GOP State Rep. “Burma-Shave Bob” Frenier will not seek re-election to VT House

Orange County GOP Rep Bob Frenier will not run for re-election. Frenier, an aggressive conservative newcomer from Massachusetts, entered Vermont politics with a splash and is now calling it quits with a bit of a thud. For his first race in Orange County he set his sights high. He challenged and lost to longtime incumbent Sen. Mark MacDonald (D). frenierburmashaved

He did manage to make a name for himself. Armed with a bucket load of money from the Koch-funded Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) he blanketed the rural county roads with a series of Burma-Shave style campaign signs with a misleading fear-mongering message about Medicare.

Following up in 2016, after winning a GOP primary write-in campaign, he took aim at and won a seat in Vermont House. However, Frenier beat incumbent Progressive Susan Hatch Davis by a razor-thin margin of just over half a dozen votes-in the final count. And that came after a bitter recount and several vigorous legislative debates about it in early 2017.

Now, not much more than a year later he’s thrown in the towel. The Valley News reports part of the reason for quitting his hard-won seat is his frustration with the recent passage of three gun regulation bills-all of which he voted against. “I thought it was an insult to traditional Vermont culture … and so was the coyote bill,” said Frenier, referring to a bill that passed the Vermont House that bans coyote-killing tournaments.

As a resident of Orange County I couldn’t be happier than to see him head down the road. But it sounds like Burma shave Bob may not be done making waves in Vermont politics. From the Valley News: he [Frenier] may try to bring a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of some of the legislation that has passed, and said it would be easier to do once he is no longer a lawmaker. No word at this early stage where he might get funds for such expensive legal actions-maybe his Burma shave pals at Koch’s RSLC.

But for now: Bye – Bye – Bob

2 thoughts on “GOP State Rep. “Burma-Shave Bob” Frenier will not seek re-election to VT House

    1. I doubt he’s going far, just taking his blabber to another level. And there is a rumor someone close to him may run for the seat-keeping it all in the family .

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