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Peter Shumlin
Peter Shumlin (b. March 24, 1956, in Brattleboro, Vermont) is a former Democratic Governor of Vermont. He was first elected in 2010 and won re-election on November 6, 2012. Shumlin easily defeated state Sen. Randy Brock (R) in the 2012 race by a margin of 57.8 percent to 37.6 percent.[1]
Shumlin ran for re-election in 2014.[2] He placed first in the general election but did not gain 50 percent of the vote, requiring the Vermont State Legislature to select the next governor.[3] Shumlin won another term in office following a 110-69 vote by legislators on January 8, 2015.[4]
On June 8, 2015, Shumlin announced that he would not seek re-election to a fourth term in office during the 2016 elections.[5]
In December 2012, Shumlin was elected to serve as head of the Democratic Governors Association for 2013, replacing Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley.[6]
Shumlin was previously a Democratic member of the Vermont State Senate from 1992 to 2002 and 2007 to 2010, representing Windham County. He served as President Pro Tempore in his second Senate term.[7]
Biography
Shumlin's political experience began with his time as member of the Putney Board of Selectmen from 1980 to 1990. He served in the Vermont House of Representatives from 1990 to 1993 after a gubernatorial appointment to fill a vacancy. He then served as one of two senators from Windham County in the Vermont State Senate from 1996 to 2002. In 1997, he was elected President Pro Tempore of the Senate.[8]
Shumlin stepped away from politics to run Putney Student Travel from 2003 to 2006. When his successor in the Senate retired, Shumlin ran for the seat and served from 2006 to 2010. In the fall of 2009, he announced a run for governor. He survived a five-way primary that took days to conclude after initial vote totals were close enough to trigger recounts.[7]
Shumlin previously worked as both an educator and dairy farmer. He continues to run Putney Student Travel, a company founded by his parents in the 1950s, with his brother.[7]
Education
- Wesleyan University, B.A., 1979
- Buxton School[7]
Presidential preference
2016 presidential endorsement
✓ Shumlin endorsed Hillary Clinton for the Democratic primary in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.[9]
- See also: Endorsements for Hillary Clinton
Political career
Governor of Vermont (2011-2017)
Shumlin was elected Governor of Vermont on November 2, 2010. He succeeded Republican incumbent Jim Douglas, who did not run for re-election to a fifth two-year term. Shumlin won re-election in 2012 and 2014. He did not seek re-election in 2016.
Single-payer insurance plan
On December 18, 2014, Shumlin announced that he had ended his pursuit of legislation to turn Vermont into the first state in the nation to operate a universal, taxpayer-funded healthcare system. Shumlin first signed legislation in 2011 that sought cost estimates and plans for the Green Mountain Care program slated to start by 2017. Estimates published in December 2014 determined that the state needed a new income tax of up to 9.5 percent and a payroll tax of 11.5 percent to meet ongoing costs of the proposed program. In a press release, Shumlin noted, "These are simply not tax rates that I can responsibly support or urge the Legislature to pass...In my judgement, the potential economic disruption and risks would be too great to small businesses, working families and the state's economy."[10] The Kaiser Family Foundation determined that 41,000 state residents gained insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act by April 2014 and the state's 9.3 percent uninsured rate prior to the federal law's passage was among the lowest in the United States.[11]
Democratic Governors Association leadership
On December 4, 2012, just shy of one month after he won re-election to a second term as governor, Shumlin was elected chairman of the Democratic Governors Association at the organization's annual meeting in Los Angeles, California. He ran unopposed and with the support of outgoing chairman, Governor of Maryland Martin O'Malley. Shumlin's election marked the continuation of the tradition of Vermont governors chairing national gubernatorial associations, a line which includes former governors Richard Snelling, Howard Dean and Jim Douglas. His decision to take on the leadership role indicated his confidence about being re-elected to a third term in 2014.[12]
Health and Human Services Committee
In October 2013, Shumlin was appointed Vice Chair of the Health and Human Services Committee in the National Governors Association by NGA Chair Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin and NGA Vice Chair Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper.[13]
