners have announced plans to run for state Senate as independents in Addison County, creating a potentially hot five-way race for the district’s two seats.
Vermont Coffee Co. owner Paul Ralston and dairy farmer Marie Audet are running as a ticket.
Ralston, of New Haven, previously served as a Democrat in the Vermont House for four years, before stepping down in 2014 to focus on running his business.
Audet, who owns Blue Spruce Farm with her family in Bridport, is running for public office for the first time. She currently serves on the governor’s climate action commission.
“Everything I’ve done in my life so far has kind of brought me to these crossroads,” she said of her decision to run.
Also competing for the district’s two seats — one left open by Democratic Sen. Claire Ayer’s decision not to seek re-election — 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 elective office. Briggs, who also ran in 2016 and finished third, is a fourth-generation dairy farmer and vice chair of the Addison Selectboard.
The district represents all of Addison County plus Huntington and Buel’s Gore in Chittenden County.
Audet said that agriculture is part of Vermont’s solution to addressing climate change, a perspective she would bring to the table. Her farm was an early adopter of a methane digester, which powers homes. She also has a wind turbine on the property.
Ralston described himself and Audet as “like-minded individuals,” focused on the future of Vermont.
“Over the years we’ve tried to talk each other into running for office,” he said. “This year we decided if we both did it, we’d both do it.”
Ralston said his priority is to hear from constituents and address their issues, such as the opioid crisis, renewable energy, clean water and cost of living.
Audet said the economy and environment are priorities for her.
Ralston said he and Audet decided to run as independents, in part, due to polarization in politics.
“We’re not part of a party system, and the feeling right now is to really focus on principles and philosophy of government, rather than party,” he said.
Ralston and Audet plan to combine energy and resources while campaigning as a ticket.
Democrat Ruth Hardy, also vying for the open seat, said she is pleased that newcomers have joined the race.
“I think anytime there are contested elections it’s good for democracy, so I’m happy to have more people run for office,” she said.
Hardy said the independent challengers won’t change her campaign strategy going forward. She has knocked on around 750 doors so far, and plans to continue connecting with voters.
Few independents have run for state Senate in Addison over the past three decades, and none has been elected. Richard Wagner, the most recent independent candidate, finished third with just more than 18 percent of the vote in 2012.
The closest chance at an independent victory in recent history occurred in the 1992 general election, when Douglas J. Baker came in third in a four-way race. He finished only 6.7 percent of the vote behind Tom Bahre for the second Addison Senate seat.
