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H. Brooke Paige

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H. Brooke Paige
Paige in 2018
Born (1953-02-18) February 18, 1953 (age 71)
New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Delaware (BBA)
Occupations
Political partyRepublican
(until 2014; 2018–present)
Democratic (2014–2018)
Other political
affiliations		Grumpy Old Patriots (2020)
SpouseDonna Paige
H. Brooke Paige's voice
H. Brooke Paige on his life and his run for Secretary of State of Vermont
Recorded October 17, 2018

H. Brooke Paige (born February 17, 1953) is an American perennial candidate and businessowner. He is known for his distinctive campaign style, often wearing a bow tie, along with a top hat or boater while campaigning. His reputation for running for multiple statewide offices simultaneously earned him the nickname "the most prolific candidate in Vermont" from Vermont Public.

He began his political career in 2012, seeking the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate but losing to John MacGovern. In 2014, he switched to the Democratic Party and ran for multiple offices simultaneously, taking advantage of Vermont law which allows it. From 2014 to 2018, he repeatedly lost in Democratic primaries, and by 2018, he returned to the Republican Party. He continued running for multiple offices at once, aiming to prevent Democrats from crossvoting and to ensure strong Republican candidates were on the ballot.

In 2012, Paige was also involved in litigation against President Barack Obama, challenging his eligibility to serve as president based on claims about his citizenship. The case continued until 2014 when the U.S. Supreme Court ultimately rejected any further appeals. In the 2020 presidential election, Paige appeared on the Vermont ballot under the "Grumpy Old Patriots" party.

Early life and education

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Paige was born on February 17, 1953 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He attended the University of Delaware, where he earned a Bachelor of Business Administration.[1] After graduating, he worked as a food service manager and later for a pharmaceutical laboratory before eventually becoming a business owner, operating a newsstand. He moved to Vermont and commuted to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for work.[2]

Political career

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U.S. Senate run and lawsuit against Obama

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Paige during the 2012 Vermont History Expo.

Paige made his first attempt at political office in 2012, running in the Republican primary for the United States Senate election. He lost to former Massachusetts State Representative John MacGovern, who went on to lose the general election to Bernie Sanders. That same year, he filed a lawsuit arguing that Barack Obama should be kept off the state's election ballot as a candidate for president because he was not a natural-born citizen. However, Judge Robert Bent ruled that the evidence was insufficient to grant an injunction.[3] He appealed the case to the Vermont Supreme Court the following year, but the court ruled it moot after Obama was re-elected.[4] Paige then took the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, which denied his request to hear the case in May. By August 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court summarily rejected Paige's further appeal.[5]

Simultaneous runs for office

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In 2014, Paige ran simultaneously for two offices, Governor and Attorney General, as a Democrat.[6] He was able to run in multiple primaries because Vermont law permits candidates to run in several races simultaneously, and he believed that someone had to challenge the incumbents.[7] He lost in both primaries, with incumbent Governor Peter Shumlin and incumbent Attorney General William Sorrell defeating him in their races.[8] In 2016, he attempted another run for both Governor and Attorney General general again. He lost to incumbent Attorney General T. J. Donovan, and in the gubernatorial primary, he faced four other candidates and placed last.[9][10]

In August 2018, he secured six statewide nominations, running unopposed for treasurer, Secretary of State, Attorney General, and State Auditor, while defeating other Republican candidates in the U.S. Senate and House primaries.[1][11] Despite winning the nominations, he withdrew from all but the Secretary of State race on August 24 to allow the Vermont Republican Party to name replacement candidates.[12][13] In the general election for Secretary of State, he ran against incumbent Jim Condos, losing by a large margin.[14][15]

Run for President and continued candidacies

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In 2020, he ran for four separate offices, including for President of the United States under the Grumpy Old Patriots party.[16] Out of the four races, he only withdrew from the State Treasurer race to allow Carolyn Whitney Branagan to run.[17] In the Secretary of State and Attorney General races, he lost to the Democratic incumbents. In the presidential race, he placed sixth within the state of Vermont. He later claimed that Joe Biden, who won the Presidential election, had been installed as president and questioned the integrity of the election.[18][19]

In 2022, Paige ran for four offices but withdrew from three to focus on the Secretary of State race.[20] However, when the Republican Party couldn't find another candidate for State Treasurer, he was renominated for that race as well.[21] He was ultimately defeated by Mike Pieciak in the State Treasurer election and by Sarah Copeland Hanzas in the Secretary of State election.[22][23] In 2024, he ran for three offices, eventually withdrawing from the Attorney General race. He faced incumbent Copeland Hanzas for Secretary of State and Doug Hoffer for State Auditor, although Paige expressed that he did not want the Auditor position and would request Governor Phil Scott to appoint Linda Joy Sullivan in his place if he won that race.[2]

Personal life

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He is a self-described historian and an active member of the Friends of the Vermont Statehouse preservation group. He also volunteers for the Vermont Historical Society, the Statehouse, and serves on the local select board.[2] He lives with his wife, Donna, in Washington, Vermont.