Job creation ranking
A June 2013 analysis by The Business Journals ranked 45 governors based on the annual private sector growth rate in all 50 states using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Shumlin was ranked number 33. The five governors omitted from the analysis all assumed office in 2013.[14][15]
2014 State of the State address
In January 2014, Shumlin gave his State of the State address and declared his hope to include an additional $1 million in the state budget for drug treatment and recovery in an attempt to deal with Vermont’s drug addiction and drug-related crime problem.[16] In fiscal year 2013, the Vermont state budget allocated $8 million for drug treatment and recovery measures. The state spent nearly $30 million for drug and alcohol abuse in fiscal year 2013. “The crisis I am talking about is the rising tide of drug addiction and drug-related crime spreading across Vermont,” said Shumlin. “In every corner of our state, heroin and opiate drug addiction threatens us … it threatens the safety that has always blessed our state,” he said. “It is a crisis bubbling just beneath the surface that may be invisible to many, but is already highly visible to law enforcement, medical personnel, social service and addiction treatment providers, and too many Vermont families.”[16]
Stance on Syrian refugee resettlement
- Main article: U.S. governors and their responses to Syrian refugees
After the attacks in Paris, France, on November 13, 2015, many U.S. governors declared their support or opposition to Syrian refugee resettlement in their states. Shumlin expressed strong support for the resettlement of Syrian refugees in the state of Vermont. He said:
| “ | What has this country become? Where have we left our values, our sense of morality and our sense of justice and the right thing to do?[17] | ” |
| —Gov. Peter Shumlin[18] | ||
Vermont State Senate (1996–2002, 2006–2010)
Before being elected governor in 2010, Shumlin was a Democratic member of the Vermont State Senate from 2006 to 2010 and from 1996 to 2002, representing Windham County. He served as President Pro Tempore in his second Senate term.[19]
During his time in the legislature, Shumlin led the movement to legalize same-sex marriage. When he was campaigning for governor in 2010, he promised to perform the marriage of a lesbian couple if he was elected. He kept the promise, marrying the couple in his office in 2011.[20]
Committee assignments
Elections
2016
- See also: State executive official elections, 2016
Shumlin announced he would not seek re-election on June 8, 2015. In his announcement, Shumlin noted that he wanted to spend more time on governing and would not seek election to another office after his term's conclusion in 2017.[5]
2014
- See also: Vermont Gubernatorial election, 2014
Shumlin ran for re-election to the office of Governor of Vermont. Shumlin won re-nomination in the Democratic primary on August 26.[2] The general election took place on November 4, 2014. The election did not yield a clear winner and the Vermont State Legislature voted 110-69 to give Shumlin another term in office.
Results
Primary election
| Vermont Gubernatorial Democratic Primary, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
 Peter Shumlin |
77% | 15,260 | ||
| Brooke Paige | 16.1% | 3,199 | ||
| Write-ins | 6.9% | 1,369 | ||
| Total Votes | 19,828 | |||
| Election results via Vermont Secretary of State. | ||||
General election
| Governor of Vermont, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Peter Shumlin Incumbent |
46.4% | 89,509 | |
| Republican | Scott Milne | 45.1% | 87,075 | |
| Libertarian | Dan Feliciano | 4.4% | 8,428 | |
| Liberty Union | Emily Peyton | 1.6% | 3,157 | |
| Independent | Pete Diamondstone | 0.9% | 1,673 | |
| Independent | Bernard Peters | 0.7% | 1,434 | |
| Independent | Cris Ericson | 0.6% | 1,089 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.4% | 722 | |
| Total Votes | 193,087 | |||
| Election results via Vermont Secretary of State | ||||
Race background
History of deadlocked races
The Vermont State Constitution requires winning candidates in gubernatorial, lieutenant gubernatorial and treasurer elections to receive majorities in their respective races. If a gubernatorial election fails to meet this requirement, the Vermont State Legislature convenes the following January to select the next governor. Since 1789, there have been 23 gubernatorial elections that failed to meet the majority threshold, including the 2014 election. The legislature selected the top vote recipient in 20 out of the past 23 deadlocked races and has not selected a second-place finisher as governor since 1853.[21]
Note: In the following table, a bolded name indicates a second-place finisher who was selected as governor by the legislature.
