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- File: Paul Heintz
- Randy Brock
Franklin County Republicans sent three nominees to Gov. Phil Scott Friday night to fill the vacant state Senate seat left by Dustin Degree when he took a job as special assistant to the governor and executive director of workforce expansion.
The Franklin Senatorial District Committee, which is made up of local Republican Party officials, chose Randy Brock of Swanton, Daniel Pipes of Fairfield and Steve Trahan of St. Albans Town in a meeting Friday evening, according to Rep. Brian Savage (R-Swanton).
If Scott taps him to serve out Degree's term, Brock would replace his replacement: He served two terms in the Senate, from 2009 to 2013, and unsuccessfully challenged incumbent Democrat Peter Shumlin for governor in 2012. After sitting out the 2014 election, Brock lost the race for lieutenant governor to Progressive/Democrat David Zuckerman in 2016. Prior to joining the Senate, Brock served as state auditor from 2005 to 2007.
Trahan, the former chair of the Franklin County Republican Party, ran for state representative in 2012.
Governors typically fill vacant Senate seats with those nominated by senatorial district committees, but they are free to select from outside that pool. Scott's pick will serve alongside Sen. Carolyn Branagan (R-Franklin) in the two-member district through the 2018 election.
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