Electoral history

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Electoral history of H. Brooke Paige
Year Office Party Primary General Result Swing Ref.
Total % P. Total % P.
2012 US Senate VT Republican 2,084 24.63% 2nd Did not advance Lost Hold [24]
2014 Governor VT Democratic 3,199 16.13% 2nd Did not advance Lost Hold [25]
Attorney General VT Democratic 3,488 18.98% 2nd Did not advance Lost Hold
2016 Governor VT Democratic 387 0.60% 5th Did not advance Lost Gain [26]
Attorney General VT Democratic 11,917 19.49% 2nd Did not advance Lost Hold [27]
2018 US Senate VT Republican 9,805 37.47% 1st Withdrew from race Lost Hold [28]
US House VT Republican 14,721 59.89% 1st Withdrew from race Lost Hold
Secretary of State VT Republican 18,293 92.45% 1st 79,035 19.52% 2nd Lost Hold [28][29]
State Treasurer VT Republican 41,023 98.10% 1st Withdrew from race Lost Hold [28]
State Auditor VT Republican 17,405 93.83% 1st Withdrew from race Lost Hold
2020 US President VT Grumpy Old Patriots No primary held 1,175 0.32% 6th Lost Gain [30]
Secretary of State VT Republican 40,765 92.45% 1st 99,564 26.84% 2nd Lost Hold
Attorney General VT Republican 21,574 49.42% 1st 94,892 25.58% 2nd Lost Hold
State Treasurer VT Republican 20,313 100.00% 1st Withdrew from race Lost Hold
2022 Attorney General VT Republican 20,668 95.75% 1st Withdrew from race Lost Gain
Secretary of State VT Republican 21,591 96.63% 1st 95,666 32.77% 2nd Lost Hold
State Treasurer VT Republican 22,482 96.99% 1st 95,440 32.69% 2nd Lost Hold
State Auditor VT Republican 20,889 96.49% 1st Withdrew from race Lost Hold
2024 Attorney General VT Republican 18,081 97.06% 1st Withdrew from race TBD TBD
Secretary of State VT Republican 21,591 98.10% 1st To be determined TBD TBD
State Auditor VT Republican 18,129 96.55% 1st To be determined TBD TBD

References

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  1. ^ a b Bowden, John (August 15, 2018). "One Vermont Republican wins statewide nomination in six races". The Hill|.
  2. ^ a b c Ullman, Laura (September 24, 2024). "Campaign Countdown: Vt. secretary of state and state auditor races".
  3. ^ "Judge dismisses suit to keep Obama off Vt. ballot". The Boston Globe. September 25, 2012.
  4. ^ "Vt. court rejects Obama citizenship challenge". Boston.com. October 18, 2013.
  5. ^ Hemmingway, Sam (August 14, 2014). "VT case challenging Obama election ends at last". The Burlington Free Press.
  6. ^ Gardner, Tommy (August 21, 2014). "Twin threat: Paige running for governor, attorney general". Waterbury Record. Vermont Community Newspaper Group.
  7. ^ Fuller, Jamie (August 26, 2014). "Where can you run for two offices at once? Vermont, of course". The Washington Post.
  8. ^ Prairie, Cynthia (August 27, 2014). "No surprises in a primary election with 'ridiculously low' turnout". The Chester Telegraph.
  9. ^ "Donovan wins Democratic attorney general primary". The Burlington Free Press. August 8, 2016.
  10. ^ Frechette, Kristin (August 10, 2016). "Sue Minter Wins Democratic Nominee in the Vt. Race for Governor". MyChamplainValley.
  11. ^ Weigel, David (August 14, 2018). "Vermont Republicans set to nominate the same man for six statewide races". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 15, 2018.
  12. ^ Meyn, Colin (August 24, 2018). "Republicans on the clock after Paige withdraws from five statewide races". VTDigger.
  13. ^ Weiss-Tisman, Howard (August 24, 2018). "Vt. Republican Party To Name Replacement Candidates After Paige Withdraws From Five Races". Vermont Public.
  14. ^ Blaisdell, Eric (October 19, 2018). "Paige challenges Condos for secretary of state position". Rutland Herald.
  15. ^ "Vermont votes for familiar leaders". News & Citizen. Vermont Community Newspaper Group. November 8, 2018.
  16. ^ Margolis, Jon (August 25, 2020). "Jon Margolis: Evidence is persuasive that third-party candidates can sway elections". VTDigger.
  17. ^ Bielawski, Michael (June 1, 2020). "Former Vermont House and Senate member to run for state treasurer". True North Reports.
  18. ^ Duffort, Lola (November 3, 2022). "For secretary of state, Vermonters' options are a top-hatted conspiracy theorist and a veteran lawmaker". VTDigger.
  19. ^ Burness, Alex; Nichanian, Daniel (September 16, 2024). "Your Guide to All 12 States Choosing Their Next Elections Chief in November". Bolts.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  20. ^ Weinstein, Ethan (August 10, 2022). "After hesitation, Liam Madden plans to accept GOP nomination for US House; H. Brooke Paige to turn down 3 Republican nominations". VTDigger.
  21. ^ Mearhoff, Sarah (August 29, 2022). "After failing to find an alternative, Vermont GOP re-nominates H. Brooke Paige for state treasurer". VTDigger.
  22. ^ D'Auria, Peter (November 8, 2022). "Sarah Copeland Hanzas wins race to become Vermont's next secretary of state". VTDigger.
  23. ^ Duffort, Lola (November 8, 2022). "Mike Pieciak elected Vermont's next treasurer". VTDigger.
  24. ^ "2012 U.S. Senate Republican Primary". Secretary of State of Vermont.
  25. ^ "Vermont Primary Election Results". The New York Times. 2014.
  26. ^ "Vermont Governor Primaries Results". Politico. December 13, 2016.
  27. ^ "Vermont Primary results" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on November 8, 2018. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  28. ^ a b c "Vermont Primary Election Results". The New York Times. August 16, 2016.
  29. ^ "Vermont election results: Phil Scott, Bernie Sanders and Peter Welch win". The Burlington Free Press. November 7, 2018.
  30. ^ "Vermont Presidential Election Results". The New York Times. November 3, 2020.
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