Paul Lefebvre (American politician)
Paul D. Lefebvre (born January 26, 1945) is an American journalist and politician who served as a member of the Vermont House of Representatives from the Essex-Caladonia-Orleans district as an independent from 2015 to 2023. He previously served as a Republican in the legislature, but left during the 2020 election citing the "polarizing times".
Paul Lefebvre | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Vermont House of Representatives from the Essex-Caladonia-Orleans district | |
| In office 2015–2023 | |
| Preceded by | Bill Johnson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 26, 1945 Newport, Vermont, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican (before 2020) Independent (after 2020) |
| Education | Springfield College (BA) Arizona State University (MA) |
Early life and education edit
Paul D. Lefebvre was born in Newport, Vermont, on January 26, 1945, to Theodore Lefebvre. During his education at Brighton High School before his graduation in 1962, he served on the student council, as class president in the 10th and 12th grades, and as a delegate to Boys/Girls State in 1962.[1][2][3][4][5] He graduated from Springfield College, during which he studied abroad in Europe, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1967, and from Arizona State University with a master's degree in European history.[6][7][4] He has worked for The Chronicle since 1978.[8]
Vermont House of Representatives edit
Bill Johnson, a member of the Vermont House of Representatives for seventeen years, retired during the 2014 election. Lefebvre ran for the Republican nomination after Johnson announcement as he believed that Johnson was "unbeatable as he was highly respected in all the towns he served".[9] He defeated Kenn Stransky and Maurice G. Connary in the Republican primary and faced no opposition in the 2014 and 2016 elections.[10][11][12][13] He defeated Democratic nominee Martha W. Allen in the 2018 election.[14][15] He ran for reelection in the 2020 election as an independent candidate stating that he would "rather be an independent with Republican leanings" due to the "polarizing times" and defeated Allen.[16][17][18]
He serves on the Joint Energy committee, and as vice-chair of the Natural Resources, Fish, and Wildlife committee.[4] Lefebvre endorsed Phil Scott during the 2018 gubernatorial election and Scott Milne during the 2020 lieutenant gubernatorial election.[19][20] He voted in favor of legislation to increase the minimum wage in 2020, but later voted to sustain Scott's veto of the legislation.[21]
Electoral history edit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Paul Lefebvre | 271 | 62.01% | ||
| Republican | Kenn Stransky | 124 | 28.38% | ||
| Republican | Maurice G. Connary | 42 | 9.61% | ||
| Total votes | 437 | 100.00% | |||
| Blank and spoiled | 22 | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Paul Lefebvre | 927 | 96.26% | ||
| Independent | Write-ins | 36 | 3.74% | ||
| Total votes | 963 | 100.00% | |||
| Blank and spoiled | 155 | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Paul Lefebvre (incumbent) | 289 | 98.30% | ||
| Republican | Write-ins | 5 | 1.70% | ||
| Total votes | 294 | 100.00% | |||
| Blank and spoiled | 72 | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Paul Lefebvre (incumbent) | 1,590 | 98.03% | ||
| Independent | Write-ins | 32 | 1.97% | ||
| Total votes | 1,622 | 100.00% | |||
| Blank and spoiled | 309 | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Paul Lefebvre (incumbent) | 239 | 95.60% | ||
| Republican | Write-ins | 11 | 4.40% | ||
| Total votes | 250 | 100.00% | |||
| Blank and spoiled | 77 | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Paul Lefebvre (incumbent) | 827 | 55.39% | ||
| Democratic | Martha W. Allen | 664 | 44.47% | ||
| Independent | Write-ins | 2 | 0.13% | ||
| Total votes | 1,493 | 100.00% | |||
| Blank and spoiled | 38 | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Paul Lefebvre (incumbent) | 1,067 | 52.43% | ||
| Democratic | Martha W. Allen | 958 | 47.08% | ||
| Independent | Write-ins | 10 | 0.49% | ||
| Total votes | 2,035 | 100.00% | |||
| Blank and spoiled | 108 | ||||
References edit
- ^ "Paul Lefebvre, BHS Student Chosen To Attend Boys' State". Essex County Herald. April 13, 1962. p. 3. Archived from the original on December 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Student Council In Island Pond Elects Officers". The Burlington Free Press. October 15, 1962. p. 3. Archived from the original on December 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Brighton High Alumni Banquet Held Saturday Night". The Burlington Free Press. June 10, 1963. p. 2. Archived from the original on December 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "Representative Paul Lefebvre". Vermont General Assembly. Archived from the original on December 19, 2021.
- ^ "Paul Lefebvre". Vermont Digger. Archived from the original on December 17, 2021.
- ^ "Brighton Graduate To Study Abroad". The Burlington Free Press. March 18, 1965. p. 12. Archived from the original on December 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Island Pond Man Receives Degree, Wins Fellowship". The Burlington Free Press. June 21, 1967. p. 2. Archived from the original on December 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "When Journalists Run for Office". Seven Days. August 6, 2014. Archived from the original on December 19, 2021.
- ^ "First chance in years". The Burlington Free Press. August 24, 2017. p. C6. Archived from the original on December 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "2014 State Representative Republican Primary". Secretary of State of Vermont. Archived from the original on December 19, 2021.
- ^ a b "2014 State Representative General Election". Secretary of State of Vermont. Archived from the original on December 19, 2021.
- ^ a b "2016 State Representative Republican Primary". Secretary of State of Vermont. Archived from the original on December 19, 2021.
- ^ a b "2016 State Representative General Election". Secretary of State of Vermont. Archived from the original on December 19, 2021.
- ^ a b "2018 State Representative Republican Primary". Secretary of State of Vermont. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021.
- ^ a b "2018 State Representative General Election". Secretary of State of Vermont. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021.
- ^ "Dems and Progs Lose Supermajority in the Vermont House By a Hair". Seven Days. November 4, 2020. Archived from the original on December 19, 2021.
- ^ "Candidates". The Chronicle. Archived from the original on December 19, 2021.
- ^ a b "2020 State Representative General Election". Secretary of State of Vermont. Archived from the original on December 19, 2021.
- ^ "Republican leaders endorse Gov. Phil Scott". Vermont Digger. August 7, 2018. Archived from the original on December 19, 2021.
- ^ "Scott Milne announces endorsements from Republican legislators". Vermont Digger. July 23, 2020. Archived from the original on December 19, 2021.
- ^ "Final Reading: Democrats cinch minimum wage veto override". Vermont Digger. February 26, 2020. Archived from the original on December 19, 2021.