MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - Republican Gov. Phil Scott announced on Thursday he is running for re-election, filing the necessary paperwork to appear on the August primary ballot where he will face a challenge from a Republican businessman.
“There is still so much to do to build on this progress,” Scott said in a statement distributed by his campaign. “Growing the economy and making Vermont a stronger, more prosperous state will remain my top priorities.”
While Scott officially declared his candidacy, he said he was not yet focused on his re-election, but rather on a special legislative session in which he is locked in a debate with lawmakers over the state budget.
Scott, in the primary, will face Republican Springfield businessman Keith Stern, who has said he wants to reduce the role of government in peoples’ lives.
Stern says on his website that Vermonters have had to endure high taxes, a lack of well-paying jobs, high housing costs and a drug epidemic.
“It is time for a major change in Montpelier,” he said. “Isn’t it time to try something different?”
Also Thursday, the deadline for candidates to file nominating petitions to appear on the primary ballot, Democratic gubernatorial hopefuls James Ehlers, Christine Hallquist and Ethan Sonneborn filed their paperwork.
Independent U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, who has run as both a Democrat and an independent, is facing a challenge for the Democratic Senate nomination from Folasade Adeluola, of Shelburne.
Three Republicans are seeking the GOP nomination to run for U.S. Senate, H. Brooke Paige, of Washington; Jasdeep Pannu, of Essex; and Lawrence Zupan, of Manchester.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Peter Welch also is facing a primary challenge from Benjamin Mitchell, of Westminster, and Dan Freilich, of West Windsor.
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