{"id":2644920,"date":"2026-08-14T07:47:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T11:47:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/meet-the-republican-running-for-four-vermont-offices-at-once\/"},"modified":"2026-08-14T07:56:59","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T11:56:59","slug":"meet-the-republican-running-for-four-vermont-offices-at-once","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/meet-the-republican-running-for-four-vermont-offices-at-once\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the Republican running for four Vermont offices at once"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmeet-the-republican-running-for-four-vermont-offices-at-once%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2644920&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Vermont Republican H. Brooke Paige, aged 73, is notable for running for four statewide offices simultaneously-secretary of state, treasurer, attorney general, and auditor-winning all four primaries in August 2026. His strategy, driven by frustration with party recruitment issues, involves leveraging Vermont\u2019s election laws to run for multiple offices, then withdrawing from most to allow party replacements, effectively creating a candidate relay race. Paige&#8217;s unconventional approach originated after the 2016 election when Democrats crossed over to influence Republican primaries, resulting in unqualified or poorly contested races. His tactic helps the Republican Party buy time to recruit suitable candidates for statewide contests,which are difficult due to higher costs and organizational demands. Ultimately, Paige aims to contest the secretary of state race, challenging Democratic incumbent sarah Copeland Hanzas, and plans to focus his efforts there, seeking to improve his past 30-40% vote share. His actions highlight a unique workaround to Vermont\u2019s electoral challenges, serving both as a personal campaign and a practical tool for the state&#8217;s Republican party.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/vermont\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"1438\">Vermont<\/a> voters scanning this week\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2026-election\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"11675\">Republican primary ballot<\/a> may have wondered whether they were seeing double \u2014 or triple, or even quadruple.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There, appearing four times, was candidate <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/Brooke_Paige\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/Brooke_Paige\">H. Brooke Paige<\/a>.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4686664\/vermont-republican-four-offices-at-once\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Meet the Vermont Republican running for four offices at once \u2014 so his party can find someone to replace him<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4686933\/hilton-gains-ground-august-survey-california-governor-race-becerra-still-leading\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Steve Hilton gains ground in California governor\u2019s race but Becerra maintains lead: Poll<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4686233\/mamdani-support-campaign-kathy-hochul-tax-secondary-homes-state-budget\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Mamdani\u2019s openness to campaigning with Hochul shows how far they\u2019ve come<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 73-year-old Republican, known for his bow ties, hats, and persistent presence on Vermont ballots, was running for secretary of state, treasurer, attorney general, and auditor.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">H. Brooke Paige, 73, is running for four statewide offices in Vermont. He won all four of his primaries, Aug. 13, 2026. (Courtesy: H. Brooke Paige)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/08\/localimages\/1786583892889-e1786706852666<\/a>.png?w=516&#8243; &#8220;https:><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">H. Brooke Paige, 73, is running for four statewide offices in Vermont. He won all four of his primaries in August, 2026. (Courtesy: H. Brooke Paige)  <br \/><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He won all four.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No, Paige does not expect to become Vermont\u2019s first four-office holder.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Instead, he has spent the past decade turning an obscure feature of Vermont election law into one of the Republican Party\u2019s strangest candidate-recruitment strategies: Run for everything, win the nominations, and then make room for someone else.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Paige calls it an electoral relay race. He runs the first leg. If another Republican is willing to take the baton, Paige steps aside before November.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019m the guy who gets us to the starting line,\u201d Paige told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The strategy was born out of frustration after the 2016 election, when Vermont Republicans struggled to field candidates for several statewide offices.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That year, no Republicans filed for races including secretary of state and treasurer. Because Vermont allows voters to participate in either party\u2019s primary, Democrats were able to cross over and vote in the Republican contests. More than 1,000 did so, writing in the names of Democratic incumbents.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The result was an electoral oddity: Democrats won the Republican nominations, allowing some Democratic incumbents to appear on the November ballot as both the Democratic and Republican nominees.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Paige thought the whole thing was absurd and made the GOP look foolish.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He approached state Republican leaders and described the situation as \u201ca glaring problem and an embarrassment to the party.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then he started looking for a way around it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He found one in a combination of Vermont constitutional and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wisconsin-election-bill-trades-security-for-speed-lawmaker-says\/\" title=\"Wisconsin election bill prioritizes speed over security, lawmaker claims\">election law provisions<\/a> that allowed him to seek multiple statewide offices, collect the necessary signatures, and win Republican nominations. He could then withdraw from most races after the primary, allowing the state party to nominate replacement candidates for the general election.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One time he tried it, Paige went much further than four offices.