The Summer Of Drive

Valley News - Primary Source:

The Summer Of Drive

July 6, 2006

State Sen. Mark Shepard, a Republican candidate for Vermont's U.S. House seat, is barnstorming around the state on a trip that may require fortitude, even though it's also a tribute to family togetherness.

The 45-year-old Bennington Republican has bought a used 31-foot motor home and is traveling Vermont with his wife and their four boys, who range in age from 9 to almost 2. “We're going to spend a couple of months touring the state,” Shepard, a Hartland native, said last week. “We want people to come see us.”

The 1993 Class A RV includes a bedroom for the boys, and room for a bassinette for the tot. Shepard and his wife, Rebecca, will be spending summer nights on a fold-out couch in the RV's living room. Asked what his wife, the elementary school band director in Bennington, thinks of the whole idea, Shepard said, “She loves it.”

The rolling campaign advertisement is an inexpensive way for Shepard to meet voters in his primary against retired Vermont National Guard Gen. Martha Rainville, who has been embraced by much of the Republican state hierarchy.

“My campaign is really about connecting with people. It's not about blasting a message,” Shepard said.

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"... many politicians talk the talk about doing something tangible about new jobs and it doesn't go much further. Sen. Shepard walked the walk."
"Sen. Shepard's big accomplishment, and it is a significant one, lies in the major role he played in bringing the Bennington Microtech Center into being."

Bennington Banner State Senator Endorsement Editorial, October 29, 2004

Copyright © 2006, Shepard for Congress Committee. All rights reserved.