The primaries were held on August 9.[2] Former
Vermont Agency of Transportation Secretary
Sue Minter won the Democratic nomination, and Lieutenant Governor
Phil Scott won the
Republican primary,[3] with Scott defeating Minter in the general election. This was the first gubernatorial election in Vermont in which the winner was of a different party than the incumbent president since 1992.
Background
Two-term Democratic Governor
Peter Shumlin ran for re-election in
2014 and was widely expected to win easily. However, he only took a plurality of the vote, 46.36%, to Republican
Scott Milne's 45.1%, and thus the result was decided by the
Vermont General Assembly. The Assembly picked Shumlin by 110 votes to 69. Shumlin announced in June 2015 that he would not run for a fourth term.[4]
Vermont and
New Hampshire are the only states in the country whose governors are elected every two years.
Democratic primary
In August, Vermont House Speaker
Shap Smith announced that he would be a candidate,[5] but ended his candidacy in November 2015, after his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer.[6] In September,
Matt Dunne announced that he would also be a candidate.[7] Also in September, former state legislator
Sue Minter, then serving as Vermont's
Secretary of Transportation, announced that she would resign her position in order to join the Democratic race.[8] Former Ambassador
Peter Galbraith announced his candidacy in March 2016.[9]
In July, H. Brook Paige was excluded from official Democratic Party events after making derogatory comments on social media.[10]
Minter won the nomination decisively, and was endorsed by Dunne but not Galbraith.[11]
Candidates
Declared
Matt Dunne, former state senator, Google executive, and candidate for governor
in 2010[12]
H. Brooke Paige, former CEO of Remington News Service, candidate for
Governor and
Attorney General in 2014 and Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in
2012 (also ran for Attorney General)[16]
Deborah Markowitz, secretary of the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, former Secretary of State of Vermont and candidate for governor in 2010[20]
Doug Racine, former secretary of the Vermont Agency of Human Services, former
lieutenant governor, nominee for governor in
2002 and candidate for governor in 2010[21]
Doug Racine (D), former Secretary of the Vermont Agency of Human Services, former
lieutenant governor, nominee for governor in
2002 and candidate for governor in 2010[21]
Mary Sullivan (D), Chittenden state representative[21]
In September 2015, Lieutenant Governor
Phil Scott entered the race,[38] and 2014 gubernatorial nominee
Scott Milne, who had been considering running, endorsed Scott.[39] In October 2015, retired Wall Street executive
Bruce Lisman officially announced his "outsider" candidacy.[40]
Scott was endorsed by most active Vermont Republican politicians, and held a strong lead in a February poll.[41][42] Lisman's campaign criticized Scott for being too closely connected to outgoing Democratic governor
Peter Shumlin and for "plagiarizing" Lisman's ideas, and linked Scott to the "failures" of the Vermont Health Connect insurance platform and the
school redistricting Act 46;[43][44][45] the candidates' campaigns disagreed over whether this constituted "negative campaigning," and Scott's campaign said the attacks were "patently false".[43]
Job Tate, Vermont State Representative (R-Rutland-Windsor)[65]
Businesspeople
Steve Forbes, businessman and candidate for Republican presidential nominee in 1996 and 2000[66]
On May 6, 2016, Scott received the endorsements of all Vermont Republican legislators (listed above) except State Representatives Donald Turner, Doug Gage, Mary Morrissey, Job Tate, and Paul Dame.[67] Among those five legislators who did not endorse Scott, four said they always remain neutral in a party primary election, and one was waiting until after the filing deadline to make an endorsement.[68]
The primaries were held on August 9.[2] Former
Vermont Agency of Transportation Secretary
Sue Minter won the Democratic nomination, and Lieutenant Governor
Phil Scott won the
Republican primary,[3] with Scott defeating Minter in the general election. This was the first gubernatorial election in Vermont in which the winner was of a different party than the incumbent president since 1992.
Background
Two-term Democratic Governor
Peter Shumlin ran for re-election in
2014 and was widely expected to win easily. However, he only took a plurality of the vote, 46.36%, to Republican
Scott Milne's 45.1%, and thus the result was decided by the
Vermont General Assembly. The Assembly picked Shumlin by 110 votes to 69. Shumlin announced in June 2015 that he would not run for a fourth term.[4]
Vermont and
New Hampshire are the only states in the country whose governors are elected every two years.
Democratic primary
In August, Vermont House Speaker
Shap Smith announced that he would be a candidate,[5] but ended his candidacy in November 2015, after his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer.[6] In September,
Matt Dunne announced that he would also be a candidate.[7] Also in September, former state legislator
Sue Minter, then serving as Vermont's
Secretary of Transportation, announced that she would resign her position in order to join the Democratic race.[8] Former Ambassador
Peter Galbraith announced his candidacy in March 2016.[9]
In July, H. Brook Paige was excluded from official Democratic Party events after making derogatory comments on social media.[10]
Minter won the nomination decisively, and was endorsed by Dunne but not Galbraith.[11]
Candidates
Declared
Matt Dunne, former state senator, Google executive, and candidate for governor
in 2010[12]
H. Brooke Paige, former CEO of Remington News Service, candidate for
Governor and
Attorney General in 2014 and Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in
2012 (also ran for Attorney General)[16]
Deborah Markowitz, secretary of the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, former Secretary of State of Vermont and candidate for governor in 2010[20]
Doug Racine, former secretary of the Vermont Agency of Human Services, former
lieutenant governor, nominee for governor in
2002 and candidate for governor in 2010[21]
Doug Racine (D), former Secretary of the Vermont Agency of Human Services, former
lieutenant governor, nominee for governor in
2002 and candidate for governor in 2010[21]
Mary Sullivan (D), Chittenden state representative[21]
In September 2015, Lieutenant Governor
Phil Scott entered the race,[38] and 2014 gubernatorial nominee
Scott Milne, who had been considering running, endorsed Scott.[39] In October 2015, retired Wall Street executive
Bruce Lisman officially announced his "outsider" candidacy.[40]
Scott was endorsed by most active Vermont Republican politicians, and held a strong lead in a February poll.[41][42] Lisman's campaign criticized Scott for being too closely connected to outgoing Democratic governor
Peter Shumlin and for "plagiarizing" Lisman's ideas, and linked Scott to the "failures" of the Vermont Health Connect insurance platform and the
school redistricting Act 46;[43][44][45] the candidates' campaigns disagreed over whether this constituted "negative campaigning," and Scott's campaign said the attacks were "patently false".[43]
Job Tate, Vermont State Representative (R-Rutland-Windsor)[65]
Businesspeople
Steve Forbes, businessman and candidate for Republican presidential nominee in 1996 and 2000[66]
On May 6, 2016, Scott received the endorsements of all Vermont Republican legislators (listed above) except State Representatives Donald Turner, Doug Gage, Mary Morrissey, Job Tate, and Paul Dame.[67] Among those five legislators who did not endorse Scott, four said they always remain neutral in a party primary election, and one was waiting until after the filing deadline to make an endorsement.[68]