Len Britton, the Republican candidate for Senate in Vermont, thinks he can beat Sen. Pat Leahy. He just needs some quick cash, he tells NRO.
A 54-year-old husband and father of five, Britton used to operate a lumberyard, but now he’s a full-time candidate against Leahy, who’s been in the Senate since 1975. A conservative who founded a chapter of College Republicans while studying political science at the University of Vermont, Britton wants to protect the Second Amendment, secure our borders, and eliminate the federal deficit. He has many colorful qualities — he’s also a screen writer and a ski coach — but the one he thinks most stands out is his political inexperience. He has never held elected office and he hopes this distinction will win him his first.
“We have an uphill fight,” Britton admits. He trails Leahy in Rasmussen Reports’ latest poll by 30 points, 62 percent to 32 percent.
Still, Britton thinks he only needs some quick money to catch fire. In Rasmussen’s poll, 46 percent of voters didn’t know enough about him to form an opinion. Unfortunately, he’s spent much of the $120,000 he’s raised and the National Republican Senatorial Committee has declined to offer any financial help. The NRSC has even refused to give the obligatory $42,000 it’s given to every other senatorial candidate, which is enough to buy a month’s worth of television ads in Vermont’s cheap media market.
“I feel like I’m losing the Kentucky Derby because I lack one nail in my horseshoe,” Britton says.
That said, Britton has won attention for his humorous ads, especially “Better Bail Faster, Billy.” With his many interests and fresh face, Britton may be eclectic enough to appeal to the quirky Green Mountain State. You can hear more from Britton below.