A group made up mostly of electoral first-timers are banding together in 2020 promising an alternative vision for the Republican party.
John Klar, a Republican gubernatorial hopeful and self-described “rural populist,” is leading the coalition calling themselves “Agri-publicans” (a mashup “agriculture” and “Republicans.”)
With the announcement of four candidates for statewide races, the coalition is already putting more Republicans on the primary ticket than the party managed in 2018.
Many of the Agri-publican candidates have backgrounds running their own businesses, and a focus on agriculture and the economy is what unites the group. Klar said the candidates offer an alternative to the Democratic, Progressive and mainstream Republican parties.
“In a way, we’re asking everyone to be purple for an election cycle,” Klar said at a press conference Monday announcing the group.
Klar explained the group has three policy priorities: strengthening the economy, strengthening schools and confronting the opioid epidemic.
The coalition currently includes five House candidates, three for Senate seats and four statewide hopefuls, including Klar’s run for governor, which he announced in October.
Dana Colson, who owns a welding supply company in Tunbridge, is running for lieutenant governor. His son, Austin Colson, was shot in the head in 2018, but no one has been charged for his killing. In a bio released at Monday’s event, Colson said his focus will be on economic improvement and “better protections for Vermonters from violent criminals.”
Colson will be running in the Republican primary against Meg Hansen, a health care advocate and communications specialist who announced her candidacy last month.
H. Brooke Paige, a perennial political candidate, will also be running under the Agri-publican banner for secretary of state. The former newsstand owner won just under 30% of the vote in 2018 against the Democratic candidate, Secretary of State Jim Condos.
Alice Flanders, a longtime administrator and instructor in the military, is running for state auditor.
Vermont’s Republican Party has struggled to attract candidates to state tickets. In 2018, Paige secured six nominations for statewide office, largely because four of the races he entered were uncontested. A week later, he withdrew from all but one of the nominations.
A key pillar to the coalition gathered Monday is fiscal responsibility, said Klar. That’s also been a hallmark of Gov. Phil Scott’s three years in office. While Agri-publicans want to lower taxes and reduced regulations, Klar said, they also support modest investment in education and opioid treatment.
Like Scott, the Agri-publicans also see themselves as offering an alternative to President Donald Trump, whose election has caused deep rifts within the state’s Republican party.
Klar wouldn’t say whether he supports Trump for reelection in 2020 — but said he wants to appeal to all conservatives, regardless of their opinions of the controversial president.
