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Christopher Pearson
Christopher Pearson (Vermont Progressive Party) was a member of the Vermont State Senate, representing Chittenden District. He assumed office in 2017. He left office on January 4, 2023.
Pearson (Vermont Progressive Party, Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the Vermont State Senate to represent Chittenden District. He won in the general election on November 3, 2020. He advanced from the Democratic primary on August 11, 2020.
Pearson is a former Progressive member of the Vermont House of Representatives, representing Chittenden 6-4 from 2011 to 2017. He served as the Progressive Leader from 2013 to 2017. In 2020, Pearson participated in a Candidate Conversation hosted by Ballotpedia and EnCiv. Click here to view the recording.
On May 11, 2022, Pearson announced that he would not seek re-election in the Vermont House of Representatives.[1]
Committee assignments
Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.
2023-2024
Pearson was assigned to the following committees:
- Agriculture Committee, Vice Chair
- Finance Committee
- Senate Committee on Reapportionment
- Information Technology Oversight Committee
- Joint Legislative Child Protection Oversight Committee
- Judicial Rules Committee
2021-2022
Pearson was assigned to the following committees:
- Information Technology Oversight Committee
- Joint Carbon Emissions Reduction Committee
- Joint Energy Committee
- Agriculture Committee, Vice chair
- Finance Committee
2019-2020
Pearson was assigned to the following committees:
- Joint Energy Committee
- Information Technology Oversight Committee
- Agriculture Committee, Vice Chair
- Finance Committee
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| Vermont committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Government Operations |
| • Natural Resources and Energy |
| • Legislative Information Technology |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Pearson served on the following committees:
| Vermont committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Health Care, Vice-Chair |
2013-2014
In the 2013-2014 legislative session, Pearson served on the following committees:
| Vermont committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Health Care |
| • Health Care Oversight |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Pearson served on these committees:
| Vermont committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Health Care |
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2022
- See also: Vermont State Senate elections, 2022
Christopher Pearson did not file to run for re-election.
2020
Note: Due to fusion voting, Vermont candidates may appear on the ballot with multiple party affiliations. In those cases, the first party listed on the official ballot is the person's foremost political party. Please note that our ordering of political parties may not match the official list's order. For those candidates, please consult the official candidate list to see the correct party order.
See also: Vermont State Senate elections, 2020
General election
General election for Vermont State Senate Chittenden District (6 seats)
The following candidates ran in the general election for Vermont State Senate Chittenden District on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Thomas Chittenden (D)  | 12.9 | 50,974 |
| ✔ |  | Virginia Lyons (D) | 12.3 | 48,602 |
| ✔ |  | Kesha Ram Hinsdale (D) | 11.8 | 46,513 |
| ✔ |  | Michael Sirotkin (D) | 11.6 | 45,819 |
| ✔ |  | Philip Baruth (D / Vermont Progressive Party) | 11.1 | 43,923 |
| ✔ |  | Christopher Pearson (Vermont Progressive Party / D) | 8.5 | 33,445 |
| Susan Bowen (R) | 5.5 | 21,900 | ||
| Tom Chastenay (R) | 4.9 | 19,300 | ||
 | Ericka Redic (R) | 4.8 | 18,945 | |
| Kumulia Long (R) | 4.8 | 18,763 | ||
| Dean Rolland (R) | 4.5 | 17,604 | ||
| Kylie Hollingsworth (R) | 4.1 | 16,319 | ||
 | James Ehlers (Independent) | 3.0 | 11,919 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 631 | ||
| Total votes: 394,657 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Vermont State Senate Chittenden District (6 seats)
The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for Vermont State Senate Chittenden District on August 11, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Virginia Lyons | 13.9 | 21,198 |
| ✔ | | Kesha Ram Hinsdale | 13.2 | 20,181 |
| ✔ | | Michael Sirotkin | 10.0 | 15,208 |
| ✔ | | Philip Baruth | 9.6 | 14,677 |
| ✔ | | Thomas Chittenden | 8.9 | 13,556 |
| ✔ | | Christopher Pearson | 7.7 | 11,764 |
| June Heston | 7.7 | 11,719 | ||
 | David Scherr | 6.3 | 9,562 | |
 | Dylan Giambatista | 6.1 | 9,331 | |
| Erhard Mahnke | 5.2 | 7,878 | ||
| Adam Roof | 5.1 | 7,785 | ||
 | Louis Meyers | 3.2 | 4,838 | |
 | Steve May | 2.9 | 4,371 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 271 | ||
| Total votes: 152,339 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Watch the Candidate Conversation for this race!
