by Timothy McQuiston Vermont Business Magazine At a late afternoon press conference at a blustery City Hall Park in Burlington Wednesday, Democratic Governor Peter Shumlin declared victory in his hard-fought campaign against Republican Scott Milne. This despite neither a concession from Milne, to whom he said he had not spoken, nor in the receiving of a majority of votes. As of 5:54 pm, the Secretary of State's election Web site reported that with 96.36 percent of the vote counted, Shumlin had 88,419 votes or 46.36 percent of the vote and Milne had 85,983 votes or 45.08 percent of the vote. With less than a majority, the Legislature must technically decide the election. That would likely be a foregone conclusion in any case because the Democrats will still hold a sizable majority in both chambers, even though Republicans picked up seats in both on Tuesday.
Milne had stated before the Tuesday election that if he received fewer votes than Shumlin, regardless of the vote totals, that he would not challenge the election in the Legislature. Milne said Tuesday he would wait for all the votes to be counted before he decided how to proceed: "Iowe it to my supporters and all Vermonters to see the totals before we make any further statements,” Milne said on his campaign Web site Wednesday. As of Thursday morning it had not been updated.
The governor acknowledged mistakes, most notably in the new health care exchange. He said that open enrollment is still scheduled to be available starting November 15. The Vermont Health Exchange Website has been down since mid-September as a new company, Optum, prepares to re-launch the embattled project.
A "humbled" Peter Shumlin made a statement and took questions from the press who pressed him on the election (especially its closeness), mistakes in his administration, how he was going to fix those problems and even if he was a lame-duck heading into a new term. Even a citizen asked him about declaring victory prematurely.
Shumlin said he was confident that the more than 2,000 votes he was ahead by would stand up and that he would push forward with his agenda. Shortly after the new Legislature convenes in January, the governor will have to have a single-payer financing plan as well as a General Fund budget to present to lawmakers. He promised to balance the budget and not increase taxes. While he declined to offer specifics, he said that property taxes needed to come down and that had to be done by cutting education costs.
As for why the race was soclose, the governor repeatedly said he would leave "the political punditry to the political pundits" he did acknowledge that individual voters told him on several occasions that while they generally supported him, they wouldn't vote for him because of specific issues. For example, he cited someone in Rutland who spoke to him on Monday saying he couldn't vote for him because of the natural gas pipeline extension and another person in the Northeast Kingdom who opposed wind energy development.
Shumlin's Statement:
"Serving as governor has been the greatest privilege of my life. I'm incredibly honored by the opportunity to continue serving this state I love. I am extraordinarily fortunate to serves as Vermont's governor for another two years.
"Vermonters sent a clear message last night, and I heard them. We faced our share of setbacks in the past couple of years, and I know people are disappointed in how I have handled some issues. I recognize that I have work to do to regain the confidence of many Vermonters. In the coming weeks and months, I will work with my team - as well as legislators or all parties - to assess our upcoming legislative agenda to ensure that it reflects the will of Vermont voters.
"I am personally humbled by last night's results, but I am also proud that we won. I'm disappointed that I did not receive a wider margin, but I am grateful that we received the most votes cast. I'm also proud of the fact that we ran a positive campaign that focused on the issues.
"In the next few years, we will face more difficult challenges. Above all, we need to continue to grow jobs and incomes for Vermonters. We all know that two of the biggest obstacles to prosperity are rising property taxes and health care costs. We need to stem the growth in property taxes and continue to push for affordable, quality, accessible health care for all Vermonters.
"I won't shy away from the challenges we face. I can't promise Vermonters that I will be perfect or that they will agree with every decision I make. But I can promise that I will work hard and never lose sight of why I am so fortunate to serve as governor. Today we move forward, determined to redouble our efforts to do right by Vermonters."
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Secretary of State's Campaign Web page
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