Representative Ashley Bartley's Announcement Speech

Today, I stand before you deeply humbled, incredibly grateful, and full of hope as I officially announce my candidacy for State Senate in the Chittenden-North District — representing the communities of Fairfax, Essex, Milton, and Westford.

I want to thank my colleagues, friends and family for being here and supporting me, not just today but everyday. I especially want to thank Senator Mattos for his service to the people of this District, and I look forward to building off that foundation. 

Over the last four years, I have had the tremendous honor of serving the people of Fairfax and Georgia in the Vermont House. Every single day, I have fought to be a voice for working families, for rural communities, for taxpayers, and for Vermonters who simply want the government to remember who it works for.

And today, I’m asking for the opportunity to continue that work in the State Senate.

But let me be very clear from the start: this campaign is not about titles, political ambition, or party labels.

This campaign is about Vermonters.

It’s about the young family wondering if they will ever be able to afford a home in the community where they grew up.

It’s about seniors who worked their entire lives and now worry whether they can afford to stay in Vermont.

Proud to have amazing, supportive parents!

It’s about small business owners trying to survive rising costs and endless regulations.

It’s about parents balancing work, childcare, groceries, and heating bills while wondering if anyone in Montpelier truly understands what life feels like outside the State House walls.

And it’s about ensuring rural Vermont is not forgotten.

Too often, legislation is treated like a blanket solution — one-size-fits-all policies created without recognizing that the needs of rural communities are very different from the needs of our most urban areas. What works in Burlington does not always work in Fairfax, Milton, Westford, or Essex. Our communities deserve leaders who understand that difference and are willing to speak up for it.

I have never been afraid to speak up.

In the House, I became a leading voice on one of the most urgent challenges facing our state: housing.

I firmly believe every Vermonter deserves access to safe, affordable housing. Not just someday — now.

Thank you to my husband Jeff for always having my back!

For years, we have thrown money at the housing crisis without fully addressing the policies that make it harder, slower, and more expensive to build homes in the first place. If we truly want affordability, we must continue serious conversations around permitting reform, responsible growth, and cutting unnecessary barriers that prevent housing from being built.

Because affordability cannot simply be a campaign slogan. It must be a mandate.

Families should never have to choose between paying rent or buying groceries. Young people should not have to leave the state they love because they cannot afford to live here. And hardworking Vermonters deserve leaders willing to tackle these challenges honestly — even when the conversations are difficult.

That honesty matters to me.

As legislators, it is our responsibility to lead with integrity, transparency, and accountability. I promise you this: I will always tell you where I stand. I will always be accessible. And I will always remember that elected officials answer to the people — not the other way around.

This election cannot simply be about party affiliation. Labels do not put food on the table. Labels do not lower property taxes. Labels do not solve the housing crisis.

What matters is whether we are willing to work together to get things done for Vermonters.

I am proud to be someone who has worked across differences, built relationships, and focused on solutions instead of division. Because at the end of the day, the challenges facing Vermont do not care whether you are Republican, Democrat, Independent, or somewhere in between.

And neither should our willingness to work together.

Throughout my life — as a legislator, as a mother, as someone deeply rooted in this community — I have believed that public service is about showing up, listening, and fighting for people who feel unheard.

That is exactly what I intend to continue doing in the Senate.

But I cannot do this alone.

This campaign will only succeed if it belongs to all of us. It will take conversations at kitchen tables, knocking on doors, volunteers stepping forward, and neighbors talking to neighbors about the future we want for Vermont.

So today, I am asking you to join me.

Join me in fighting for affordability.

Join me in standing up for rural Vermont.

Join me in building housing solutions that actually work.

Join me in demanding honesty and transparency from our leaders.

And join me in creating a future where every person in Fairfax, Essex, Milton, and Westford knows they have a voice at the table.

I am incredibly honored by the trust you have already placed in me, and I would be deeply honored to earn your support once again.