Notable Vermont races, 2016
| Notable Vermont Races | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Primary | August 9, 2016 |
| General | November 8, 2016 |
| 2016 Notable Races | |
|---|---|
| Choose a state below: | |
Ballotpedia identified three notable Vermont races in 2016.
Overview
- Main articles: Vermont House of Representatives elections, 2016 and Vermont State Senate elections, 2016
All 150 state House seats and all 30 state Senate seats were up for election in 2016.
| Partisan breakdown of the Vermont Legislature | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Republicans | Democrats | Vermont Progressives | Independents |
| Vermont House | 53 seats | 85 seats | 6 seats | 6 seats |
| Vermont Senate | 9 seats | 20 seats | 1 seat | 0 seats |
Democrats had held a state government trifecta since 2011, meaning they controlled the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature. They remained in control of the legislature following the November election. Republicans would have had to gain 23 seats to win a majority in the House and seven seats to win a majority in the Senate. Gov. Peter Shumlin (D) retired from the governorship in 2016. Five Democratic candidates and two Republican candidates entered the open race to replace him.[1][2]
Three Republican candidates competed for the two GOP-held seats in the Franklin Senate District.[3] The six seats in the Chittenden Senate District attracted 11 Democratic contenders.[4]
What makes a race notable?
Ballotpedia uses these criteria to identify notable races:
- Incumbents facing more conservative or liberal challengers
- Rematches between candidates
- Races that receive considerable media attention
- Races that could significantly affect the state's partisan balance
- Competitive races involving party leaders
- Open, competitive races with Republican and Democratic primaries
- Races that capture money and attention from outside groups, including key endorsements
Know of an interesting race we should include here? Email us!
Notable primary elections
Chittenden Senate District - Democratic primary
| Eleven Democratic candidates competed for six seats. |
Two seats in the six-seat Chittenden Senate District were open in 2016.[4] Sen. Helen Riehle (R) did not run for a full term in the seat to which she was appointed in March 2016, and Sen. David Zuckerman (Progressive/Democratic) ran for the lieutenant governorship.[4][5][6] The open seats attracted a crowded Democratic primary field. Seven challengers—Nick Cook (D), Dawn Ellis (D), Faisal Gill (D), Debbie Ingram (D), Louis Meyers (D), Rep. Christopher Pearson (Progressive), and David Scherr (D)—and four incumbents—Sen. Timothy Ashe (P/D), Sen. Philip Baruth (D), Sen. Virginia Lyons (D), and Sen. Michael Sirotkin (D)—competed in the Democratic contest.[4] John Gifford ran unopposed in the Republican primary.[7]
The following candidates ran in the Vermont State Senate Chittenden District general election.[8][9]
| 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.[10][11]
| 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.[10][11]
| Vermont State Senate, Chittenden District Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | John Gifford (unopposed) | |
Franklin Senate District - Republican primary
| Three Republican candidates competed for two seats. |
Sen. Dustin Degree (R) and Sen. Norman McAllister (R) ran for re-election in the two-seat Franklin Senate District in 2016.[12] McAllister was suspended from the Senate in January 2016 following his arrest on sexual assault charges; two of the charges against him were dropped in June 2016, but a second trial on four other counts started the day after the August 9 primary.[12][13][14][12] Degree and Branagan faced former Sen. Sara Branon Kittell (D) and Democratic challenger Denise Smith in the November general election.[12]
Carolyn Whitney Branagan and incumbent Dustin Degree defeated Sara Branon Kittell and Denise Smith in the Vermont State Senate Franklin District general election.[15][16]
| Vermont State Senate, Franklin District General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Carolyn Whitney Branagan |
27.15% | 9,426 | |
| Republican | Dustin Degree Incumbent |
30.37% | 10,546 | |
| Democratic | Sara Branon Kittell | 24.59% | 8,537 | |
| Democratic | Denise Smith | 17.89% | 6,213 | |
| Total Votes | 34,722 | |||
| Source: Vermont Secretary of State | ||||
Sara Branon Kittell and Denise Smith were unopposed in the Vermont State Senate Franklin District Democratic primary.[10][11]
| Vermont State Senate, Franklin District Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Sara Branon Kittell |
57.53% | 2,243 | |
| Democratic | Denise Smith |
42.47% | 1,656 | |
| Total Votes | 3,899 | |||
Carolyn Whitney Branagan and incumbent Dustin Degree defeated incumbent Norman McAllister in the Vermont State Senate Franklin District Republican primary.[10][11]
| Vermont State Senate, Franklin District Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Carolyn Whitney Branagan |
41.19% | 2,570 | |
| Republican | Dustin Degree Incumbent |
45.77% | 2,856 | |
| Republican | Norman McAllister Incumbent | 13.04% | 814 | |
| Total Votes | 6,240 | |||
Notable general elections
Gubernatorial - General election
| Five Democrats and two Republicans competed for their parties' nominations in the August 9 primary elections, which were both competitive. |
Gov. Peter Shumlin (D) didn't run for re-election to the governorship in 2016.[17] Popular Lieutenant Gov. Phil Scott (R) defeated Bruce Lisman for the GOP nomination in the open race.[18][19] Scott faced off against former state Rep. Sue Minter (D) in the general election.[20] Both the Democratic and Republican primary elections were competitive, and the general election was also competitive.[18] With Democrats holding a majority in both chambers of the state legislature heading into the 2016 election, the Democratic state government trifecta was at stake in the November general election. If Republicans won the governorship, it would end the trifecta.
