Lt. Gov. John Rodgers launched his bid for reelection Tuesday just moments after casting one of the more memorable votes in recent Senate history.
Rodgers held a press conference on the Statehouse steps at noon Tuesday to announce his bid to keep his job, surrounded by a throng of lawmakers, family and supporters holding campaign signs.
He did so just a few minutes after breaking the 15-15 tie on the question of whether veteran federal prosecutor Michael Dresser should be appointed to the Vermont Supreme Court. Rodgers voted in favor of Drescher, dismissing criticism of Drescher’s representation of the government in high-profile ICE detention cases.
If reelected, Rodgers said, he would continue trying to find a way to help make the state more affordable, rebuild its workforce through a focus on trades and would push to expand food production by supporting the state’s agricultural sector.
“I will keep working with the governor’s office and with legislators every day building bridges necessary to defeat the affordability crisis taxing us and holding us back,” Rodgers said.
Rodgers, a cannabis farmer, hunter and lifelong resident of Glover, served for 16 years in the legislature as a Democrat before switching parties in 2024 to run as a Republican.
He ousted stalwart Progressive David Zuckerman during an election that saw voters rebel against higher taxes and climate policies many saw as worsening the state’s affordability crisis.
He’s unlikely to face a significant opponent in the Republican primary. Democrats, on the other hand, are going to have to sort out who they want to take on Rodgers in November.
So far three Democrats have stepped forward.
Molly Gray, who served as LG from 2021 to 2023; Ryan McLaren, a former staffer for U.S. Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Esther Charlestin, the Democratic candidate for governor in 2024, all announced last month that they’d like to send Rogers packing.
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