(The Center Square) — Vermont's Republican Party is fielding a record number of candidates on the ballot in the November elections, but still faces an uphill climb in expanding its slim minority in the Democratic-controlled state Legislature.
Following the Aug. 13 state primaries, Vermont Republicans have added 21 new House candidates to the mix, bringing the number of GOP hopefuls on the November ballot to nearly 100, according to party officials.
VTGOP Chairman Paul Dame said seven of Vermont’s 14 counties fielded a Republican House candidate, which he said "ensures no Democrat in the county went uncontested."
“We usually pick up 4 or 5 new serious candidates through the primary," Dame said. "But to pick up more than four times what we usually see — that is a testament to the amount of hard work our volunteers and local party leaders have put in since May."
Dame said a possible driver behind the surge of Republican support is that Vermonters have received their property taxes over the past few weeks, which he suggested "has pushed some people off the fence and encouraged them to get active and become the kind of change they want to see."
