Campaign Announcement: Full Remarks

2026 Campaign Announcement - Full Video

Jared Duval For State Representative

April 27, 2026

Remarks

Good afternoon. My name is Jared Duval, and I’m so grateful to everyone for being here today as I announce my campaign to serve as one of your State Representatives for Montpelier.

I want to start by thanking Representative Conor Casey for his service to Montpelier and to Vermont. Conor has dedicated his life to public service and good causes, so I know it cannot have been an easy decision for him not to seek re-election. 

But what a contribution he has made. Representative Casey especially showed up for Montpelier in response to the 2023 flood. He played a key role in securing funding for recovery efforts and also worked to provide property tax relief for homes that experienced flood damage. 

And Conor has long been a champion for working Vermonters and for labor rights. I greatly appreciate that work and admire that legacy – and it’s one I am committed to working to continue. 

I also want to recognize and thank Representative Kate McCann, who has served in the State House since 2023. 

Here’s what I know about Kate: she is a fighter with a big heart. 

She shows up for her constituents just like she shows up for her students. 

And I think it is especially important at this moment of challenge and uncertainty around the future of public education in Vermont that we have experienced and dedicated teachers like Kate as a key part of that policy discussion. I’m so glad that Kate, who has been recognized as a Vermont Teacher of the Year, is serving us not just in the legislature, but specifically on the House Education Committee. 

Representative McCann has also passed important legislation beyond the area of education, including Act 95 of 2024, which expanded insurance coverage and aligned Vermont policy with federal guidelines to cover additional cancer screening. 

And this year, Representative McCann sponsored H. 88, a bill to ensure that there are protections against utility shut-offs during heat waves, which is increasingly important as they occur more frequently.

I also particularly want to thank my family for their support – my wife, Joan and our son (who is not here because he is in school today). I’m also so glad that my Mom, Alice, is here today along with my Step-dad Sam; and my sister Juliet. 

And thank you all for being here. Ok, let me introduce myself. 

I grew up in the Upper Valley, in the town of Fairlee, and first came to Montpelier as a kid in the late 80’s and early 90’s, when we’d visit my Aunt Ellen and her family. They lived not far from here, on Summer Street. In fact, my Aunt Ellen used to work for the Vermont Historical Society, and some of my fondest childhood memories are of exploring the Vermont History museum right over there with her and developing more of an appreciation for the history of our state. 

As a kid I remember visiting family and walking in Hubbard Park, fishing in the North Branch, exploring downtown, and admiring the beauty and appreciating the friendliness of Montpelier. 

But having now lived here for over a decade, what has made me love Montpelier most of all is her people – so many of whom my wife Joan, our son, and I have been lucky to get to know as friends and neighbors over the years. 

We saw it in the aftermath of flooding – neighbors helping neighbors.  

I have also personally seen Montpelier’s character these past few winters, as a frequent volunteer and founding Board member of the Montpelier Emergency Cold Weather Shelter. 

Because over 60 people from in and around Montpelier have been willing to stay up late and wake up early, we have been able to provide emergency shelter on 44 of the coldest nights over each of the last two winters. 

We also see it in the churches and volunteers who ensure that every day of the week in Montpelier, a free meal is available for anyone in the community who needs or wants one. We see it in people who donate food and time at the food pantry. In the people who volunteer to read to kids at the elementary school or who do river clean ups.

We see it in the work of numerous non-profits, community-minded businesses, teachers and coaches, dedicated volunteers, and civically engaged residents. 

I could go on. But stated as simply as possible, this is what I know about Montpelier and her people: Montpelier cares and Montpelier shows up. 

And that is why I would be so honored if you would entrust me with the responsibility to stand with you and to serve our community and Vermont as one of Montpelier’s Representatives in the legislature. 

I have to confess, I’m not a big fan of all that goes along with politics. But to me, politics is necessary. 

