Farmer-veteran challenging Sanders for Senate seat

MANCHESTER — Brad Peacock has served his country once, and on Sunday the Shaftsbury farmer announced that he hopes to do so once again — this time in the U.S. Senate.

Running as an independent, Peacock is vying for the seat currently held by 2016 presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. Still, Peacock views his candidacy as a continuation of Sanders’ legacy rather than a challenge to it, hoping that the senator will once again aim for the Oval Office in 2020.

In the hourlong speech outlining his platform, Peacock, who is seeking political office for the first time, used personal experience to illustrate his positions on poverty, health care, climate change and civil rights. Throughout his address, the candidate emphasized community reliance and connection in the face of adversity.

“I speak to you now as a young Vermont farmer with a story to tell,” said Peacock, an employee of Shaftsbury’s Clear Brook Farm. “I am here to be vulnerable, and to speak truth to power.”

Read more: https://vtdigger.org/2018/01/10/farmer-veteran-challenging-sanders-senate-seat/