Brian Shelden

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Brian Shelden

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

August 9, 2022

Personal

Birthplace

Burlington, Vt.

Contact

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Brian Shelden (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Vermont State Senate to represent Chittenden North District. He lost in the Democratic primary on August 9, 2022.

Biography

Brian Shelden was born in Burlington, Vermont. He pursued his undergraduate education at Cornell University and the Ohio State University.

Elections

2022

See also: Vermont State Senate elections, 2022

General election

General election for Vermont State Senate Chittenden North District

Irene Wrenner defeated Leland Morgan in the general election for Vermont State Senate Chittenden North District on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Irene Wrenner (D)	51.3	5,173
		Leland Morgan (R)	48.2	4,858
		Other/Write-in votes	0.5	51

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 10,082
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Vermont State Senate Chittenden North District

Irene Wrenner defeated Brian Shelden in the Democratic primary for Vermont State Senate Chittenden North District on August 9, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Irene Wrenner	58.5	1,621
		Brian Shelden	41.0	1,136
		Other/Write-in votes	0.5	15

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,772
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Vermont State Senate Chittenden North District

Leland Morgan advanced from the Republican primary for Vermont State Senate Chittenden North District on August 9, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Leland Morgan	98.5	1,127
		Other/Write-in votes	1.5	17

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 1,144
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2020

See also: Vermont House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

General election for Vermont House of Representatives Chittenden 8-1 District (Historical) (2 seats)

Incumbent Marybeth Redmond and Tanya Vyhovsky defeated Thomas Nelson, Maryse Dunbar, and Varpilah Chase in the general election for Vermont House of Representatives Chittenden 8-1 District (Historical) on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Marybeth Redmond (D)	34.2	3,234
✔		Tanya Vyhovsky (Vermont Progressive Party / D)	24.0	2,273
		Thomas Nelson (R)	19.5	1,840
	Submit photo	Maryse Dunbar (R)	19.0	1,793
		Varpilah Chase (L)	3.2	302
		Other/Write-in votes	0.2	17

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 9,459
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Vermont House of Representatives Chittenden 8-1 District (Historical) (2 seats)

Incumbent Marybeth Redmond and Tanya Vyhovsky defeated Brian Shelden in the Democratic primary for Vermont House of Representatives Chittenden 8-1 District (Historical) on August 11, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Marybeth Redmond	48.6	1,359
✔		Tanya Vyhovsky	27.2	762
		Brian Shelden	23.8	666
		Other/Write-in votes	0.4	11

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,798
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Vermont House of Representatives Chittenden 8-1 District (Historical) (2 seats)

Maryse Dunbar and Thomas Nelson advanced from the Republican primary for Vermont House of Representatives Chittenden 8-1 District (Historical) on August 11, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Maryse Dunbar	49.6	601
✔		Thomas Nelson	48.8	591
		Other/Write-in votes	1.6	19

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,211
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Brian Shelden did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Brian Shelden completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Shelden's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a software engineer, a small-business owner, and an Essex native.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• We need to fix Vermont's healthcare system.
• We need to rebuild Vermont's economy so it works for everyone.
• We need to protect democracy.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Among my policy interests are healthcare, the economy, the state of democracy, the demographic crisis in Vermont, and equitable access to technology.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I am impressed by my current Chittenden 8-1 Representative - and hopefully future seat-mate - Marybeth Redmond. (https://ballotpedia.org/Marybeth_Redmond.) She approaches issues with passion, involves the community in her decision making, does the work to get things done, and remains calm and welcoming even in the face of criticism. Definitely an example I hope to emulate.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Anyone who's ever met me knows I am a huge fan of The West Wing. Characters on the show model behaviors I value, such as honesty, transparency, the ability to listen, and an the use of fact-based and empathetic decision making, I appreciate that it's fiction and represents an idealized vision of how government works, but I love how much the show respects and honors our political system.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty, transparency, and the ability to listen. I also think it's crucial to evaluate the facts before making decisions. This is a core value I learned as an engineer.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

One of the reasons I decided to run was because I want to help make good things happen for Vermont. As a software engineer, I'm using to having to manage customer expectations. It's not uncommon for a customer to ask me whether it's possible to add some new and exciting feature to a project, and I'll say, "Anything is possible, given infinite time and money." That leads us to a conversation about what's realistic.

I see a direct analogy here to how politics works. We go into public service because we are idealistic and we want to make change, but we need to be realistic about what change is possible. We don't have infinite time and money, and perfection isn't an option, so we always need to seek the good.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Not the first, exactly, but I'm a 9/11 eyewitness. In 2001, I lived four blocks away from the World Trade Center. I watched both towers fall from my balcony and my neighborhood was evacuated for three weeks.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Pizza maker at Lee Zachary's Pizza House, for the summer I was sixteen. Mostly at the location that's now a Burger Barn on Rt 15.

I remember being so excited when the Vermont minimum wage went up to $3.10, because that meant I got a raise. Can't imagine living on minimum wage now.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Questions I Want to Ask You, by Michelle Falkoff.

