Well, that was quick.
Less than 24 hours after Attorney General T.J. Donovan’s surprise announcement that he won’t seek reelection, the race to replace him is on: Rory Thibault, the state’s attorney in Washington County, says he is running as a Democrat for the statewide office.
Thibault, 39, declared his candidacy at a press conference in Barre, where he has served as Washington County’s top prosecutor for the last four years. A press release accompanying his announcement says his views as a prosecutor are guided by “by his upbringing in a blue-collar family of plumbers and electricians, by his military experience, and by his Democratic values.”
“Vermont is a special place, yet we still face challenges,” Thibault said in a press release. “I am running for Attorney General to lead and advocate for Vermonters consistent with our most important values: equity, integrity, and empathy.”
A Connecticut native, Thibault graduated from Vermont Law School in 2007 and spent nearly a decade bouncing around the country as a judge advocate general in the military’s justice branch.
He returned to Vermont in 2016 to work as a deputy state’s attorney in Washington County and, after a brief stint in the AG’s criminal division, was appointed the county’s top prosecutor in 2018 following the resignation of Scott Williams. He was elected later that year to a four-year term. He also serves on the school board in Cabot, where he lives with his wife and two children.
Thibault will likely have competition for the Democratic nomination. Donovan’s chief of staff, Charity Clark, said Thursday that she was “very seriously” considering a run.
Related Stories
Open-Seat Season: Three Hotly Contested Vermont Primaries to Watch This Summer
This article appears in May 4-10, 2022.
Got something to say?
Send a letter to the editor and we'll publish your feedback in print!
