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Vermont Treasurer election, 2016
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August 9, 2016 |
November 8, 2016 |
Elizabeth Pearce (D) |
Elizabeth Pearce (D) |
Governor • Lt. Governor Attorney General • Secretary of State Treasurer Down Ballot Auditor |
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Vermont held an election for treasurer on November 8, 2016, with primary elections on August 9. Incumbent Elizabeth Pearce (D) won re-election.
Overview
The treasurer of Vermont serves as the state's chief financial officer, managing all of the state's income, expenditures, and investments. The office also controls the state's pension fund, which was facing unfunded liabilities in 2016.
Going into the 2016 elections, Vermont was under Democratic trifecta control: Democrats had held the governorship and majorities in both chambers of the state legislature since Republican Governor Jim Douglas left office in 2011. The office of state treasurer in Vermont has tended to alternate party hands since the 1960s, with no one party controlling the seat for more than 12 years. Vermont voters have historically re-elected incumbent treasurers by large margins, and incumbents have rarely faced major party challenges in the two decades preceding 2016.
Incumbent Elizabeth Pearce (D) faced a challenger in the August 9 Democratic primary for the first time since assuming office in 2011. As of July 2016, she was the only candidate to have earned any key endorsements or report significant fundraising activity. She defeated challenger Richard Dunne (D) in the August 9 Democratic primary election and competed with Liberty Union Party Murray Ngoima in the November general election.
With an incumbency advantage for Pearce and significant fundraising lead, the 2016 election for treasurer was not expected to be competitive. Pearce won the general election on November 8, 2016.
Candidates
Elizabeth Pearce (D)
Incumbent treasurer of Vermont since 2011
Murray Ngoima (Liberty Union Party)
Art educator
Don Schramm (Progressive)
Co-op activist
| Click [show] to view candidates who were defeated in the primary elections. | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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Results
General election
Incumbent Elizabeth Pearce defeated Don Schramm and Murray Ngoima in the Vermont treasurer election.
| Vermont Treasurer, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Elizabeth Pearce Incumbent |
82.50% | 234,566 | |
| Progressive Party | Don Schramm | 13.12% | 37,301 | |
| Liberty Union Party | Murray Ngoima | 4.38% | 12,453 | |
| Total Votes | 284,320 | |||
| Source: Vermont Secretary of State | ||||
Primary elections
Democratic primary election
Incumbent Elizabeth Pearce defeated Richard Dunne in the Democratic primary for treasurer.
| Democratic primary for treasurer, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Elizabeth Pearce Incumbent |
55.96% | 40,939 |
| Richard Dunne | 28.61% | 20,929 |
| Write-in votes | 15.44% | 11,294 |
| Total Votes (275 of 275 Precincts Reporting) | 73,162 | |
| Source: Vermont Secretary of State | ||
Context of the 2016 election
Primary elections
A primary election is an election in which voters select the candidate they believe should represent a political party in a general election. Primaries usually take place several months before a general election. Vermont utilizes an open primary system, in which registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary. Vermont state law is unique in that it allows candidates to run in multiple primary elections at the same time, whether for multiple offices or for the same office under multiple parties. However, a candidate may only appear once on the general election ballot.[1][2][3]
Vermont's primary elections took place on August 9, 2016.
Incumbent Elizabeth Pearce (D)
Pearce was appointed to the position of state treasurer by Governor Peter Shumlin (D) in 2011 to replace Jeb Spaulding (D), whom Shumlin appointed Vermont secretary of administration. Pearce was re-elected to a full two-year term in 2012, defeating challenger Wendy Wilton (R) by about 12 percentage points. No major party candidates filed to run against her in 2014, and Pearce won the general election by almost 60 percentage points.
Before serving in statewide office, Pearce worked in government finance for more than 30 years across New England. At the time of her appointment, she was serving as deputy treasurer of Vermont, a position she assumed in 2003.
Party control in Vermont
Going into the election, Vermont was under Democratic trifecta control, with Democrats having held the governorship and majorities in both chambers of the state legislature since Republican Governor Jim Douglas left office in 2011. The state's electoral votes had gone to the Democratic presidential candidate since 1992, though Vermont went to Republicans for the six presidential elections before that.[4] The state had been represented in the U.S. Senate by Democrat Patrick Leahy since 1975, and by Bernie Sanders since 2007, who won election as an independent candidate, but changed party affiliation in 2015 to seek the Democratic nomination for president.
