By Guy Page
Caledonia County Vermont State Senator Joe Benning, a Republican, is exploring a run for lieutenant governor, he told the Chronicle yesterday.
Benning reportedly mentioned the likely run at a VT GOP finance committee meeting this weekend. In response to a Chronicle query he answered: “I’m on an exploratory search. Part of that search is collecting names on a petition, a process that sparks the kind of discussion which will help me make that decision.”
The lieutenant governor office will be open in 2022 because incumbent Molly Gray plans to run for Congress.
Benning is a St. Johnsbury criminal defense attorney, current Chair of the Senate Institutions Committee, and former Senate minority leader. The New Jersey native graduated from Mater Dei High School in New Monmouth, New Jersey, in 1975; from Lyndon State College with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Social Science in 1979; and from Vermont Law School in 1983.
At the GOP finance committee, Benning was challenged by Republican Jim Sexton and others for his support of Gov. Phil Scott and his public opposition to participants in the Jan. 6 event at the U.S. Capitol.
Categories: politics
Run Joe Run !
Excellent. Best of luck in trying to knock some sense into Vermonter’s heads.
Not impressed!
Yes definitly go for it!
We need to rid Vermont of this RINO and the rest of the RINOS from under the Dome of Gloom in Montpelier
We need to get rid of the traitor Phil Scott as well
Did Joe vote for Joe Biden as well as Scott?
Too many sell outs in the Republican party..
And how do you propose we do this, by voting for Dems or Progs, or worse yet, not voting at all ? Ya know, I’m about sick of all the “RINO” crap If you call yourself a Republican or Conservative the only choice is the furthest choice to the right, whoever that is, so unless your part of the solution, your part of the problem.
I’m sorry but RINOs do exist and they are the problem not conservatives. We conservatives have been taken for granted for as long as I have been voting. Joe Benning is a match for Phil, not a compliment.
Ottonu, Show me where in my statement I said I thought Conservatives are a problem ? I consider myself to be Conservative. As far as Republicans that differ from your idea of the perfect Conservative Republican candidate, as long as they are to the right of the Dems. and Progressives, they’ll always get my vote. All I am saying is that until we have real Conservative Republicans to vote for, our only choices are less than truly conservative Republicans, or do you think that voting Democratic, or Progressive is an acceptable option ? Probably not, right ? So the only other option is to not vote, and then crab about the crappie choices . We have what we have until someone better come forward, until then, I will always vote for and promote the most Conservative choice no matter who that is, and name calling does nothing to change my opinions.
An email I came across that Joe Benning sent off regarding January 6th:
“It is apparent that nothing I say to you is something you are willing to consider, but please, do yourself a favor and read a few of those affidavits of probable cause. Each one actually cites the affiliation of those who were able to be identified. I’ve seen dozens of Proud Boys, III Percenters, Q-Anon and Donald Trump supporters (all calling themselves “Patriots”), but in my book a “Patriot” isn’t somebody who gets whipped up with emotion based on internet conspiracy theories and then invades the Capital intending to stop the counting of legally certified state ballots and “Hang Mike Pence.”
If you stop to think about it, Biden got elected. What could possibly motivate Pelosi and Company to stop him from being legally certified?
I’m done with conspiracy theories and Facebook warriors. Feel free to vote me out in the next primary.”
Joe Benning
Benning would get along swimmingly with Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger on the 1-06 Committee and obviously thinks there wasn’t any Election Fraud either. If he’s that uninformed/clueless, he can’t represent my interests.
Precisely why I posted that, at least one person now knows better.
Anyone that believes voting for RINOS that support the BIDEN agenda who continue to support the TRAITOR gov. phil scott is beneficial in any way to Vermonters has to be a very confused individual.
We have been doing this for far too many voting cycles only to end up in a deeper hole because of it.
I do not understand how any republican can support a RINO who has complete disregard for our voting process and our constitution.
We now know that all of the RINOS that signed on with flip flop phil to remove a sitting president were totally against our belief that “a person is innocent until proven guilty”
Should we elect Joe Benning for Lt. Governor when he does not abide by the Constitution of the United States of America? I hope we don’t have people that gullible amongst us.
And if voter fraud was not prevalent in the last election why do democrats send hundreds of lawyers to different states to try to stop recounts? Why don’t the democrats, including Vt. Sec. of State, Jim Condos, call for a recount in VT and across the country.
If Joe Benning believes what he posted why isn’t “HE” calling for recounts across the country?
If Joe Benning believes in HONESTY why isn’t he calling on Congressman Peter Welch to investigate the Hunter Biden laptop? Let,s go after the REAL CRIMINALS in America. Peter Welch serves on the intelligence committee yet does nothing to iinvestigate the corruption of the Biden Crime Family or Eric Swallwell. We know why..because they all have ties to China and other foreign countries that help them line their pockets with cash at taxpayers expense.
People better wake up…these politicians are only concerned with their personal gains and could care less about the taxpayers.
We all know why. The last election had so many flaws perpetrated by corrupt government officials that there is no way any politician with a complete disregard for the office of the president, because of their hatred for Donald Trump, would do anything to keep the corruption from being exposed.
Now just sit back for a minute and consider how our country was doing under the leadership of Donald Trump, who by the way believed in granting the power of our government back to the people, Take a look at where we are today under the corrupt leadership we are experiencing.
Be honest…just where are we heading under the leadership of a turncoat governor and his RINO supporters who have made a committment to side with the destruction of our REPUBLIC under the corrupt biden administration.
Are any of you ready to concede your freedoms to the likes of Bernie Sanders or Peter Welch or Pat Leahy as has been taking place?
We are voting to be FLEECED by people we can not trust.
If Vermonters continue to support people who “CALL” themselves republicans…. we can expect the continued collapse of the state that we so love.
At what point will Vermonters wake up.?
So Mr. Ley, you tell me how name calling moderate Republicans is going to change anybodies mind about voting. How would you propose to successfully address differing degrees of “purity” within the Republican party. What do you see as alternatives ? Not voting ? I see that as no better than a vote for the left. I see the bickering within the Republican party as no different than the split between the way wacky left “Progressives, and Liberals within the Democratic party. I love seeing them beat up on each other, but I would hope that we are better than them.
As a life long Vermonter, I have to agree. I will not vote for RINOs anymore.
Dano, See above reply to Mr. Ley. Do you have any constructive alternatives ? That’s all I’m asking. Name calling does nothing to advance the Conservative agenda, and not voting does even less.
Very soon I will expose the Rhino Republican with
Facts to all Vermonters too see !! A TRUE Republican never cross party line period!!
God bless the believers 🙏
The Vermonter from the Right side period!!
I’ll pass. Just another one of scotts flunkies that’ll carry on with the corruption.
I am still waiting for Phil Scott and Joe Benning to condemn the violence of Antifa, BLM and the Democratic Party. Kind of hard to embrace Republicans that stay silent while our nations once great cities are burnt to the ground by the Democrat mob.
Sounds like a great candidate! Run!