In the four previous elections, incumbent John O’Brien has run to represent Tunbridge and Royalton in the House; there’s never been a primary.
But this time both Democratic and Republican candidates are facing off in the Orange-Windsor-1 district primaries to represent the two towns.
On the Democratic side, O’Brien, of Tunbridge, is in a race against newcomer Devin Brennan, a lawyer living in South Royalton. Meanwhile, Republican and retired Tunbridge resident Bob Dunkle is running against Bruce Post, of Royalton.
Primary races on both sides represent a shifting landscape in Montpelier, O’Brien said in a recent interview.
“The GOP has been emboldened by their enthusiasm last biennium,” he said.
As for the Democratic race, he speculates that there’s been a push from Democratic leadership to “possibly force me out,” as his advocacy for the rural towns he represents has made him unpopular with leaders from more urban areas like Chittenden County, he said.
Regardless of their experience levels or parties, all four candidates for the Tunbridge and Royalton seat in the House place affordability at the center of their campaigns.
Democrats
Devin Brennan
Raised in southern Indiana, Devin Brennan, 32, moved to Vermont five years ago to attend Vermont Law and Graduate School in South Royalton, where he graduated in 2025 with a law degree and a master’s in policy.
He also holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Central Michigan University.
“I hope to leverage my education and skills to advocate for and represent the people of Royalton and Tunbridge,” Brennan said in a Wednesday interview.
After graduating from VLGS, Brennan opened his own law office in town, where he specializes in environmental and animal law. He also chairs the Royalton Town Democratic Committee and serves on the Windsor County Democratic Committee as the state delegate and on the Royalton Conservation Commission, which maintains the town’s scenic resources.
During his time in South Royalton, Brennan has come to love the area’s rural landscape and tight-knit community.
“I plan to live in Vermont for the rest of my life,” he said.
He’s running for the House in part because he’s found Royalton and Tunbridge’s current state Rep. John O’Brien difficult to get in touch with, and he hopes to be more available to his constituents.
(In an interview with the Valley News, O’Brien acknowledged that his internet and phone have been out of commission for the better part of the last six weeks following a big storm).
A major tenet of Brennan’s campaign is making the state’s housing more affordable through methods such as a mortgage offset program.
The program would tax second homes that are rarely inhabited and use that money to offset mortgages for people in the trades and “perhaps first-time home buyers,” Brennan said.
On the issue of education reform, Brennan believes that health care is mainly responsible for the hike in education costs.
“I am interested in trying to separate educators’ health care from property tax, so as to lessen the burden on property tax, but also still provide for educators’ health care,” he said.
John O’Brien (Incumbent)
A Tunbridge native, John O’Brien is currently serving his fourth term in the House. He and his wife run a wedding business on Landgoes Farm, where O’Brien grew up.
Top of O’Brien’s mind going into Tuesday’s election is affordability in connection to education reform, and improving economic systems for farmers.
“We need to look at what drives costs of schools,” O’Brien said. That includes addressing steep health care costs and teachers’ salaries.
O’Brien, a Harvard grad, said he’s “all for” teachers earning a fair wage, but “We can’t keep jacking up salaries if there’s less and less students or outcomes.”
A longtime member of the Committee on Agriculture, Food Resiliency and Forestry, O’Brien also “would like to see some bills moved that address endemic problems with dairy farms'” economic instability.
A bill he previously proposed would impose a tax on the transportation of dairy products to incentivize more local processing.
O’Brien also believes that “We need to be way more creative about the way we think about taxes.” That could look like having signs for a GoFundMe on public trails where people can donate, for example.
He suspects “95% of people skiing on Killington would be down” to contribute.
On his opponent, Devin G. Brennan: “He seems like a super nice guy,” but O’Brien also acknowledged that serving in the House as a newcomer can make it difficult to question party leaders.
“It’s a really intimidating thing when you get to Montpelier. It takes a while before you have the courage to say ‘no’,” O’Brien said.
To that point, Brennan said that “I have a bachelor’s of science in philosophy, so I think of myself as an independent thinker.” He also expects his training as a lawyer would help him navigate statutory language in the Legislature.
O’Brien also acknowledged that “I’m not very popular with Democratic leadership,” and it wouldn’t surprise him if “there’s been encouragement from the Democratic party to possibly force me out,” he said.
Meanwhile, Brennan said that he hadn’t “heard from any leaders of the Democratic party” before running for office.
“I have initiated my own campaign,” he said.
Republicans
Bob Dunkle
Bob Dunkle, 63, grew up in Connecticut and moved to Vermont 20 years ago by way of Utah.
A Tunbridge resident, Dunkle has served on the town’s volunteer fire department for 19 years. On the morning of his interview with the Valley News, he was on his way to the University of Vermont for a three-day training course about using drones in rescues.
Before retiring, Dunkle ran his own marketing consultant business for colleges and universities and coached cross-country at Vermont State University in Randolph.
The race for the House marks Dunkle’s first time running for the Legislature, a decision he made in part to tackle Vermont’s cost of living crisis.
“Friends of mine are leaving the state,” he said. “They love it here, but it’s just too expensive for them.”
He acknowledged that Vermont needs more new businesses, but that there aren’t enough financial incentives for people to move here to start them.
He sees Act 250, the state’s land use law used to evaluate subdivisions and commercial projects, and Act 181, a modernized version of the law that eased rules in developed areas and strengthened protections of rural ecosystems, as part of the problem.
“I think Act 250 is a big stumbling block. I think Act 181 is Act 250 on steroids. And so my idea would be to eliminate both of those,” he said.
Dunkle also supports consolidating Vermont’s universities and using money from the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation, which provides tuition assistance for Vermont residents, to help students pay for college in-state only.
“That kind of stuff could encourage students to stay here,” Dunkle said.
On his opponent, Royalton resident Bruce Post: “He’s a great guy, I just don’t think he’s the right guy,” Dunkle said, noting that Post doesn’t seem “aggressive” enough to get things done in the Legislature.
Bruce Post
Bruce Post, of Royalton, couldn’t be reached by deadline on Friday, but a Q&A in The White River Valley Herald says that he was born in Randolph and attended Vermont Technical College (now Vermont State University). He’s married and the father of six adult children, the Herald reported. He owns The Post Farm in South Royalton, and he’s also been a justice of the peace for more than 20 years and a deacon at his church, The Herald reported.
“Common sense and a sincere desire to speak for farm families and the small business owners of Vermont will be among my primary concerns,” Post wrote on the Facebook page for his campaign in early July.
Post ran to represent Royalton and Tunbridge in the House in 2024 in the general election, a race he lost to John O’Brien, who won with 50.8% of the vote.
Since then, “I feel I’ve gained some political experience,” he’s quoted as saying in The Herald.
“I’ve stayed involved with some of the major issues the legislature has been dealing with, especially Act 181, the landmark bill to update Act 250. Along the way, I’ve met many good people who are making a positive change. I look forward to adding a voice for my neighbors,” he said.
The Vermont primary election is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 11.