Lieutenant Gubernatorial - General election
| A Democratic candidate and a Republican candidate competed for the open seat. |
Lt. Gov. Phil Scott (R) did not run for re-election to the lieutenant governorship in 2016, opting instead to run for the governorship.[21] Sen. David Zuckerman (PD) and former Sen. Randy Brock (R) competed for the open seat.[22] The race was expected to be competitive as Zuckerman and Brock were both strong candidates, and the lieutenant governorship changed hands frequently over the preceding five decades. Zuckerman was the only statewide candidate Democratic presidential contender Bernie Sanders endorsed in his home state in 2016.[23]
Freshman legislators
The following is a list of challengers who won election on November 8.
- Alison Clarkson (Democratic), .Vermont State Senate, Windsor District
- Annmarie Christensen (Democratic), .Vermont House of Representatives, Windsor-2 District
- Ben Jickling (Independent), .Vermont House of Representatives, Orange-Washington-Addison District
- Ben Joseph (Democratic), .Vermont House of Representatives, Grand Isle-Chittenden District
- Betsy Dunn (Democratic), .Vermont House of Representatives, Chittenden-8-1 District
- Brian Cina (Progressive), .Vermont House of Representatives, Chittenden-6-4 District
- Brian Keefe (Republican), .Vermont House of Representatives, Bennington-4 District
- Brian Smith (Vermont) (Republican), .Vermont House of Representatives, Orleans-1 District
- Carl Rosenquist (Republican), .Vermont House of Representatives, Franklin-1 District
- Carol Ode (Democratic), .Vermont House of Representatives, Chittenden-6-1 District
- Carolyn Whitney Branagan (Republican), .Vermont State Senate, Franklin District
- Charlie Kimbell (Democratic), .Vermont House of Representatives, Windsor-5 District
- Christopher Pearson (Progressive), .Vermont State Senate, Chittenden District
- Curt Taylor (Democratic), .Vermont House of Representatives, Chittenden-9-1 District
- Daniel Noyes (Democratic), .Vermont House of Representatives, Lamoille-2 District
- David Ainsworth (Republican), .Vermont House of Representatives, Windsor-Orange-1 District
- David Yacovone (Democratic), .Vermont House of Representatives, Lamoille-Washington District
- Debbie Ingram (Democratic), .Vermont State Senate, Chittenden District
- Dylan Giambatista (Democratic), .Vermont House of Representatives, Chittenden-8-2 District
- Francis Brooks (Democratic), .Vermont State Senate, Washington District
- Gary Nolan (Republican), .Vermont House of Representatives, Lamoille-Washington District
- Jay Hooper (Democratic), .Vermont House of Representatives, Orange-Washington-Addison District
- Jessica Brumsted (Democratic), .Vermont House of Representatives, Chittenden-5-2 District
- John Gannon (Vermont) (Democratic), .Vermont House of Representatives, Windham-6 District
- Kimberly Jessup (Democratic), .Vermont House of Representatives, Washington-5 District
- Linda Sullivan (Democratic), .Vermont House of Representatives, Bennington-Rutland District
- Lori Houghton (Democratic), .Vermont House of Representatives, Chittenden-8-2 District
- Marcia Gardner (Democratic), .Vermont House of Representatives, Chittenden-1 District
- Mary Howard (Democratic), .Vermont House of Representatives, Rutland-5-3 District
- Matthew Hill (Vermont) (Democratic), .Vermont House of Representatives, Lamoille-2 District
- Paul Belaski (Democratic), .Vermont House of Representatives, Windsor-1 District
- Peter Conlon (Democratic), .Vermont House of Representatives, Addison-2 District
- Robert Frenier (Republican), .Vermont House of Representatives, Orange-1 District
- Robin Scheu (Democratic), .Vermont House of Representatives, Addison-1 District
- Selene Colburn (Progressive), .Vermont House of Representatives, Chittenden-6-4 District
- Susan Buckholz (Democratic), .Vermont House of Representatives, Windsor-4-1 District
- Thomas Bock (Vermont) (Democratic), .Vermont House of Representatives, Windsor-3-1 District
- Trevor Squirrell (Democratic), .Vermont House of Representatives, Chittenden-3 District
Defeated incumbents
The following is a list of incumbents who were defeated on November 8.
