EXCLUSIVE: Former U.S. Attorney Christina Nolan is pledging a “fresh perspective” as she launches a elections for an open Senate seat in us-regions held for nearly half a century by retiring Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy.
“I’m running for Senate because we need leadership that will unify the country – leadership that will work across the aisle to make positive change for Vermonters and their families,” Nolan said on Tuesday as she formally declared her candidacy in an announcement shared first with Fox News.
LONGTIME DEMOCRATIC SEN. PATRICK LEAHY MAKES MAJOR CAMPAIGN ANNOUNCEMENT
The 42-year-old Nolan, a lifelong Vermonter, had the backing of Leahy and Republican Gov. Phil Scott of Vermont when she was unanimously confirmed by the senate” target=”_blank”>U.S. Senate<
Nolan is the only major Republican to date to jump into the Senate race. If she wins August 7th GOP primary, she likely face Democratic Rep. Peter Welch in November’s general election. The 74-year-old Welch, a former longtime state lawmaker’s who’s held Vermont’s at large House seat in Congress for a decade and a half, is the overwhelming favorite to win the Democratic primary.
Sen. Patrick Leahy speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on May 1, 2019.
(MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)
And in a heavily blue state that last elected a Republican to the Senate 22 years ago – when moderate GOP Sen. Jim Jeffords was reelected – Welch would be considered the favorite to win the open seat contest. But in a rough political cycle for Democrats as they try to defend their razor-thin majority in the Senate, Nolan may have a shot at pulling an upset.
Nolan struck a bipartisan tone in her announcement, taking aim at both major political parties.
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“Leaders in Washington of both parties have lost their way. They are more interested in fighting with each other and beating the other party. It’s cynicism and gridlock. It’s ‘I win or you lose,’” she argued.
And she predicted that “when we elect a new generation of leaders with a fresh perspective, new energy, people who have servants’ hearts, we can chart a new course where we start reaching across the aisle and treating each other the way Vermonters treat each other: like neighbors. I want to go to Washington to serve Vermonters, to serve people, not just a political party and its agenda.”