The office of state treasurer in Vermont has tended to alternate party hands since the 1960s, with no one party controlling the seat for more than 12 years. At the time of the election, Democrats had held the seat since 2003. The last open election took place in 2002, when Jeb Spaulding (D) won election against Republican John LaBarge by over 20 percent. Vermont voters have historically re-elected incumbent treasurers by large margins, and incumbents rarely faced major party challenges in the two decades preceding 2016.[5]
With an incumbency advantage for Democrats, the 2016 election for treasurer was not expected to be competitive.
Campaigns
Campaign finance
Note: If a candidate does not appear below, he or she did not meet or exceed minimum reporting requirements.
| Elizabeth Pearce Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| First quarter | March 15, 2016 | $ | $4,025.00 | $(982.04) | $ | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $13,575 | $(7,518.59) | ||||||||
| Richard Dunne Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| First quarter | March 15, 2016 | $ | $810.60 | $(430.77) | $ | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $810.6 | $(430.77) | ||||||||
Endorsements
| Key endorsements[6] | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elizabeth Pearce | |||||||||
| Vermont State Employees' Association | |||||||||
| Vermont National Education Association | |||||||||
| Professional Firefighters of Vermont | |||||||||
| Vermont Troopers' Association | |||||||||
| Vermont AFL-CIO | |||||||||
| What is a key endorsement? | |||||||||
Campaign media
Note: If a candidate is not listed below, Ballotpedia staff were unable to locate any campaign media for that candidate. Do you know of any? Tell us!
Democrats
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About the office
The treasurer of Vermont is an elected executive position in the Vermont state government. As the state's banker and chief investment officer, the treasurer is accountable for the receipt and disbursement of public funds, short and long-term debt management, investment of state funds, administration of three retirement systems and pension funds, collecting and returning unclaimed financial property to rightful owners, improving the financial literacy of Vermonters, and advising state policymakers on various fiscal and policy issues.[7]
Incumbent
The incumbent was Democrat Elizabeth Pearce. She was first appointed to the position in January 2011 by Gov. Peter Shumlin to replace Jeb Spaulding, who was appointed secretary of administration.
Authority
The Vermont treasurer's office is established in the Vermont Constitution. Chapter 2, Section 43 describes the officers to be elected in biennially.
Chapter 2, Section 43:
Biennial Elections
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Past elections
2014
Democratic incumbent Elizabeth Pearce won re-election on November 4, 2014.
| Vermont Treasurer, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Beth Pearce Incumbent |
74.5% | 124,925 | |
| Progressive | Don Schramm | 17.4% | 29,120 | |
| Liberty Union | Murray Ngoima | 8.1% | 13,540 | |
| Total Votes | 167,585 | |||
| Election results via New York Times | ||||
2012
Elizabeth Pearce was elected Vermont treasurer in 2012. She ran unopposed in the August 28 Democratic primary.[8] Republican Wendy Wilton and Progressive Party candidate Don Schramm were also unopposed in their respective parties' primaries. The three candidates, in addition to Liberty Union Party candidate Jessica Diamondstone, ran in the general election on November 6, 2012.[9] Pearce defeated her challengers to win re-election in the general election.[10]
| Vermont Treasurer General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Elizabeth Pearce Incumbent |
52.3% | 147,700 | |
| Republican | Wendy Wilton | 40.7% | 114,947 | |
| Progressive | Don Schramm | 4.4% | 12,497 | |
| Liberty Union | Jessica Diamondstone | 2.5% | 6,939 | |
| Independent | Write-in | 0.1% | 198 | |
| Total Votes | 282,281 | |||
| Election results via Vermont Secretary of State | ||||
2010
On November 2, 2010, Jeb Spaulding won re-election to the office of Vermont treasurer. He defeated Don Schramm (Progressive) and Murray Ngoima (Liberty Union) in the general election.
| Vermont treasurer, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic/Republican | Jeb Spaulding Incumbent |
90% | 204,048 | |
| Progressive | Don Schramm | 7.6% | 17,332 | |
| Liberty Union | Murray Ngoima | 2.1% | 4,832 | |
| Write-In | Various | 0.2% | 492 | |
| Total Votes | 226,704 | |||
| Election results via Vermont Secretary of State. | ||||
2008
On November 4, 2008, Jeb Spaulding won re-election to the office of Vermont treasurer. He defeated Don Schramm (Progressive) and Murray Ngoima (Liberty Union) in the general election.