Not only because my fiancée wrote it  :-) but because I'm an adoptee. Its themes of growing up without knowing one of your birth parents were very familiar to me.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Leo McGarry, from The West Wing

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

"Who Says You Can't Go Home," by Jon Bon Jovi & Jennifer Nettles

Every state besides Nebraska has two legislative chambers. What do you consider the most important differences between the legislative chambers in your state?

The most important difference, at the moment, is that the House is just shy of a veto-proof majority. I'd like to be that 100th vote.

What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?

Recovery from Covid-19.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Of course. One of things good software consultants do is build relationships. I've often had to gather regular feedback from a group of stakeholders - developers, testers, management, sales, and customers - and help the team prioritize and decide what to do next. I anticipate this skill being useful when working with other legislators.

If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

Commerce and Economic Development: as a small-business owner, I believe my experience could be useful when thinking about how to bring companies to Vermont, and help them restart after Covid-19.

Energy and Technology: as a remote worker, I understand the urgency in making sure everyone in Vermont has access to high-quality broadband.

Government Operations: as someone who is entering politics as a candidate because of concerns about the state of our democracy, I look forward to doing everything I can to make government work.

I will happily serve where I'm most needed. I'm also very interested in healthcare, but neighboring representative and friend Lori Houghton already serves that committee very well, and Chittenden 8-3 candidate Alyssa Black works in healthcare billing and would be a wonderful addition to that committee.

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

I heard a story of a teacher who was trying to teach a class over Zoom during the Covid crisis. But because she doesn't have broadband at home, she was teaching from her car. It really drives home how broadband is a utility, like water and electricity.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Footnotes

[show]

Current members of the Vermont State Senate

Leadership

Majority Leader:Kesha Ram Hinsdale

Senators

Addison District

Ruth Hardy (D)

Steven Heffernan (R)

Bennington District

Seth Bongartz (D)

Robert Plunkett (D)

Caledonia District

Scott Beck (R)

Chittenden Central District

Philip Baruth (D)

Martine Gulick (D)

Tanya Vyhovsky (V)

Chittenden North District

Chris Mattos (R)

Chittenden Southeast District

Thomas Chittenden (D)

Virginia Lyons (D)

Kesha Ram Hinsdale (D)

Essex District

Russ Ingalls (R)

Franklin District

Randy Brock (R)

Robert Norris (R)

Grand Isle District

Patrick Brennan (R)

Lamoille District

Richard Westman (R)

Orange District

Larry Hart (R)

Orleans District

Samuel Douglass (R)

Rutland District

Brian Collamore (R)

David Weeks (R)

Terry Williams (R)

Washington District

Ann Cummings (D)

Andrew Perchlik (D)

Anne Watson (D)

Windham District

Wendy Harrison (D)

Nader Hashim (D)

Windsor District

Alison Clarkson (D)

Joe Major (D)

Rebecca White (D)

Democratic Party (16)

Republican Party (13)

Vermont Progressive Party (1)

[show]

Current members of the Vermont House of Representatives

Leadership

Majority Leader:Lori Houghton

Minority Leader:Patricia McCoy

Representatives

Addison-1 District

Robin Scheu (D)

Amy Sheldon (D)

Addison-2 District

Peter Conlon (D)

Addison-3 District

Matt Birong (D)

Rob North (R)

Addison-4 District

Herb Olson (D)

Addison-5 District

Jubilee McGill (D)

Addison-Rutland District

Jim Casey (R)

Bennington-1 District

Jonathan Cooper (D)

Bennington-2 District

Timothy Corcoran (D)

Will Greer (D)

Bennington-3 District

David Durfee (D)

Bennington-4 District

Rob Hunter (D)

Kathleen James (D)

Bennington-5 District

Mary Morrissey (R)

Michael Nigro (D)

Bennington-Rutland District

Sandy Pinsonault (R)

Caledonia-1 District

Debra Powers (R)

Caledonia-2 District

Michael Southworth (R)

Caledonia-3 District

Martha Feltus (R)

Beth Quimby (R)

Caledonia-Essex District

Scott Campbell (D)

Deborah Dolgin (R)

Caledonia-Washington District

Greg Burtt (R)

Chittenden 3 District

Edye Graning (D)

Trevor Squirrell (D)

Chittenden-1 District

Jana Brown (D)

Chittenden-10 District

Kate Nugent (D)

Chittenden-11 District

Brian Minier (D)

Chittenden-12 District

Martin LaLonde (D)

Chittenden-13 District

Tiff Bluemle (D)

Bram Kleppner (D)

Chittenden-14 District

Barbara Rachelson (D)

Mary-Katherine Stone (D)

Chittenden-15 District

Brian Cina (V)

Troy Headrick (I)

Chittenden-16 District

Jill Krowinski (D)

Kate Logan (V)

Chittenden-17 District

Abbey Duke (D)

Chittenden-18 District

Robert Hooper (D)

Carol Ode (D)

Chittenden-19 District

Sarita Austin (D)

Wendy Critchlow (D)

