- Source: Paul Lefebvre (American politician)
Paul D. Lefebvre (born January 26, 1945) is an American journalist and politician who served as a member of the Vermont House of Representatives from the Essex-Caladonia-Orleans district from 2015 to 2023. He began his service as a Republican but left the party to become an independent ahead of the 2020 election, citing "polarizing times".
Early life and education
Paul D. Lefebvre was born in Newport, Vermont, on January 26, 1945, to Theodore Lefebvre. During his education at Brighton High School before his graduation in 1962, he served on the student council, as class president in the 10th and 12th grades, and as a delegate to Boys/Girls State in 1962. He graduated from Springfield College, during which he studied abroad in Europe, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1967, and from Arizona State University with a master's degree in European history. He has worked for The Chronicle since 1978.
Vermont House of Representatives
Bill Johnson, a member of the Vermont House of Representatives for seventeen years, retired during the 2014 election. Lefebvre ran for the Republican nomination after Johnson announcement as he believed that Johnson was "unbeatable as he was highly respected in all the towns he served". He defeated Kenn Stransky and Maurice G. Connary in the Republican primary and faced no opposition in the 2014 and 2016 elections. He defeated Democratic nominee Martha W. Allen in the 2018 election. He ran for reelection in the 2020 election as an independent candidate stating that he would "rather be an independent with Republican leanings" due to the "polarizing times" and defeated Allen.
He serves on the Joint Energy committee, and as vice-chair of the Natural Resources, Fish, and Wildlife committee. Lefebvre endorsed Phil Scott during the 2018 gubernatorial election and Scott Milne during the 2020 lieutenant gubernatorial election. He voted in favor of legislation to increase the minimum wage in 2020, but later voted to sustain Scott's veto of the legislation.