DERBY—The Lieutenant Governor’s Race is well underway. Last week, John Rodgers of Glover, a former Democratic state senator who is now running as a Republican, held his kick-off party at the Derby Cow Palace. Sen. Bobby Starr of North Troy, a Democrat, introduced Rodgers. Starr said that he believes Rodgers will be able to work with Republicans and some Democrats.
Gov. Phil Scott praised Rodgers in a letter read at the party. In his letter, Scott stated that he has known Rodgers for years, worked with him while he was in the House and Senate, and saw how committed he is to rural Vermont. The letter states Rodgers knows what hard work is all about and knows that solutions to problems do not come from the extremes of either party but somewhere in the middle.
Rodgers told the Newport Daily Express that he shifted to the Republican party because the Progressive Party has taken over the Democratic Party in the state. He explained that with some well-known Democrats leaving, only a few true Vermont Democrats were left at the State House. Rodgers said that he is far from being a Progressive.
“If David Zuckerman is a Democratic, then I must be a Republican,” Rodgers said of the current lieutenant governor. “David is a Progressive.”
Rodgers said another reason he switched parties is because Scott is one of the few people who is talking about affordability. He added the majority of the legislators seem to have forgotten the working-class people. Rodgers noted he has been out of the legislature and wasn’t thinking about going back. He and his wife hoped to travel and take some time for themselves, but he changed his mind after what happened in the legislature in the last two years.
“Working class and poor people are not going to be able to afford to live here anymore,” he said. “I decided to run literally six days before the paperwork was due. We went out and collected over a thousand signatures in six days.”