Chittenden-2 District

Angela Arsenault (D)

Erin Brady (D)

Chittenden-20 District

Doug Bishop (D)

Gayle Pezzo (D)

Chittenden-21 District

Daisy Berbeco (D)

Chloe Tomlinson (V)

Chittenden-22 District

Karen Dolan (D)

Lori Houghton (D)

Chittenden-23 District

Leonora Dodge (D)

Golrang Garofano (D)

Chittenden-24 District

Alyssa Black (D)

Chittenden-25 District

Brenda Steady (R)

Chittenden-4 District

Phil Pouech (D)

Chittenden-5 District

Chea Waters Evans (D)

Chittenden-6 District

Kate Lalley (D)

Chittenden-7 District

Shawn Sweeney (D)

Chittenden-8 District

Bridget Burkhardt (D)

Chittenden-9 District

Emilie Krasnow (D)

Chittenden-Franklin District

Anthony Micklus (R)

Chris Taylor (R)

Essex-Caledonia District

John Kascenska (R)

Essex-Orleans District

Larry Labor (R)

Franklin-1 District

Ashley Bartley (R)

Carolyn Branagan (R)

Franklin-2 District

Eileen Dickinson (R)

Franklin-3 District

Joe Luneau (R)

Franklin-4 District

Thomas Oliver (R)

Matthew Walker (R)

Franklin-5 District

Lisa Hango (R)

Wayne Laroche (R)

Franklin-6 District

James Gregoire (R)

Franklin-7 District

Allen Demar (R)

Franklin-8 District

Casey Toof (R)

Grand Isle-Chittenden District

Leland Morgan (R)

Michael Morgan (R)

Lamoille-1 District

Jed Lipsky (I)

Lamoille-2 District

Richard Bailey (R)

Daniel Noyes (D)

Lamoille-3 District

Lucy Boyden (D)

Lamoille-Washington District

Saudia LaMont (D)

David Yacovone (D)

Orange-1 District

Michael Tagliavia (R)

Orange-2 District

Monique Priestley (D)

Orange-3 District

Josh Dobrovich (R)

Orange-Caledonia District

Joseph Parsons (R)

Orange-Washington-Addison District

Jay Hooper (D)

Larry Satcowitz (D)

Orleans-1 District

Richard Nelson (R)

Orleans-2 District

Woodman Page (R)

Orleans-3 District

Ken Wells (R)

Orleans-4 District

Leanne Harple (D)

Orleans-Lamoille District

Mark Higley (R)

Michael Marcotte (R)

Rutland-1 District

Patricia McCoy (R)

Rutland-10 District

William Canfield (R)

Rutland-11 District

Jim Harrison (R)

Rutland-2 District

David Bosch (R)

Tom Burditt (R)

Rutland-3 District

Zachary Harvey (R)

Rutland-4 District

Christopher Howland (R)

Rutland-5 District

Eric Maguire (R)

Rutland-6 District

Mary Howard (D)

Rutland-7 District

Chris Keyser (R)

Rutland-8 District

Alicia Malay (R)

Rutland-9 District

Todd Nielsen (R)

Rutland-Bennington District

Chris Pritchard (R)

Rutland-Windsor District

Kevin Winter (R)

Washington-1 District

Anne Donahue (I)

Kenneth Goslant (R)

Washington-2 District

Dara Torre (D)

Candice White (D)

Washington-3 District

Michael Boutin (R)

Teddy Waszazak (D)

Washington-4 District

Conor Casey (D)

Kate McCann (D)

Washington-5 District

Elanor Chapin (D)

Washington-6 District

Marc Mihaly (D)

Washington-Chittenden District

Tom Stevens (D)

Theresa Wood (D)

Washington-Orange District

Gina Galfetti (R)

Francis McFaun (R)

Windham-1 District

Zon Eastes (D)

Windham-2 District

Laura Sibilia (I)

Windham-3 District

Michelle Bos-Lun (D)

Leslie Goldman (D)

Windham-4 District

Mike Mrowicki (D)

Windham-5 District

Emily Long (D)

Windham-6 District

Emily Carris-Duncan (D)

Windham-7 District

Emilie Kornheiser (D)

Windham-8 District

Mollie Burke (D)

Windham-9 District

Ian Goodnow (D)

Windham-Windsor-Bennigton District

Christopher Morrow (D)

Windsor-1 District

John Bartholomew (D)

Elizabeth Burrows (D)

Windsor-2 District

VL Coffin (R)

Windsor-3 District

Alice Emmons (D)

Kristi Morris (D)

Windsor-4 District

Heather Surprenant (D)

Windsor-5 District

Charlie Kimbell (D)

Windsor-6 District

Kevin Christie (D)

Esme Cole (D)

Windsor-Addison District

Kirk White (D)

Windsor-Orange-1 District

John O'Brien (D)

Windsor-Orange-2 District

Rebecca Holcombe (D)

James Masland (D)

Windsor-Windham District

Thomas Charlton (R)

Democratic Party (86)

Republican Party (56)

Independent (4)

Vermont Progressive Party (3)