While a number of contenders are considering running for governor in 2020, former Education Secretary Rebecca Holcombe is the first to declare her candidacy. Holcombe served as secretary of education under Gov. Peter Shumlin and Gov. Phil Scott, before resigning in 2018. She now says that she left the position over policy differences with Scott. She will seek the Democratic nomination for the governorship. Scott has not declared his intentions.Holcombe told VPR's Mitch Wertlieb that she resigned partially because she felt undercut by the Scott administration as she worked with towns to implement Act 46. Holcombe says that while she supports the goal of Act 46 - to make education more efficient - other education policy proposals coming from the administration made it hard to work out the details.
"The challenge I had in that final phase was trying to sit down and work with the communities that it wasn't going to work for and really help figure out how to move forward when their budgets are being undone, and frankly when we're targeting some of the highest poverty, lowest spending schools in the state on their staffing," Holcombe said.
Holcombe also said that she would support implementing a 24-hour handgun waiting period, raising the minimum wage and approving a tax-and-regulate system for marijuana.