To paraphrase one of my heroes, the late Senator Paul Wellstone of Minnesota: the true purpose of politics is – or should be about—the improvement of people’s lives.

In short, I believe that politics matters because policy matters – And that policy matters because people matter.

When I was ten years old, my father had a massive heart attack that nearly killed him. Thanks to paramedics who didn’t give up on him and after a quadruple bypass surgery, he survived.

But after his surgery and with the damage to his heart, he was unable to continue his job as a chef. Without income during his recovery, he lost his apartment, his van was repossessed, and his medical related debt would later force him to file for bankruptcy. Without a place to live, unable to physically continue as a chef, he ended up setting up at a flea market, buying and selling things during the days and camping in a tent behind his table at nights.  Eventually, he recovered enough that he was able to work again as a handyman and independent contractor and find an apartment of his own.

Here’s the thing. My father was one of the strongest people I ever knew and I have never known anyone who worked harder than him. 

What his experience showed me is that even the strongest, hardest working people get knocked off their feet sometimes. 

And that it’s at those moments that we see how our government works, and who it works for.

It was only because of Democratic policies – like Social Security Disability Insurance – that my Dad didn’t end up in a worse situation than he did after his heart attack. But he also should have been able to focus on recovery without losing his housing. And, unable to work full time in the job he had before, he should have been able to work part-time at another job without facing a benefits cliff and the prospect of losing his disability insurance altogether.

I have a memory of my Dad, lying in his tent behind the flea market, the scars from his surgery visible on his chest, trying to fall asleep, but his eyes still open and looking up.

I often think about how many Vermonters are facing similar challenges. Laying awake and worrying about their ability to continue in their job, or whether their paycheck can meet their most basic needs in such a difficult and inequitable economy. Worrying about where you will live and how much it costs to rent or to try to buy a home. 

I believe that the test of political leaders is not how hard they work for the well off. The true test of political leadership is how effectively we work for the working class, especially in their moments of greatest need.

And that’s why I am running for the legislature – because I am committed to always looking out for and standing up with the working people of Vermont. Vermonters like my Dad and Vermonters in the situations I just described – salt of the earth, hardworking people who deserve policy makers in the Statehouse who will have their back and will work to help make things better when times are tough. 

That’s why I believe in the need to preserve and strengthen a social safety net to help catch families when they get knocked off their feet, often through no fault of their own. 

It’s why I believe in the need to preserve and expand policies that give families a hand up when they need it most. 

And I believe that ensuring these things is a core responsibility of our government, led by the politicians who we elect to craft policy on our behalf.  

Again: Politics matters because policy matters. And policy matters because people matter. 

And that is as true now as ever. Because in the last year and half, Vermont has learned the unfortunate truth that our federal government can no longer be counted on to lend a hand up – rather, it’s trying to kick us while we’re down. 

Much of the funding Vermonters have historically relied on from the federal government has been cut by the Trump administration and the Republican Congress. Health insurance subsidies. Medicaid. Food assistance. Disaster recovery. Transportation funding. The list is long. 

Let’s take just one example: healthcare. With the expiration of federal credits at the end of last year, many middle-income Vermonters relying on the state exchange for health insurance faced a terrible choice: 1) pay as much as $10,000 more a year for individual coverage (or $32,000 more for a family of four), 2) accept far worse coverage, or 3) go without insurance altogether. In the face of these increased costs imposed by the federal government, over 2,500 Vermonters felt they had no other choice but to go uninsured. 

Additionally, an estimated 16,000 Vermonters are expected to lose Medicaid coverage due to federal policy changes, with an estimated cut of nearly $2.7 billion in federal Medicaid funding to Vermont over ten years.  

It's a similar story with food assistance: as many as 40,000 households in Vermont could see their access to 3Squares Vermont affected, with federal funding for food assistance via SNAP benefits expected to decline by between $7 to $22 million a year. 