- Avram Patt (Democratic), .Vermont House of Representatives, Lamoille-Washington District
- Joanna Cole (Democratic), .Vermont House of Representatives, Chittenden-6-1 District
- Joey Purvis (Republican), .Vermont House of Representatives, Chittenden-9-1 District
- Larry Fiske (Republican), .Vermont House of Representatives, Franklin-7 District
- Patsy French (Democratic), .Vermont House of Representatives, Orange-Washington-Addison District
- Paul Dame (Vermont) (Republican), .Vermont House of Representatives, Chittenden-8-2 District
- Sarah Buxton (Democratic), .Vermont House of Representatives, Windsor-Orange-1 District
- Steve Berry (Vermont) (Democratic), .Vermont House of Representatives, Bennington-4 District
- Susan Hatch Davis (Progressive), .Vermont House of Representatives, Orange-1 District
- William Doyle (Vermont) (Republican), .Vermont State Senate, Washington District
See also
- Vermont House of Representatives
- Vermont State Senate
- Vermont State Legislature
- State legislative elections, 2016
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ VT Digger, "Dems Resort to Scrappy Tactics in Vermont PBS Debate," August 3, 2016
- ↑ Valley News, "GOP Candidates for Vermont Governor Tout Experience, Track Record," July 31, 2016
- ↑ The Vermont Political Observer, "Skunk At the Party," June 23, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Burlington Free Press, "Chittenden County Senate Race Draws a Crowd," July 24, 2016
- ↑ Associated Press, "Shumlin Appoints Sen. Snelling to Natural Resources Board," March 29, 2016
- ↑ WPTZ, "Zuckerman Enters Race for Vermont Lt. Governor," December 11, 2015
- ↑ Milton Independent, "Milton's Gifford Only Republican Senate Contender," June 2, 2016
- ↑ Vermont Secretary of State, "Candidate listings," accessed November 4, 2016
- ↑ Vermont Secretary of State, "2016 general election results," accessed November 28, 2016
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Vermont Secretary of State, "Qualified candidates for the statewide primary - August 9, 2016," accessed May 26, 2016
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Vermont Secretary of State, "Vermont Election Night Results," accessed August 9, 2016
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 Seven Days, "Out of the Norm: Franklin County Senate Race Is Far From Typical," July 20, 2016
- ↑ WCAX, "Vt. Senate Votes to Suspend McAllister," January 8, 2016
- ↑ Burlington Free Press, "State Dismisses Sex-Assault Charges against Sen. McAllister," June 16, 2016
- ↑ Vermont Secretary of State, "Candidate listings," accessed November 4, 2016
- ↑ Vermont Secretary of State, "2016 general election results," accessed November 28, 2016
- ↑ Politico, "Vermont Gov. Shumlin Won't Run for Fourth Term," June 8, 2015
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Politico, "Top 10 Governors Races of 2016," December 29, 2015
- ↑ NBC5, "Republican Candidates for Governor Debate before Vermont Primary," August 2, 2016
- ↑ NBC5, "Democratic Candidates for Governor Debate before Vermont Primary," August 3, 2016
- ↑ WAMC, "Phil Scott Announces Candidacy for Vermont Governor," September 8, 2015
- ↑ VT Digger, "Brock Welcomes Zuckerman to Race, Debate on Future of Vermont," August 11, 2016
- ↑ VPR, "Zuckerman Prevails in Democratic Lt. Gov. Primary Race," August 10, 2016
