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.
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 RepresentativeJohn 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
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 GovernorPeter Shumlin and incumbent Attorney GeneralWilliam 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
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
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.
