Newfane political activist Brenda Siegel announced on Monday that she is running for governor.
Siegel is the first Democrat to step forward to challenge incumbent Gov. Phil Scott, a Republican who is widely expected to run for a fourth two-year term this fall. Siegel declared her candidacy from the Statehouse steps on Monday afternoon after hinting about her “next chapter” on Twitter last week.
“We need leadership to support all Vermonters; not just a select few,” Siegel said in a statement.
Siegel ran for governor in 2018, coming in third in the Democratic primary with 21 percent of the vote behind Christine Hallquist and water quality advocate James Ehlers.
She ran for lieutenant governor in 2020, and again came in third with 10 percent of the vote, behind Molly Gray, who went on to win the election, and Tim Ashe.
Siegel is an advocate for better treatment options for people with opioid use disorder. Her nephew died of an overdose in 2018.
She also has pushed for ending homelessness. She slept outside on the Statehouse steps for 27 days last fall to advocate for the extension of motel vouchers for the homeless.
In her announcement, she also expressed support for state workers and teachers, who she said “have faced uncertainty in their livelihood and their pensions with a Governor that is constantly trying to undercut their bottom line.”
Lawmakers have approved a $200 million infusion into the state pension system, a measure Scott has criticized for not giving employees the option of selecting 401k-style retirement plans.
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