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Vermont State Senate Chittenden District (6 seats)
Tom Chastenay and Ericka Redic advanced from the Republican primary for Vermont State Senate Chittenden District on August 11, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Tom Chastenay | 48.8 | 6,725 | |
| ✔ | | Ericka Redic | 42.2 | 5,810 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 9.0 | 1,247 | ||
| Total votes: 13,782 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Jean Sirois (R)
2018
- See also: Vermont State Senate elections, 2018
In addition to running as a Vermont Progressive Party candidate, Pearson cross-filed to also run with the Democratic Party in 2018.
General election
General election for Vermont State Senate Chittenden District (6 seats)
The following candidates ran in the general election for Vermont State Senate Chittenden District on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Timothy Ashe (D) | 14.2 | 44,002 |
| ✔ | | Virginia Lyons (D) | 13.4 | 41,617 |
| ✔ |  | Debbie Ingram (D) | 13.1 | 40,751 |
| ✔ | | Michael Sirotkin (D) | 12.4 | 38,569 |
| ✔ | | Philip Baruth (D) | 12.2 | 38,075 |
| ✔ | | Christopher Pearson (Vermont Progressive Party / D) | 9.9 | 30,863 |
| Alex Farrell (R) | 6.3 | 19,602 | ||
 | Paul Dame (R) | 5.6 | 17,521 | |
| Dana Maxfield (R) | 5.3 | 16,422 | ||
| Louis Meyers (Independent) | 2.8 | 8,848 | |
| Seth Cournoyer (L) | 1.7 | 5,389 | ||
 | Loyal Ploof (L) | 1.5 | 4,599 | |
| Joshua Knox (Fair Representation Vermont Party) | 1.3 | 4,173 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 465 | ||
| Total votes: 310,896 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Vermont State Senate Chittenden District (6 seats)
The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for Vermont State Senate Chittenden District on August 14, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Timothy Ashe | 19.0 | 13,527 |
| ✔ | | Virginia Lyons | 18.1 | 12,886 |
| ✔ | | Michael Sirotkin | 15.1 | 10,727 |
| ✔ | | Debbie Ingram | 15.0 | 10,701 |
| ✔ | | Philip Baruth | 14.5 | 10,302 |
 | Val Carzello | 7.3 | 5,229 | |
| Steve May | 5.6 | 4,018 | |
| Finnian Boardman Abbey | 5.3 | 3,771 | ||
| Total votes: 71,161 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Vermont State Senate Chittenden District (6 seats)
Alex Farrell and Dana Maxfield advanced from the Republican primary for Vermont State Senate Chittenden District on August 14, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Alex Farrell | 51.9 | 3,507 | |
| ✔ | Dana Maxfield | 48.1 | 3,255 | |
| Total votes: 6,762 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Vermont Progressive Party primary election
Vermont Progressive Party primary for Vermont State Senate Chittenden District (6 seats)
Incumbent Christopher Pearson advanced from the Vermont Progressive Party primary for Vermont State Senate Chittenden District on August 14, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Christopher Pearson | 100.0 | 9,029 |
| Total votes: 9,029 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2016
- See also: Vermont State Senate elections, 2016
Elections for the Vermont State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election took place on August 9, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was May 26, 2016. Incumbents David Zuckerman (D) and Helen Riehle (R) did not run for re-election.