| Vermont treasurer, 2008 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic/Republican | Jeb Spaulding Incumbent |
90% | 267,338 | |
| Progressive | Don Schramm | 7.7% | 22,811 | |
| Liberty Union | Murray Ngoima | 2.2% | 6,423 | |
| Write-In | Various | 0.2% | 506 | |
| Total Votes | 297,078 | |||
| Election results via Vermont Secretary of State. | ||||
2006
On November 7, 2006, Jeb Spaulding won re-election to the office of Vermont treasurer. He defeated V. Murray Ngoima (Liberty Union) in the general election.
| Vermont treasurer, 2006 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic/Republican | Jeb Spaulding Incumbent |
94% | 229,952 | |
| Liberty Union | V. Murray Ngoima | 5.7% | 14,018 | |
| Write-In | Various | 0.2% | 530 | |
| Total Votes | 244,500 | |||
| Election results via Vermont Secretary of State. | ||||
2004
On November 2, 2004, Jeb Spaulding won re-election to the office of Vermont treasurer. He ran unopposed in the general election.
| Vermont treasurer, 2004 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic/Republican | Jeb Spaulding Incumbent |
99.4% | 273,705 | |
| Write-In | Various | 0.6% | 1,537 | |
| Total Votes | 275,242 | |||
| Election results via Vermont Secretary of State. | ||||
2002
On November 5, 2002, Jeb Spaulding won election to the office of Vermont treasurer. He defeated John V. LaBarge (R), Teresa Bouchard (Vermont Grassroots), and Jerry Levy (Liberty Union) in the general election.
| Vermont treasurer, 2002 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Jeb Spaulding Incumbent |
57.2% | 127,459 | |
| Republican | John V. LaBarge | 36% | 80,229 | |
| Vermont Grassroots | Teresa Bouchard | 4.8% | 10,757 | |
| Liberty Union | Jerry Levy | 1.9% | 4,199 | |
| Write-In | Various | 0.1% | 154 | |
| Total Votes | 222,798 | |||
| Election results via Vermont Secretary of State. | ||||
2000
On November 7, 2000, James H. Douglas won re-election to the office of Vermont treasurer. He defeated Claude Delucia (Progressive) in the general election.
| Vermont treasurer, 2000 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican/Democratic | James H. Douglas Incumbent |
86.1% | 234,331 | |
| Progressive | Claude Delucia | 13.7% | 37,153 | |
| Write-In | Various | 0.3% | 694 | |
| Total Votes | 272,178 | |||
| Election results via Vermont Secretary of State. | ||||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Vermont treasurer election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
State profile
| Demographic data for Vermont | ||
|---|---|---|
| Vermont | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 626,088 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 9,217 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 94.9% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 1.1% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 1.4% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.3% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 1.9% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 1.7% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 91.8% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 36% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $55,176 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 13.2% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Vermont. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Vermont
Vermont voted for the Democratic candidate in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, one is located in Vermont, accounting for 0.5 percent of the total pivot counties.[11]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Vermont had one Retained Pivot County, 0.55 percent of all Retained Pivot Counties.
More Vermont coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Vermont
- United States congressional delegations from Vermont
- Public policy in Vermont
- Endorsers in Vermont
- Vermont fact checks
- More...
See also
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Vermont government: |
Previous elections: |
Ballotpedia exclusives: |
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Primary Election Types," accessed January 6, 2014
- ↑ Fair Vote, "Congressional and Presidential Primaries: Open, Closed, Semi-Closed, and 'Top Two,'" accessed January 6, 2014
- ↑ Ballotpedia research conducted December 26, 2013, through January 3, 2014, researching and analyzing various state websites and codes.
- ↑ National Archives and Records Administration, "Historical Election Results," accessed July 25, 2016
- ↑ Vermont Secretary of State, "State Treasurers," accessed July 30, 2016
- ↑ Beth Pearce our State Treasurer, "Press Release: VT Unions and Business Community Support Treasurer Pearce," June 23, 2015
- ↑ '"VermontTreasurer.gov, "Welcome to the Vermont state treasurer's office," accessed November 29, 2011
- ↑ Vermont Secretary of State, "Unofficial election results," August 28, 2012
- ↑ Vermont Secretary of State Elections Division, "2012 Candidate Listing," accessed October 19, 2012
- ↑ Vermont Public Radio, "Campaign 2012 Election Results" accessed November 6, 2012
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
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