Six weeks after announcing she was seriously considering a challenge of Democratic Gov. Peter Shumlin in 2014, Rep. Heidi Scheuermann says she’s decided against a run.
The four-term Republican from Stowe said in a press release this morning that the “decision was a very difficult one, but it is simply not the right time for me.”
Scheuermann said it’s not that she isn’t the right person to hold the state’s top elected office, rather the timing is bad for her.
“We need commonsense leadership that puts Vermonters first. We need a Governor who will listen and learn from Vermonters about their challenges and opportunities, and one who will put Vermonters first by leading with strength, conviction, and transparency,” Scheuermann said. “While I am certain that I would provide that kind of leadership, it is simply not the right time for me to run for Governor.
Scheuermann has instead announced her bid for another term in the Vermont House, where she said she’ll resume a push for education funding reform that likely would have been the centerpiece of her agenda in a gubernatorial campaign.
Scheuermann’s announcement comes 24 hours after WCAX first reported that businessman Scott Milne is now “seriously” considering a Republican gubernatorial run. Randy Brock, the failed GOP candidate from 2012, is also mulling a bid. And pro-hemp candidate Emily Peyton has already announced she’ll be running for governor on the Republican ticket, though the party has said it will disavow her candidacy, should she win the primary.
Former Wall Street executive Bruce Lisman has also said he’s giving “serious thought” to running for governor, though he describes himself as an Independent unaffiliated with any party.
