Lt. Governor Molly Gray and Senate Pro Tempore Speaker Becca Balint are the leading candidates in a Democratic U.S. House primary that could make either of them the first female member. of the Vermont congressional delegation.
Gray has the support of the party’s centrist path, with endorsements from former governors. Madeline Kunin and Howard Dean. Retired US Senator Patrick Leahy donated $5,000 to her campaign and voted for her.
Balint has been endorsed by an all-star roster of progressive leaders, including the state’s other U.S. senator, Bernie Sanders; Representative Pramila Jayapal, Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus; and Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, the founders of famous progressive Vermont ice cream company, Ben & Jerry’s.
The winner of Tuesday’s primary is expected to claim victory in November in deep blue Vermont. Despite the state’s liberal credentials accumulated over the past half-century, the lack of congressional delegation turnover has left Vermont the only state in the nation that has never been represented in Washington by a woman.
Leahy’s retirement after 48 years in office paved the way for this historic moment. US Representative Peter Welch, who has served in Congress since 2007, has decided to run for Leahy’s seat in the Senate. This opened up her House seat for Gray or Balint, who would also be the first openly gay person to represent Vermont in Congress if elected.
It’s the first open seat in the state’s three-person congressional delegation since 2006. And given Vermont’s penchant for reelection of incumbents, it’s likely the winner of the Democratic primary will be able to take the seat as well. as long as she wants.
Advertisements on television and social media, as well as the flyers that appear in Vermonters’ mailboxes every day, remain positive, focused on what candidates consider their qualifications. But the contest’s high stakes — and the ongoing battle between the centrist and progressive wings of the Democratic Party — laid bare the intensity of the campaign.
During a debate Thursday, Gray called out Balint for a critical comment she made while seeking the endorsement of the Vermont Progressive Party. Balint had denounced Gray as a “corporatist and a disaster for the left”.
“How can Vermonters expect you to act any differently in Congress than you did in this campaign where you launched negative attacks?” Gray said. “Isn’t that the problem we see in Congress today?”
Balint apologized to Gray for the comment, “if you found it hurtful.” But Balint took the opportunity to note the source of many of Gray’s campaign contributions.
“I said at the time that the reason I was worried was because of the funds you’re raising from insiders in Washington,” Balint said. here in Vermont.”
Despite this tension, the two candidates have similar opinions on most issues. Both support abortion rights and want to boost affordable housing, increase access to affordable childcare and extend broadband internet services to rural areas.
Gray, a 38-year-old attorney, grew up on a farm in the town of Newbury, Connecticut, and now lives in Burlington. She touted her experience working as a Welsh staff member in Washington, Europe for the International Committee of the Red Cross, her time as Deputy Attorney General and, over the past two years, her work as a Lt. -governor.
Balint, a 54-year-old former middle school teacher from Brattleboro, first came to Vermont in 1994 to teach rock climbing and moved to the state permanently in 1997. She was first elected time in the state Senate in 2014. Two years ago, she became the first woman chosen as acting Senate president, which means she oversees the chamber’s legislative work and chairs the United States Senate. State if the Lieutenant-Governor is absent.
Disputes over the source of their donations — Vermonters versus out-of-state donors or out-of-state group spending — have helped fuel some of the acrimony in the race.
A number of outside groups support Balint’s candidacy, including the LGBTQ Victory Fund, which has spent nearly $1 million supporting her. The law prohibits these groups from coordinating their efforts with the campaigns.
Before the commercials began, Gray had asked Balint if she would condemn outside spending. Balint agreed.
Now that outside spending has begun, Gray says these outside groups are interfering with the conversation she tries to have with voters.
“Suddenly someone else comes along and tells Vermonters who to hire. That’s not the Vermont way,” Gray said. “Outside groups aren’t elected. They are not accountable. They don’t represent us in Congress.”
Balint said she doesn’t think outside spending will make a difference in the race. Either way, she says, she has no control over it.
“I feel really good that we had a great campaign,” Balint said. “I wish they weren’t involved because I want my team to get all the credit for everything we’ve done here.”
There are four Democrats on the ballot Tuesday for the US House; one dropped out and the fourth is a doctor from South Burlington. Three candidates are vying for the Republican nomination.
Stowe voter Christy Hudon said she hadn’t decided whether to vote for Balint or Gray, although she was leaning toward Gray. In one of her commercials, Gray highlights the challenges she and her family have faced with her mother’s chronic health issues. Hudon said her own family struggled with issues related to the aging family.
“I really feel like she understands a little bit better where people’s needs are at that time,” Hudon said.
Middlesex voter Annie Greenfelder noted that there doesn’t appear to be much of a policy difference between Gray and Balint. She said she voted for Balint because of the endorsements she received from environmental activists, but would like to see Gray run for another position if she loses.
“We need more politicians in the pipe,” Greenfelder said.
The Independent Gt