Former US attorney launches Senate bid in Vermont

Former U.S. Attorney Christina Nolan on Tuesday launched a campaign for Senate in Vermont, running as a Republican.

“I’m running for Senate because we need leadership that will unify the country. Leadership that will work across the aisle to make positive change for Vermonters and their families,” Nolan said in a video announcing her candidacy.

Should Nolan, 42, win the GOP primary, she will likely be up against Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) in the race to succeed Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), who announced that he will not run for reelection in November. Leahy has held the seat since 1975.

In her campaign announcement, Nolan focused on a “fresh perspective” and pushed for bipartisan action.

“Leaders in Washington in both parties have lost their way. They are more interested in fighting with each other and beating the other party. It’s cynicism and gridlock. It’s ‘I win or you lose,’” Nolan said. 

Both Leahy and Vermont Gov. Phil Scott (R) recommended Nolan to be the state’s top federal prosecutor before she was tapped for the role by former President Trump in 2017. 

Nolan was the first woman to serve as U.S. attorney in Vermont, and she would be the first woman to represent the state in Congress if she is successful in this Senate race. 

“I think it’s a blessing and a privilege to have been born in Vermont, to have been raised in Vermont and to call myself a Vermonter. That privilege and that blessing — which I did nothing to earn, I just got lucky — has called me to public service and to give back to the state that gave me so much,” Nolan said in her campaign video.