Madden ‘up in the air’ about accepting GOP nomination for US House

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - Liam Madden, an Iraq War veteran turned antiwar advocate, won a three-way GOP contest for the U.S. House Tuesday night. But a day after winning, it’s still not clear whether the self-proclaimed Independent plans to accept the nomination.

With most precincts counted, Madden held a nearly 10-point lead over his nearest competitor, Ericka Redic.

Madden, who works in the solar industry, has said his real goal for running was to break Vermont’s political mold and rethink the two-party system. “It’s a sacred responsibility to give Vermonters a choice between what we all know is a dysfunctional, corrupt, and war-like system of politics or the opportunity to have a renaissance of community and compassionate, civic-minded problem-solving,” he said earlier Tuesday.

But Madden on Wednesday morning told WCAX that he would like to decline the nomination but does not want the GOP to choose a replacement for the November ballot. He said he is in talks with party leaders and that his decision is still “up in the air.”

“The Republican Party has the right to fill an open seat if I were to decline the nomination. As an independent, I would like to decline the nomination, but not if it means the Republican Party just creates a three-way race, which is not in my interest or anyone’s interest, I don’t think,” Madden said.

As for why he thinks Republican voters picked an Independent? He says there is a deep hunger for a rebirth of our democracy because the two-party system is not solving our problems and not serving our interests.

Madden faces steep odds against Democrat Becca Balint to fill the seat of Congressman Peter Welch. But in a written statement late Tuesday, he cautioned the pundits. “Becca Balint would be making an enormous mistake to think that the same message that wins Democratic primaries is the same message the very independent-minded Vermont general election voter will want to hear,” Madden said.

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