Party dynamics play out in some of Vermont’s few competitive House primaries

Just hours before the polls closed Tuesday, the Vermont Democratic Party fired off an “alert” to voters in the Windham-1 House district, which includes the towns of Guilford and Vernon, about alleged election interference in the Democratic primary for the seat.

According to the party, an anonymous letter sent to Guilford voters in the leadup to the election was spreading falsehoods about one of its candidates — Guilford Selectboard Chair Zon Eastes — and suggesting that voters turn out against him. The substance of the claims, which Eastes strongly denied in an interview with VTDigger on Wednesday, was that he and his supporters could have tampered with voters’ primary ballots by improperly accessing the town vault where the ballots were being stored.

Ultimately, the letter did not doom Eastes. He handily defeated his opponent, Jason Herron, also of Guilford, 743 to 256, according to unofficial results provided by the Vermont Secretary of State’s Office. But the Democratic Party said in its statement that it was investigating the missive as a violation of electioneering laws and has reported it to both the Secretary of State and the Vermont Attorney General’s offices.

Both Eastes and Herron were vying for the seat currently held by Rep. Sara Coffey, D-Guilford, who is not seeking reelection. Eastes is now slated to face Republican Nancy Gassett of Vernon in the general election on Nov. 5.

Vermont Democratic Party executive director Jim Dandeneau and other party leaders, though, tied the letter to a dynamic that emerged in several races in the state this summer: Democratic primaries that featured candidates with conservative ties , including, they said, Herron.

In the party’s “alert” to voters, Windham County Democratic Committee chair Lachlan Francis called the anonymous letter to Guilford voters “the latest in a string of unethical and even illegal actions taken by far-right candidate Jason Herron” during the race, adding that Herron had opted to “masquerade as a Democrat.”

Herron’s campaign website says that he was a registered Republican “several years ago.” He previously told VTDigger that he was running in the Democratic race because he felt some of his policy priorities would resonate with Democrats and because he knew that more local people would vote in the Democratic primary.

In the past, Herron has also publicly voiced support for the Convention of States movement, which calls for a convention to amend the U.S. Constitution. The nonpartisan watchdog group Common Cause has called it “dangerous” and has said it is being pursued by “radical far-right actors.”

Reached on Wednesday, Herron pointed VTDigger to a Facebook post he had made responding to the Democratic Party’s message. In the post, he denied responsibility for the anonymous missive and called the party’s recounting of it “a vicious attack with the purposeful intent of destroying my character on election day.”

Though perhaps one of the most contentious, Eastes and Herron’s race was not the only competitive primary in which party dynamics played out Tuesday.

In the Chittenden-17 House district, which includes parts of two neighborhoods in Burlington, a Democratic incumbent appointed to her seat by Republican Gov. Phil Scott earlier this year fended off a challenge from a candidate who had support from Vermont Progressive Party leaders.

Rep. Abbey Duke, D-Burlington, defeated Missa Aloisi, 446 to 299, according to the unofficial results. Scott tapped Duke for the seat following the resignation of now-Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak, a Progressive/Democrat.

The governor’s appointment drew sharp criticism at the time from the mayor and other Progressive leaders who argued that Scott should have appointed a Progressive to the seat. Mulvaney-Stanak served as a Progressive and led the House Progressive Caucus, though she twice ran for her seat in the Democratic Party primary rather than the Progressive Party’s primary.

Aloisi, in fact, was one of the three names the Progressive Party submitted to Scott to replace Mulvaney-Stanak earlier this year, none of whom the governor chose. Mulvaney-Stanak had endorsed Aloisi in Tuesday’s race, as had Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman, another Progressive/Democrat.

In the Democratic race, competition for progressive-minded voters was “probably the biggest factor” for both candidates, Duke said in an interview Wednesday.

Other competitive primaries

In all, just 14 House districts had competitive primaries this year, which accounts for 20 seats in the chamber, according to data compiled by VTDigger. (That figure does not include write-in candidates.) That’s just a small portion of the 109 total districts — and 150 total House members — across the state.

Another House Democratic primary in Burlington saw among the most crowded fields in the state. In the race in the Chittenden-13 district, which spans the city’s South End, four candidates were vying for two nominations, one of which was open, because Rep. Gabrielle Stebbins, D-Burlington, decided not to run for reelection this year.

The district’s other incumbent, Rep. Tiff Bluemle, D-Burlington, finished first with 1,118 votes. Bram Kleppner came in second with 677 votes, though was just 25 votes ahead of Dale Azaria, who came in third. Larry Lewack finished in last with 235 votes.

No independent or Republican candidates are certified to contest those seats.

The Orleans-4 district, which includes Albany, Craftsbury, Glover and Greensboro, also saw a competitive Democratic primary for the seat currently held by Rep. Katherine Sims, D-Craftsbury, who is instead running for the Orleans County seat in the Vermont Senate.

In that race, Leanne Harple of Glover — who had Sims’ endorsement — bested David Kelley of Greensboro with 404 votes to 286. Harple is set to face Republican An­thony “Tony” Daniels of Albany this fall.

Farther south and west, the two-seat Addison-4 district of Bristol, Monkton, Lincoln and Starksboro saw competitive primaries on both the Democratic and the Republican sides.

In the Democratic race, incumbent Rep. Mari Cordes, D-Lincoln, finished first with 872 votes, while Herb Olson of Starksboro clinched second with 671 — just 54 more votes than the third-place finisher, Jeanne Albert, also of Lincoln. In the GOP race, Chanin Hill of Bristol came out on top with 425 votes; Renee McGuinness of Monkton was second with 296. Lynne Caulfield, also of Monkton, was third with just 203, and so will not be on the November ballot.

In the Republican primary for the Rutland-Bennington district, which includes Middletown Springs, Pawlet, Rupert, Tinmouth and part of Wells, Chris Pritchard of Pawlet won handily over Ronald “Ron” W. Lacoste of Wells, 360-122. Pritchard is set to face Rep. Robin Chesnut-Tangerman, D-Middletown Springs, who had no opponent in his primary race on Tuesday.

Read the story on VTDigger here: Party dynamics play out in some of Vermont’s few competitive House primaries .