MEET MIKE

Hey, I’m Mike Rice. I have a basic core belief: our government should help make our lives better. It should help make life more affordable and give us all a fair shake when it comes to accessing and affording housing, healthcare, energy, childcare, and education.

But right now, life here is still too expensive for too many of us, and with the federal government doing more harm than good, state and local solutions are more important than ever. Our community deserves a state representative who leads with values, shows up with solutions, works hard to make progress, and communicates directly and effectively with constituents about what’s happening up in Montpelier.

Four years ago, I took a leap and ran for office because I know firsthand how hard it can be to make a life here, whether your Vermont roots go back generations, or you got here more recently. We’re all aware of the challenges: finding meaningful work that pays what you need to get by, affording a house to call home, accessing healthcare providers when you need them, and the list goes on. 

I first moved to Vermont with my partner, Sean, in 2017 to work as an apprentice on a farm. I helped with the harvest, learned to make value-added products to support the farm’s viability, and witnessed Vermonters coming together to steward the land and help feed their neighbors.

That’s when I fell in love with Vermont. It’s also when I started to learn that choosing to stay here can be hard to do. I’ve done it, and I know so many of you have done it, because here we’ve found a community we love: one worth fighting for.

I earned my policy master’s degree from Vermont Law School while working full time. I’ve managed operations for a small local dairy farm and creamery, led development and advocacy efforts with the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA), worked to raise funds for local institutions that serve our community, and organized for stronger, more resilient food systems and rural economies with national non-profit organizations.

I was honored when you put your trust in me to serve as your State Representative four years ago. And when I got to Montpelier, I fought for you:

  • Rising above dogma and politics to stand up for our region’s unique and effective education system and the schools that we know serve our kids and families so well.

  • Passing landmark childcare legislation that stabilized our state’s system and provides access to quality, affordable childcare for thousands of Vermont families who couldn’t find it or afford it before.

  • Prioritizing real solutions to our housing crisis, including both significant investment to build the housing we need and regulatory reform that makes it easier to build it in the right places.

  • Eliminating prior authorization requirements that put insurance companies over people, reducing costs and burdens on providers and increasing access to crucial care.

  • Creating new programs that support our small farms, help build our rural economy, and ensure sound stewardship of our rural lands. Protecting those lands and our health by restricting the use of toxic pesticides.

  • Making universal school meals permanent so that no kid goes hungry in Vermont while they’re trying to learn.

  • Helping our towns, homes, and businesses mitigate and adapt to the dangers of climate change, and asking the world’s largest fossil fuel companies to pay their fair share when there is damage caused by floods and other climate-related disasters.

Since leaving office after the last election, I’ve continued to fight alongside you. The overlapping problems we face are big and complicated. But I’ll never stop loving and believing in this place and the people who make it home. And as part of our next generation of leadership, I’ll never stop fighting for our future here.

So, I’m in.

I’m running again to be your State Representative. I’m running to be in the fight to build a Vermont where everyone can afford to live and thrive. A Vermont that offers real opportunity to all who call it home. A Vermont that works for us.

I’ll never stop loving and believing in this place and the people who make it home. And as part of our next generation of leadership, I’ll never stop fighting for our future here.

I hope you’ll join me.