For immediate release: June 1, 2020
Contact: Deb Billado, info@vtgop.org

BERLIN, Vt. — On Monday, the Vermont Republican Party highlighted the 2020 Republican candidates for public office in Vermont who will be on the Republican primary ballot, noting significant trends favoring a Republican wave in the state.

The Party announced the recruitment of 112 candidates for both House and Senate seats, as well as 22 candidates for federal, state, and county offices in Vermont–a marked increase over 2018 figures.

“I am thrilled to see so many Vermont Republicans step up and run for office,” said Deb Billado, Chair of the Vermont Republican Party. “This year’s slate of Republican candidates represents all 14 counties in our state, and indicates strong competition for more House and Senate seats than in years past. I look forward to working with these candidates to make Vermont a more affordable place to live, work, raise a family, and do business, and to bring balance to Montpelier.”

Notably, competitive Republican candidates have appeared in several key districts, including crucial open seats in the Northeast Kingdom, as well as Central and Southern Vermont. Specific top-line highlights include:

• 113 Republican House and Senate candidates filed to run in the primary, an increase of 15 compared to 2018;
• 90 Republicans are running for 85 seats in the House and 23 Republicans are running for 20 seats in the Senate.
• 51 new Republican challenger candidates for House seats, up by 12compared to 2018;
• Only 5 Republican retirements across the House and Senate–meaning there are fewer than one-third the number of Republican retirements compared to 2018;
• Nearly 40% of House GOP incumbents and 50% of Senate GOP incumbents are running without Democrat or Progressive opposition, virtually double the percentage of those incumbents who ran unopposed in 2018;
• A full slate of House GOP candidates in Lamoille and Orleans counties, and a nearly-full slate in Rutland and Caledonia counties;
• A full slate of Senate GOP candidates in the Caledonia, Franklin, Lamoille, Orange, Rutland, and Washington districts;
• The number of Democratic and Progressive House and Senate retirements has increased by 5 compared to two years ago (from 15 in 2018 to 20 in 2020), while the number of Republican retirements has declined by 8 over the same period;
• A marked increase in the number of contested House Democratic Primaries bymore than 2.5 times compared to 2018–most of which are challenges against existing Democratic incumbents–signaling Democratic infighting and division; and
• 22 separate Republican candidates for Federal, State, and County-wide offices.

Additionally, the VT Republican Party has already secured some and will continue to recruit more candidates before the August 11th Primary, which are not yet included in the numbers above.  The Party’s goal is to provide every voter in Vermont with a true choice in their legislative representation with at least one Republican candidate on their 2020 ballot for either House or Senate.

Any potential candidates who would like to learn more about how they can secure their name on the general election ballot should contact the state party at www.vtgop.org/candidate