The following candidates ran in the Vermont State Senate Chittenden District general election.[2][3]
| Vermont State Senate, Chittenden District General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Debbie Ingram |
14.74% | 40,467 | |
| Democratic | Virginia Lyons Incumbent |
15.01% | 41,223 | |
| Democratic | Timothy Ashe Incumbent |
16.13% | 44,297 | |
| Progressive | Christopher Pearson |
11.36% | 31,192 | |
| Democratic | Michael Sirotkin Incumbent |
13.69% | 37,585 | |
| Democratic | Phil Baruth Incumbent |
13.64% | 37,453 | |
| Republican | John Gifford | 9.23% | 25,346 | |
| Independent | Tom Licata | 6.20% | 17,021 | |
| Total Votes | 274,584 | |||
| Source: Vermont Secretary of State | ||||
The following candidates ran in the Vermont State Senate Chittenden District Democratic primary.[4][5]
| Vermont State Senate, Chittenden District Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Debbie Ingram |
8.57% | 7,386 | |
| Democratic | Virginia Lyons Incumbent |
14.15% | 12,185 | |
| Democratic | Timothy Ashe Incumbent |
15.30% | 13,175 | |
| Democratic | Christopher Pearson |
9.66% | 8,325 | |
| Democratic | Michael Sirotkin Incumbent |
12.16% | 10,471 | |
| Democratic | Phil Baruth Incumbent |
10.72% | 9,238 | |
| Democratic | Faisal Gill | 7.71% | 6,645 | |
| Democratic | Louis Meyers | 2.77% | 2,384 | |
| Democratic | Dawn Ellis | 7.53% | 6,488 | |
| Democratic | David Scherr | 8.14% | 7,009 | |
| Democratic | Nick Cook | 3.29% | 2,830 | |
| Total Votes | 86,136 | |||
John Gifford ran unopposed in the Vermont State Senate Chittenden District Republican primary.[4][5]
| Vermont State Senate, Chittenden District Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | John Gifford (unopposed) | |
This candidate ran in one of Ballotpedia's races to watch in 2016. Read more »
2014
Elections for the Vermont House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on August 26, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was June 12, 2014. Chittenden-6-4 has two state representatives. Incumbent Kesha Ram was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Incumbent Christopher Pearson ran as a Vermont Progressive Party candidate.[6][7][8][9]Both incumbents were unopposed in the general election.[10]
2012
Pearson won re-election in the 2012 election for Vermont House of Representatives Chittenden 6-4. Pearson was unopposed in the August 28 Vermont Progressive Party primary and was unopposed in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[11]
2010
Christopher Pearson ran for the Vermont House of Representatives Chittenden 3-4 in 2010. He ran against Diane Gottlieb in the primary on August 24, 2010. He defeated Peg Boyle Single (D) and Diane Gottlieb (P) in the November 2, 2010 general election.[11]
| Vermont House of Representatives, Chittenden 3-4 General Election (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Kesha Ram (D)
|
1,345 | |||
| Christopher Pearson (Vermont Progressive Party)
|
1,002 | |||
| Peg Boyle Single (D) | 720 | |||
| Diane Gottlieb (Vermont Progressive Party) | 196 | |||
Campaign themes
2020
Candidate Conversations
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Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Christopher Pearson did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2016
Pearson's campaign website highlighted the following issues:[12]
Property taxes
- Excerpt: "Since my first days in the House I have been part of several tri-partisan coalitions that want to shift school taxes to an income tax."
Wages
- Excerpt: "I support moving to a $15 minimum wage. The path to a strong middle class requires that anyone working full time be able to meet their basic needs."
Climate change
- Excerpt: "There is no single greater threat to our state, our economy or humanity than global climate change."
Tax equity
- Excerpt: "...half of all Vermont households earn less than $53,000. In Chittenden County the numbers are higher but the same principle applies – too many families are living paycheck to paycheck."
2014
Pearson's website highlighted the following campaign themes:[13]
- Jobs
- Excerpt: "Anyone running for office wants to create jobs but how to do that is a big question. To me we get there by fixing the foundation of our economy. Chiefly that means fixing health care and expanding renewable energy. If we can solidify these two pieces we will be in a much stronger position to attract businesses, release our entrepreneurial side and save money. On energy we should use more local renewable energy and we should position ourselves as a center for research, development and production of energy components."
- Healthcare
- Excerpt: "Since 2002 our annual spending on health care is up $2.5 billion. It is literally crushing our economy at the family, business and tax payer level. How much longer will we have to wait for a universal health care system?…Vermonters are clear they favor such a system, but many leaders are still wavering. I will work hard to find ways to move toward a sensible system of reform."
- Renewable Energy
- Excerpt: "When you put the "Made in VT" seal on a block of cheese it fetches a premium up and down the East coast. So why not on solar panels? We should use more local, renewable energy to make up for the energy lost with VT Yankee's closing. And we should create scholarships so young people come to and stay in Vermont to study renewable technology. Let's be on the cutting edge. And let's create components right here."
