Vermont’s primary day is over, and now the stage is set for the general election in November. Primary results include both statewide and local positions. Vermont Public’s political reporter Robert Kiznel has broken down the results and explained what they tell us about the next phase of the election season.
We were joined by the leaders of Vermont’s three largest political parties – David Glidden the Democratic Party of Vermont, Paul Dame the Republican Party of Vermont and Josh Wronski from the Vermont Progressive Party.
Former Democrat-turned-Republican John Rodgers secured the Republican nomination for Vermont’s lieutenant governor. Dame said the race will be a litmus test for Vermonters.
“It’s not just Vermonters who are looking for moderation,” Dame said. “Republicans running in the primaries are also looking for a reasonable middle ground.”
Incumbent Lieutenant Governor David Zuckerman was chosen as the Democratic nominee, but was also endorsed by the Vermont Progressive Party. Zuckerman describes himself as a progressive Democrat. Vronsky said they have had fusion candidates for over a decade to build better relationships with voters in the Democratic primary.
“(We) want to avoid situations where there are three-way races and a Republican is elected because a Democrat and a progressive split the vote,” Wronski said.
On the night of the primary, Windham County Democrats and the Democratic Party released a statement alleging possible election interference. Guilford residents received letters with fake “City of Guildford” labels claiming that a local candidate and chairman of the Board of Elections was guilty of criminal activity and voter fraud.
“It is concerning that this mailing was designed to appear as if it were official correspondence from the municipality, which is incredibly unethical,” Glidden said.
Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas says this is normal in small-town politics.
The parliamentary elections will take place on Tuesday, November 5.
Live broadcast on Wednesday, August 14, 2024, 12:00 p.m.; repeat at 7:00 p.m.
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