Caledonia-Essex Candidates Address Concerns on Election Day

Details: Created on Wednesday, 04 November 2026 02:02; Written by Asher Ballantine

Every Election Day, someone says that this one is the make or break, but now more than ever that feels entirely true.

With so much of the country let alone the state in crisis, many voters are hoping for real change real soon.

We’ve talked before about the big concerns, affordability, housing, healthcare, you name it, it’s been said. But now it’s time for the candidates whom are responsible for answering these concerns to take the mic and show their supporters what they want to accomplish.

Easily one of the most competitive races in the NEK was right here in St. Johnsbury, the Caledonia-Essex state representative race. 2 open seats and a grand total of 5 candidates running.

2 republicans and 2 democrats, and 1 independent.

Debrah Dolgin, the only incumbent, Steve Dolgin, her husband. Amanda Cochrane, Heather Young, and Brandolyn Bradley respectively.

We got the chance to speak with some of the candidates on election day right outside the St. Johnsbury welcome center.

Much of the conversation was focused on what they believed Vermont's largest issues.

“Affordability. So there are property taxes. Just regular, you know, expenses that people have to pay. I think that's something we hear a lot about. Housing. Health care. All these costs is really going up for me.” said Amanda Cochrane

“I think one of the biggest priorities. I'm in health care. I work for the university medical Center. So for me, definitely addressing our failing health care system, it is a contributor to a lot of the unaffordability issues that we're facing. It increases, you know, the school budget. So it impacts our education system. And so I, you know, I am supporting both of them.” said Brandolyn Bradley

We also asked them how they felt of Proposals 3 & 4 which were on the ballot.

“I think it's great to have these initiatives on the ballot. First of all, I think it's important to have opportunities that bring things back to the populace. And for those, too, I know that they've been really vetted pretty significantly through our process, through the legislative process. And so I like that process as well, so that we know that there's been a lot of thought behind them.” Amanda said.

“I'm in full favor. I think anything that we are doing as a state to strengthen our protections is the best thing for us to do. You know, I come from a labor background, from a union background. You know, anything that we can do to ensure that our labor force has the protections that they need and representation that they need is obviously extremely important. And again, I think any amendments to our state's constitution that are strengthening our freedoms, are a solid yes. For me.” said Brandolyn.

We will have the results of this race later tonight on the news7 facebook page

Asher Ballantine

News7