With Senate President Pro Tempore John Campbell not running for re-election, the Windsor County Democrat’s protege, Conor Kennedy, announced Monday that he hopes to fill the seat.
Kennedy, 27, served as Campbell’s deputy chief of staff for three years in the Senate.
When Campbell announced his impending departure in April, he said he wanted Kennedy to replace him.
Kennedy said he and Campbell often discuss politics and the future but that Campbell’s endorsement came out of the blue.
“It caught me by surprise,” Kennedy said Monday. “The last time we talked about a possible run was probably before the session even started.”
Kennedy said he spoke to community members in Windsor County, as well as legislators, about a run and that the positive responses swayed him to enter the race.
He said he is concerned with affordability and sustainability issues in the state but plans to have his constituents greatly influence his policy priorities.
“I have my own personal platform ideas, but I really want to be engaged with the community,” he said.
The Hartland native said he would tour Windsor County over the coming weeks with a handful of questions to ask in every area. He plans to then map the data to see what issues resonate most and work to address those problems with proposals.
Kennedy demurred when asked what failed bill from the last session he really wanted to see become law, citing his intention to reflect constituents’ priorities.
On the topic of marijuana legalization, a proposal Campbell opposed, Kennedy said “the prohibition of marijuana has failed.”
“But as the person representing 54,000 people in Windsor County, the issue of legalization is not something I would unilaterally decide on my own,” Kennedy added.
Before his work in the state Senate, Kennedy was an intern for U.S. Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., and for the Vermont Democratic Party.
Rep. Alison Clarkson, D-Woodstock, announced a bid for the Senate in late April.