| Vermont gubernatorial elections without majority winner, 1789-Present | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | First-place candidate | % of vote | Second-place candidate | % of vote | Margin | Winner in legislative vote |
| 1789 | Thomas Chittenden | 44.1 | Moses Robinson | 26 | 18.1 | Moses Robinson |
| 1813 | Jonas Galusha | 49.5 | Martin Chittenden | 48.7 | 0.8 | Martin Chittenden |
| 1814 | Martin Chittenden | 49.4 | Jonas Galusha | 49.3 | 0.1 | Martin Chittenden |
| 1830 | Samuel C. Crafts | 43.9 | William A. Palmer | 35.6 | 8.3 | Samuel C. Crafts |
| 1831 | William A. Palmer | 44 | Heman Allen | 37.5 | 6.5 | William A. Palmer |
| 1832 | William A. Palmer | 42.2 | Samuel C. Crafts | 37.7 | 4.5 | William A. Palmer |
| 1834 | William A. Palmer | 45.4 | William C. Bradley | 27.5 | 17.9 | William A. Palmer |
| 1835 | William A. Palmer | 46.4 | William C. Bradley | 37.9 | 8.5 | No governor selected |
| 1841 | Charles Payne | 48.7 | Nathan Smilie | 44.4 | 4.3 | Charles Payne |
| 1843 | John Mattocks | 48.7 | Daniel Kellogg | 43.8 | 4.9 | John Mattocks |
| 1845 | William Slade | 47.2 | Daniel Kellogg | 38.5 | 8.7 | William Slade |
| 1846 | Horace Eaton | 48.5 | John Smith | 36.7 | 11.8 | Horace Eaton |
| 1847 | Horace Eaton | 46.7 | Paul Dillingham Jr. | 38.7 | 8 | Horace Eaton |
| 1848 | Carlos Coolidge | 43.7 | Oscar L. Shafter | 29.6 | 14.1 | Carlos Coolidge |
| 1849 | Carlos Coolidge | 49.6 | Horatio Needham | 44 | 5.6 | Carlos Coolidge |
| 1852 | Erastus Fairbanks | 49.4 | John S. Robinson | 31 | 18.4 | Erastus Fairbanks |
| 1853 | Erastus Fairbanks | 43.9 | John S. Robinson | 38.3 | 5.6 | John S. Robinson |
| 1902 | John G. McCullough | 45.6 | Percival W. Clement | 40.3 | 5.3 | John G. McCullough |
| 1912 | Allen M. Fletcher | 40.5 | Harland B. Howe | 30.8 | 9.7 | Allen M. Fletcher |
| 1986 | Madeleine M. Kunin | 47 | Peter Smith | 38.2 | 9.2 | Madeleine M. Kunin |
| 2002 | Jim Douglas | 44.9 | Doug Racine | 42.4 | 2.5 | Jim Douglas |
| 2010 | Peter Shumlin | 49.5 | Brian Dubie | 47.7 | 1.8 | Peter Shumlin |
| 2014 | Peter Shumlin | 46.4 | Scott Milne | 45.1 | 1.3 | Peter Shumlin |
2012
- See also: Vermont gubernatorial election, 2012
Shumlin won re-election in 2012. He ran unopposed in the August 28 primary election and defeated four challengers in the general election: Randy Brock (R), Emily Peyton (I), Cris Ericson (United States Marijuana) and Dave Eagle (Liberty Union).[22] The general election took place on November 6, 2012.[23][1]
| Governor of Vermont General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Peter Shumlin Incumbent |
57.8% | 170,749 | |
| Republican | Randy Brock | 37.6% | 110,940 | |
| Independent | Emily Peyton | 2% | 5,868 | |
| United States Marijuana | Cris Ericson | 1.9% | 5,583 | |
| Liberty Union | Dave Eagle | 0.4% | 1,303 | |
| Independent | Write-in | 0.3% | 969 | |
| Total Votes | 295,412 | |||
| Election results via Vermont Secretary of State | ||||
Endorsements
Shumlin's 2012 re-election campaign was endorsed by:
- The Vermont National Education Association, the state's largest union[24]
- Professional Fire Fighters Association of Vermont[25]
- Mayors of Barre, St. Albans, Newport, Winooski, Burlington, Montpelier and Rutland[26]
2010
- See also: Vermont gubernatorial election, 2010
Shumlin won election as Governor of Vermont in 2010, succeeding Republican incumbent Jim Douglas, who did not run for re-election to a fifth two-year term.[27]
The August 24 primary election was too close to call. It eventually resulted in a recount between Shumlin and second-place finisher Douglas Racine. Racine conceded the race on September 10, when the recount saw Shumlin expand his lead.