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He recalled sitting down with David Sunderland, then the Vermont Republican Party\u2019s executive director, after the 2016 election. The party had few candidates and even fewer obvious solutions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe were sitting there and going, \u2018We can\u2019t let this happen again. What on earth are we doing here? We look like fools,\u2019\u201d Paige recalled.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sunderland and another <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-gop-blast-democrats-over-jay-jones-texts\/\" title=\"Trump, GOP blast Democrats over Jay Jones texts\">party official told<\/a> him that having a candidate \u2014 even a \u201cwarm body on the ballot\u201d \u2014 was better than relying on a write-in campaign.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then, Paige said, they essentially permitted him to take matters into his own hands. And so he did.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAll you need are 500 signatures for each of these offices,\u201d Paige said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So he started collecting them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">First came four statewide offices. Then he realized the party also lacked candidates for the U.S. House and U.S. Senate. He went after those, too.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then the party needed someone for lieutenant governor.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSo at one point I was running for seven offices,\u201d Paige said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since then, the strategy has become his calling card. This year, Paige won the Republican nominations for treasurer, attorney general, auditor, and secretary of state. He plans to withdraw from the first three.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Vermont Republicans are scheduled to meet Saturday to determine whether qualified candidates are ready to take over the nominations Paige secured. The state Republican committee can then select replacement candidates for the November ballot.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Paige plans to stay in the secretary of state race, the one office he actually wants, and that is where his unusual ballot stunt becomes a more conventional campaign.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Paige is challenging Democratic incumbent Sarah Copeland Hanzas, and the secretary of state\u2019s office is particularly important to him because of its role in administering elections.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He opposes Vermont\u2019s open primary system and early voting \u2014 two features of the state\u2019s election system that he has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/putin-critic-sentenced-to-25-years-on-treason-charges\/\" title=\"Putin Critic Sentenced to 25 Years on Treason Charges\">spent years criticizing<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For Vermont Republicans, however, Paige\u2019s strategy is less about election law eccentricity than a practical problem confronting a party that has struggled to recruit statewide candidates.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Republican Party Chairman Paul Dame told Vermont Public the party is focused heavily on recruiting candidates for legislative races and building on gains Republicans made in 2024. Democrats have controlled both chambers of the legislature since 2005, and just two Republicans have been elected statewide since 2011, with Gov. Phil Scott (R-VT) serving three terms as lieutenant governor before his election as governor in 2016.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Scott, however, campaigned aggressively for down-ballot candidates in 2024, helping Republicans break supermajorities in both chambers and an upset in the lieutenant governor contest, a rare bright spot for the state party.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But statewide contests are harder to fill because they require considerably more money, time, and organization than a legislative race, especially when a candidate is taking on an incumbent. Paige\u2019s unconventional approach buys the party something it badly needs: time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s helpful to keep those slots open, so if we do get a candidate that comes forward, we can pretty much guarantee we can get them on the ballot in November using Brooke\u2019s approach,\u201d Dame said in the Vermont Public interview.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In other words, Paige runs so someone else can have a chance to run.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is an unusual solution to an ordinary political problem.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And it has turned one Vermont Republican into a one-man candidate factory \u2014 at least until the party finds someone willing to take his place.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For Paige, though, there is ultimately only one race that matters: the secretary of state contest.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/daily-memo\/4685796\/bad-polls-dsa-more-appealing-than-it-was\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/daily-memo\/4685796\/bad-polls-dsa-more-appealing-than-it-was\/\">DID BAD POLLS MAKE DSA MORE APPEALING THAN IT WAS?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That is where the four-time candidate on the primary ballot becomes what he always intended to be: one candidate, one office, and one Democratic incumbent to beat.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the past, he\u2019s secured about 30% to 40% of the vote in the general election, though he hopes this time might be different.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Vermont voter sees four entries for candidate H. Brooke Paige<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2646,"featured_media":2644921,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1786583892889.png?w=516","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[84152,39059,71557,84153,84151],"class_list":["post-2644920","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-multi-office-campaign","tag-political-competition","tag-republican-candidate","tag-vermont-elections","tag-vermont-politics"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1786583892889.png?w=516","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2644920","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2646"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2644920"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2644920\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2644928,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2644920\/revisions\/2644928"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2644921"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2644920"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2644920"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2644920"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}