VAX MANDATE FREEDOM CHAMPIONS (clockwise from top left) – Gerald Malloy, Kathi Tarrant, Joe Benning, Terri Lynn Williams, and Rohan St. Marthe
By Guy Page
GOP Senate nominee Gerald Malloy leads a non-partisan slate of 45 candidates for local, state and federal offices named ‘freedom champions’ by a Vermont advocacy organization for their support for freedom from vaccination mandates.
Lt. Gov. candidate Joe Benning made the list. So did Ericka Redic and Liam Madden, both running for Congress. Two husband and wife teams of legislative candidates – Lloyd and Lynn Dike (Addison Senate and House, respectively) and John and Jackie Klar (Orange Senate and House) also are included.
Incumbents include House members Vicki Strong, Samantha Lefebvre, Anne Donahue, Mark Higley, and Terri Lynn Williams – all Republicans. Strong has co-sponsored legislation supporting freedom from vaccine mandates.
Vermont Stands Up! bills itself as a coalition of supporters of individual freedom, with a special, current focus on freedom from vaccine mandates: “Currently, the COVID crisis of the past two years, the ensuing mandates, sanctioned discrimination against the unvaccinated, and threats to informed consent and bodily autonomy are the most pressing issues to address. Enough is enough.”
The Freedom Champions named by Vermont Stands Up feature independents, Republicans, Libertarians, and a Progressive (Chris Ericson), but no known Democrats. As listed on Vermontstandsup.org, they include:
Will Angier, Justice of the Peace – Johnson
Richard Bailey, State House – Lamoille 2
Paul Bean, Senate – Washington
Stephen Bellows, Senate – Grand Isle
Joe Benning, Lt. Governor
Alison Despathy, State House – Caledonia-Washington
Lynn Dike, State House – Addison 4
Lloyd Dike, Senate – Addison
JT Dodge, Senate – Caledonia
Anne Donahue, State House – Washington-1
Roger Drury, State House – Chittenden-24
Louis Duclerc, Justice of the Peace – Johnson
Olga Mardach-Duclerc, Justice of the Peace – Johnson
Cris Ericson, US Senate
Frank Empsall, State House – Caledonia-Essex
Nancy Gassett, State House – Windham-1
Joe Gervais, State House – Bennington-4
Mark Higley, State House – Orleans-Lamoille
Thomas “Tom” Kelly, State House – Washington-3
Mike King, Justice of the Peace – Johnson
John Klar, State Senate – Orange
Jackie Klar, State House – Orange-Washington-Addison
Bob Knudsen, Justice of the Peace – Shrewsbury
Dexter LaFavour, Senate – Washington
Cindy Laskevich, State House – Rutland 6
Samantha Lefebvre, State House – Orange-1
Gene Leon, State House – Washington-4
Tom Licata, State House – Chittenden-13
Nichole Loati, State House – Lamoille-Washington
Liam Madden, US House of Representatives
Gerald Malloy, US Senate
Seth Adam Manley, State House – Chittenden-22
Rob North, State House – Addison-3
Ben Olsen, State House – Lamoille-Washington
Rebecca Pitre, State House – Lamoille-3
Ericka Redic, US House of Representatives
Dean Rolland, Senate – Chittenden Southeast
Spencer Sherman, State House – Chittenden 19
Rohan St. Marthe, Senate – Chittenden Southeast
Matthew Stralka, State House – Windsor-Orange-2
Vicki Strong, State House – Orleans-4
Kathi Tarrant, State House – Washington-Chittenden
Malcolm “Mac” Teale, State House – Lamoille 2
Terri Lynn Williams, State House – Essex-Caledonia
Charlie Wilson, State House – Caledonia 3