Shumlin defeated Brian Dubie (R) and six other challengers in the general election on November 2.
| Governor of Vermont, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Peter Shumlin |
49.5% | 119,543 | |
| Republican | Brian E. Dubie | 47.7% | 115,212 | |
| Independent | Dennis Steele | 0.8% | 1,917 | |
| United States Marijuana | Cris Ericson | 0.8% | 1,819 | |
| Independent | Dan Feliciano | 0.6% | 1,341 | |
| Independent | Em Peyton | 0.3% | 684 | |
| Liberty Union | Ben Mitchell | 0.2% | 429 | |
| Write-In | Various | 0.3% | 660 | |
| Total Votes | 241,605 | |||
| Election results via Vermont Secretary of State | ||||
2008
On November 4, 2008, Shumlin won re-election by finishing first for the two-seat Windham District of the Vermont State Senate, receiving 14,866 votes ahead of Democrat Jeanette White (13,531), Liberty Union candidate Aaron Diamondstone (2,464) and write-ins (219).[28]
Shumlin raised $3,350 for his campaign.[29]
| Vermont State Senate, Windham District | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Peter Shumlin (D)
|
14,866 | |||
| Jeanette White (D)
|
13,531 | |||
| Aaron Diamondstone (LU) | 2,464 | |||
| Write-ins | 219 | |||
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.
2016 Democratic National Convention
- Delegate to the 2016 DNC (click to expand)
- See also: Democratic National Convention, 2016
Peter Shumlin Democratic National Convention, 2016 Status: Superdelegate State: Vermont Supporting: Hillary Clinton Delegates to the DNC 2016 Calendar and delegate rules overview • Types of delegates • State election law and delegates • Superdelegates by state Shumlin was a superdelegate to the 2016 Democratic National Convention from Vermont.[30] Shumlin was one of 10 superdelegates from Vermont. Superdelegates to the 2016 Democratic National Convention were not bound by the results of their state’s primary or caucus to support a specific presidential candidate. Shumlin supported Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination.[31]Clinton formally won the Democratic nomination for president on July 26, 2016.[32]
What is a superdelegate?
Superdelegates in 2016 were automatic delegates to the Democratic National Convention, meaning that, unlike regular delegates, they were not elected to this position. Also unlike regular delegates, they were not required to pledge their support to any presidential candidate, and they were not bound by the results of their state's presidential primary election or caucus. In 2016, superdelegates included members of the Democratic National Committee, Democratic members of Congress, Democratic governors, and distinguished party leaders, including former presidents and vice presidents. All superdelegates were free to support any presidential candidate of their choosing at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.[33]
Vermont primary results
- See also: Presidential election in Vermont, 2016
Vermont Democratic Primary, 2016 Candidate Vote % Votes Delegates Bernie Sanders 85.7% 115,900 16 Hillary Clinton 13.6% 18,338 0 Martin O'Malley 0.2% 282 0 Roque De La Fuente 0.1% 80 0 Other 0.2% 238 0 Spoiled votes 0.1% 158 0 Blank votes 0.2% 260 Totals 135,256 16 Source: Vermont Secretary of State and CNN Delegate allocation
Vermont had 26 delegates at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. Of this total, 16 were pledged delegates. National party rules stipulated how Democratic delegates in all states were allocated. Pledged delegates were allocated to a candidate in proportion to the votes he or she received in a state's primary or caucus. A candidate was eligible to receive a share of the state's pledged delegates if he or she won at least 15 percent of the votes cast in the primary or caucus. There were three types of pledged Democratic delegates: congressional district delegates, at-large delegates, and party leaders and elected officials (PLEOs). Congressional district delegates were allocated proportionally based on the primary or caucus results in a given district. At-large and PLEO delegates were allocated proportionally based on statewide primary results.[36][37]
10 party leaders and elected officials served as unpledged delegates. These delegates were not required to adhere to the results of a state's primary or caucus.[36][38]
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Shumlin has two daughters, Olivia and Rebecca.[39] In 2015, he married his long-time partner Katie.[40]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Peter Shumlin Vermont Governor. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Vermont Gubernatorial election, 2014
- Governor of Vermont
- Lieutenant Governor of Vermont
- Lieutenant Governor Phillip Scott
External links
- Social media:
- Biographies:
- Executive actions:
- Interest group ratings:
- Issue positions:
- Public statements:
- Works by or about:
- Media appearances:
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Vermont Public Radio, "Campaign 2012 Election Results," accessed November 6, 2012
