Departing Democratic Gov. Peter Shumlin
After pulling off an embarrassingly close victory against Republican Scott Milne last year, Vermont Democratic Gov. Peter Shumlin has
chosen to retire rather than seek a fourth two-year term. (Shumlin also ruled out
running for anything in D.C.). Team Blue has a very deep bench here, and Shumlin's decision is likely to set off a very crowded Democratic primary.
Before Shumlin finalized his departure, a number of Democrats expressed interest in his seat (and even possibly running against him). Former state Sens. Doug Racine and Matt Dunne both narrowly lost to Shumlin in the incredibly close 2010 primary, and they could get back in the game. State Sen. Anthony Pollina, who was the Progressive Party's nominee in 2008 but has since won a seat as a Democrat and a Progressive under the state's fusion voting laws, may also be interested.
State House Speaker Shap Smith denied any interest in challenging Shumlin before the governor's announcement, but he might give it a shot now. There's also been speculation that Secretary of Natural Resources Deb Markowitz (who also narrowly lost the 2010 primary) Secretary of Transportation Sue Minter, and Secretary of Agriculture Chuck Ross may run in a post-Shumlin environment. In the coming days and weeks we're likely to see a number of other prominent Green Mountain State Democrats make their 2016 intentions clear.
While Vermont is a heavily Democratic state, voters haven't been afraid to send Republicans to the governor's mansion. Lt. Gov. Phil Scott has been heavily courted and he's been talking about running regardless of what Shumlin did. Milne has also been eyeing another campaign, though he'll likely be shoved aside if Scott gets in.
2:38 PM PT: One big-named potential Democratic candidate is Peter Welch, who represents the entire state in the House. Welch is probably the only person who has any shot at clearing the primary field, especially since his would-be rivals could seek his House seat instead. But Welch hasn't talked about his plans yet and his chief of staff says that the congressman is likely to run for re-election, though he acknowledges Shumlin's decision caught them by surprise.
3:03 PM PT: And sure enough, House Speaker Smith says he's "seriously considering running," and will decide over the next few weeks. Chittenden County State's Attorney T.J. Donovan, who represents the state's largest county and came close to unseating an incumbent in the 2012 attorney general primary, didn't respond to questions about his plans. However, Secretary of State Jim Condos says he's happy in his current job, while Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger offered a flat no to a gubernatorial bid.
Also on the GOP side, ex-state Sen. Randy Brock, who lost to Shumlin 58-38 in 2012, says he'll decide at the end of the summer.