Those are some of the injuries. But here’s the insult: with the passage of H.R. 1 – the Trump megabill – the top 1% of Vermont income earners are now set to receive an average annual tax cut of $57,000 a year, beginning this year. That’s the new equation: cut vital services for those just trying to get by to pay for tax cuts for the wealthiest. 

Here’s what I believe: Taking away food assistance and health assistance from those who need it to pay for massive tax cuts for the top 1% who don’t need it is wrong. It is wrong. 

I believe this down to my core and it is one of the biggest reasons I am motivated to run. 

Because Vermont doesn’t need to sit by and just let this happen. We have the ability to recoup lost federal tax revenue from the highest income earners here at the state level and then invest it responsibly to help working Vermonters – including helping to maintain subsidies that allow people to retain health coverage and have food assistance – to have some semblance of dignity. 

We are now faced with a federal administration or regime, whatever term you prefer, that is marked by 3 things: chaos, cruelty, and corruption. 

The President and his appointees seem to have no sense of shame or responsibility; they treat empathy as a dirty word; and they see government as something to be raided and dismantled for private gain. 

Now, you might be asking yourself - why is a candidate for State Rep talking about national politics? 

While it can sometimes feel distant, the impacts of Trump and Trumpism are felt strongly here in Vermont… and the ways that the onslaught diminishes our sense of possibility are all too present here too. 

I believe that the choice we all face in these times is this: do we give in to the cynicism, the nihilism, the individualism … or do we decide to show up with and for each other? Do we decide to do what we can, where we can, and when we can? Do we decide to work for something better and more meaningful for the place and people we care about? 

I’m here today, because, like you, I say yes to that work, even – no especially - in these hard times and during whatever is to come. 

I’m running because I feel a deep sense of responsibility to try to do what we can together to make life better for our neighbors and our kids – all our neighbors and kids. 

I spoke about history earlier and I have to say that today I’m particularly aware of the family story of my 4th great grandfather, James McGlaflin. He was a stone mason who immigrated from Antrim, Ireland to Montpelier in the early-1800’s. He worked in the granite sheds here in Montpelier and he helped work some of the granite that forms our State House.

As I stand with you today, I want to share that it would be one of the greatest honors of my life if you were to entrust me with responsibility to craft policy with and on behalf of working Vermonters from the Statehouse that he helped build as a laborer. 

Because I believe that no matter the chaos, cruelty, and corruption happening nationally, here in Vermont - in that State House - our government can and should be defined this: competence and care for the common good. 

with elected officials who are guided by science and by reason; 

who listen to you and to each other; 

who honor our past while working to protect our future; 

and who have a rock solid commitment to civil rights, the rule of law, and our democracy. 

I don’t have all the answers. I don’t claim to, I don’t pretend to. 

We face deep, complex, and interrelated challenges. And, unfortunately, there aren’t many quick fixes. 

But what I do offer is an open and careful mind; a willing heart; and hands that are ready to help. And I bring a unique depth of statewide experience in economic and energy issues, as well as professional training in policy research and analysis. 

I will also rely on you to help inform my understanding of issues and to craft policy. And I know you will – because Montpelier cares and Montpelier shows up. 

Because the best policy isn’t crafted for Vermonters, it is crafted with Vermonters. And in doing so, I commit to work with you with humility, an open mind, and civility. 

I also know that effective public service in the legislature is not an individual exercise – it’s a team effort.

Another reason I am so excited to run is because Representative McCann and I work well together and because I believe we would make a great team for Montpelier. 

On the campaign trail, we plan to coordinate closely to host events to meet and hear from you. And, if elected and re-elected, we will continue working together to do so; to respond to your questions and input; and to keep you up to date on what is happening in the legislature. 

I want to end by thanking you for being here today. I hope to have or to earn your support ahead of the August 11th Democratic primary. And I hope you will also support Representative McCann, who I am very excited to campaign with and who I hope to serve alongside.