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Vermont Secretary of State, "2014 Primary Candidate Listing," accessed July 28, 2014
- ↑ Huffington Post, "Vermont Governor Election Results: State Legislature To Decide Winner," November 5, 2014
- ↑ Vermont Public Radio, "LIVE BLOG: Lawmakers Elect Shumlin to Third Term," January 8, 2015
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Vermont Public Radio, "Shumlin Will Not Seek Re-Election In 2016," June 8, 2015
- ↑ Politico, "Shumlin elected to lead DGA, with O'Comartun as top aide," December 4, 2012
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Project Vote Smart, "Biography-Peter Shumlin," accessed September 28, 2012
- ↑ Peter Shumlin for Governor, "Meet Peter," accessed July 28, 2014
- ↑ Ben Kamisar, The Hill, "Vermont governor snubs Sanders, backs Clinton," May 20, 2015
- ↑ Burlington Free Press, "Single-payer dies in Shumlin's biggest disappointment," December 18, 2014
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Vermont ends push for single-payer health care," December 18, 2014
- ↑ VT Digger, "Shumlin to be named Democratic Governors Association Chairman," December 5, 2012
- ↑ NGA News Release, "NGA Chooses New Committee Leadership," E-mail communication with Kristen Mathews on October 23, 2013
- ↑ The Business Journals, "Governors and jobs: How governors rank for job creation in their states," June 27, 2013
- ↑ The Business Journals, "How state governors rank on their job-growth record," June 27, 2013
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 WatchDog.org, "Vermont governor declares new ‘War on Drugs,’ but pumps up old bureaucracy," January 10, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ WPTZ.com, "Gov. Shumlin says Vermont open to Syrian refugees," November 8, 2015
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Biography-Peter Shumlin," accessed September 28, 2012
- ↑ Huffington Post, "Peter Shumlin, Vermont Governor, Presides Over Marriage Of Lesbian Couple ," August 17, 2011
- ↑ Vermont Secretary of State, "General Election Results: Governor, 1789-2012," accessed November 13, 2014
- ↑ Vermont Secretary of State, "Unofficial election results," August 28, 2012
- ↑ Vermont Secretary of State Elections Division, "2012 Candidate Listing," accessed October 19, 2012
- ↑ VtDigger, "State's largest union gives nod to Shumlin, Scott, Illuzzi, and Condos earlier recommendation for Pearce in Treasurer's race rounds out Vermont NEAs election picks," September 11, 2012
- ↑ VT Digger.org, "Professional Fire Fighters of Vermont endorse Peter Shumlin for governor," June 19, 2012
- ↑ The Republic, "Vermont mayors endorse Shumin's re-election," September 24, 2012
- ↑ Vermont Secretary of State, "2010 GENERAL ELECTION OFFICIAL RESULTS: Vote Totals and Mailing List for the Federal and Statewide Races, revised November 12, 2010," accessed November 15, 2010
- ↑ Vermont Secretary of State, "Election Results Search," accessed June 8, 2015
- ↑ Follow the Money, "Shumlin, Peter E.," accessed June 8, 2015
- ↑ Ballotpedia's list of superdelegates to the 2016 Democratic National Convention is based on our own research and lists provided by the Democratic National Committee to Vox.com in February 2016 and May 2016. If you think we made an error in identifying superdelegates, please send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.
- ↑ FiveThirtyEight, "The Endorsement Primary," accessed July 7, 2016
- ↑ To find out which candidate a superdelegate supported, Ballotpedia sought out public statements from the superdelegate in other media outlets and on social media. If we were unable to find a public statement that clearly articulated which candidate the superdelegate supported at the national convention, we listed that superdelegate as "unknown." If you believe we made an error in identifying which candidate a superdelegate supported, please email us at editor@ballotpedia.org.
- ↑ Congressional Research Service, "The Presidential Nominating Process and the National Party Conventions, 2016: Frequently Asked Questions," December 30, 2015
- ↑ The New York Times, "Vermont Primary Results," March 1, 2016
- ↑ RealClear Politics, “Vermont Democratic Presidential Primary,” March 1, 2016
- ↑ 36.0 36.1 Democratic National Committee, "2016 Democratic National Convention Delegate/Alternate Allocation," updated February 19, 2016
- ↑ The Green Papers, "2016 Democratic Convention," accessed May 7, 2021
- ↑ Democratic National Committee's Office of Party Affairs and Delegate Selection, "Unpledged Delegates -- By State," May 27, 2016
- ↑ Burlington Free Press, "Gov. Shumlin's divorce finalized," April 3, 2013
- ↑ Burlington Free Press, "Gov. Shumlin marries partner Katie Hunt," accessed December 17, 2015
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jim Douglas (R) |
Governor of Vermont 2011–2017 |
Succeeded by Phillip Scott (R) |
| Preceded by ' |
Vermont State Senate - Windham District 2007–2011 |
Succeeded by NA |
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