- Global Warming
- Excerpt: "We have to commit to reducing our energy consumption. We have to look at how we develop the state and what transportation strains it puts on families because cars are Vermont's biggest contributor to greenhouse gases. We have to get serious about this shared problem. My hope is to help invigorate the discussion in Montpelier, bringing together the right people to craft a realistic 10-year plan that will actually have impact."
- Wages
- Excerpt: "Families who can't meet basic needs often rely on heating assistance, food stamps, government health programs and more. This costs taxpayers money. Instead we should work with employers to increase wages to the point where workers don’t have to rely on government programs to supplement their paycheck."
- Taxes
- Excerpt: "Property tax reform is way overdue in Vermont. I favor the proposal put forward by the League of Cities and Towns that shifts us away from property tax and substitutes an income tax to pay for schools. This is a much better indicator of wealth and could greatly reduce the complex system we have today. In general I favor a progressive tax system that asks the wealthy to pay a higher percentage of tax than working families."
- Support for Small Businesses
- Excerpt: "Fact: small businesses drive Vermont's economy. So why does the state spend millions each year in tax credits for giant corporations that may or may not create the jobs they promise, while we do next to nothing to the folks that actually create jobs and fill state coffers? It's insane. Vermont has to get serious about supporting small businesses if we want to see our economy prosper and good jobs here in the state."
- Democracy Issues
- Excerpt: "Vermont should make simple changes to the way we elect our statewide leaders so we can have more choices and be guaranteed that the majority will rule. Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) would take care of this problem and open us up for the discussions we badly need. Reasonable limits on donations from political parties, corporations and individuals is a start to curb the influence of money. Ultimately I favor a system of public financing like Maine has successfully used for many years."
- Right to Organize
- Excerpt: "Since the industrial revolution labor unions have protected workers and been responsible for improving wages and working conditions. Plus, unions not only help their members but generally push wages up for all workers. Not surprisingly the right to organize has steadily been under attack by giant corporations and lawmakers that do the bidding of wealthy interests. The right to organize a democratically elected union in the work place is a basic human right and must be protected in any way possible."[13]
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Vermont scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2022
In 2022, the Vermont State Legislature was in session from January 4 to May 12.
- Legislators are scored based on their voting records on environmental issues.
- Legislators are scored by VPIRG on bills related to public interest issues.
2021
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show]. |
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In 2021, the Vermont State Legislature was in session from January 6 to May 21.
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2020
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show]. |
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In 2020, the Vermont State Legislature was in session from January 7 to August 30. The session was in recess after June 26 and reconvened August 25 to September 25.
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2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
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In 2019, the Vermont General Assembly was in session from January 9 through May 29.
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2018
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
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In 2018, the Vermont General Assembly was in session from January 3 through May 13. There was also a special session from May 23 through June 29.
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2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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In 2017, the Vermont General Assembly was in session from January 4 through May 18. There was also a veto session June 21.
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See also
2020 Elections
External links
|
Candidate Vermont State Senate Chittenden District |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ VTDigger, "Sen. Chris Pearson is not running for reelection," accessed May 19, 2022
- ↑ Vermont Secretary of State, "Candidate listings," accessed November 4, 2016
- ↑ Vermont Secretary of State, "2016 general election results," accessed November 28, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Vermont Secretary of State, "Qualified candidates for the statewide primary - August 9, 2016," accessed May 26, 2016
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Vermont Secretary of State, "Vermont Election Night Results," accessed August 9, 2016
- ↑ Vermont Secretary of State, "2014 Primary Election Candidate Listing," accessed June 19, 2014
- ↑ Vermont Secretary of State, "2014 Independent Candidates and Minor Party Candidates Nominated by Party Committee," accessed June 19, 2014
- ↑ Vermont Secretary of State, "2014 Major Party Nomination Candidate Listing," accessed June 19, 2014
- ↑ Vermont Secretary of State, "2014 Candidate Listing," June 13, 2014
- ↑ Vermont Secretary of State, "2014 General Election Candidate Listing," accessed October 11, 2014
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Vermont Secretary of State, "Election Results Search," accessed April 23, 2014
- ↑ Pearson for Senate, "Top issues," accessed July 15, 2016
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 VOTE PEARSON, "Top Issues," accessed October 27, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Vermont State Senate Chittenden District 2017-2023 |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
Vermont House of Representatives Chittenden 6-4 District (Historical) 2011-2017 |
Succeeded by - |
