Oct 28, 2026 · 18 min · 11 segments
Matt Birong, former Democrat State Representative from Vergennes & Chair of the John Rogers campaign, joins Kurt & Anthony to discuss this years campaigns.
I think, you know, growing up here, that's a little older, obviously, but, but still it does hearken back to politics the way it used to be in Vermont.
It's part, it's person over party.
When you get into small groups, party doesn't always work.
And, and it, it, This idea of crossing lines and breaking us into groups is, it doesn't work because there's so few Vermonters.
There's no way that you can just be super loyal to one group because inevitably there's too many things that cross over.
And I like the fact
that
there are people that are crossing lines to say, hey, this person and this person and this person, I think, are working for the best interest in Vermont, regardless of their party.
Were you surprised that John's opponent, Molly Gray, former lieutenant governor, and I think thought to be kind of a centrist when she ran for lieutenant governor the first time, and then when she even thought to be a centrist when she ran for Congress, lost the primary to Becca Ballant, she filled out a DSA survey and was affirmative in every single response.
Were you surprised with that, or do you think that's...
I mean, she went 10 for 10 on the Green Mountain Democratic Socialists of America survey.
And then when she was running against Congresswoman Ballant, you know, she was one of the quotes she had out there was Vermont doesn't need to send another member of the squad to D.C.
does that trouble you that it seems like maybe she's tried to be in your view that she's tried to be different things with different people? Is that how you're looking at that?
I think, you know, growing up here, that's a little older, obviously, but, but still it does hearken back to politics the way it used to be in Vermont.
It's part, it's person over party.
When you get into small groups, party doesn't always work.
And, and it, it, This idea of crossing lines and breaking us into groups is, it doesn't work because there's so few Vermonters.
There's no way that you can just be super loyal to one group because inevitably there's too many things that cross over.
And I like the fact
that
there are people that are crossing lines to say, hey, this person and this person and this person, I think, are working for the best interest in Vermont, regardless of their party.
Were you surprised that John's opponent, Molly Gray, former lieutenant governor, and I think thought to be kind of a centrist when she ran for lieutenant governor the first time, and then when she even thought to be a centrist when she ran for Congress, lost the primary to Becca Ballant, she filled out a DSA survey and was affirmative in every single response.
Were you surprised with that, or do you think that's...
I mean, she went 10 for 10 on the Green Mountain Democratic Socialists of America survey.
And then when she was running against Congresswoman Ballant, you know, she was one of the quotes she had out there was Vermont doesn't need to send another member of the squad to D.C.
does that trouble you that it seems like maybe she's tried to be in your view that she's tried to be different things with different people? Is that how you're looking at that?
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