By Guy Page

Hannah Sessions, goat farmer, former Bates College political science student, and longtime community volunteer,  announced this week she is running for a seat in the Vermont Senate representing Addison County and adjoining towns.

Sessions, a Democrat, said her campaign is rooted in her lifelong ties to the region and her experience in agriculture, business and local governance.

“I am running because my life experience has taught me not only to work hard but also to ask questions and listen, three skills that will help me represent you in Montpelier,” Sessions said in her campaign announcement on social media. “I want to build pragmatic coalitions to help improve the lives of current and future Vermonters.”

Sessions is the daughter of federal court judge William Sessions.

If elected, Sessions said she would be the only full-time farmer currently serving in the Senate, bringing what supporters describe as a needed agricultural perspective to state government.

Sessions and her husband have owned and operated Blue Ledge Farm in Leicester, a goat dairy and cheese business, for 25 years.

A native of Addison County, Sessions said her family’s Vermont roots date back generations. She graduated from local schools before attending Bates College, where she studied political science and studio art, and later returned home to raise her family and operate her farm.

Her public service includes roles on local school boards, the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, and as a trustee of the Vermont Land Trust. The farm has been conserved since 2002. She also has been involved in affordable housing and education governance initiatives.

Sessions said her campaign priorities include affordability, housing, health care, education, environmental protection and civil rights.

Addison County voters elect two state senators to represent the district, served now by Democrat Ruth Hardy and Republican Steve Heffernan.