In Washington County, six candidates are competing for three of the 30 Senate seats. The challengers face an uphill battle in their bid to knock off the incumbents. And tax fairness and government spending have emerged as key issues in the race.
Voters in Washington County tend not to dispatch with their incumbent state senators. It’s been 22 years since a challenger pulled off the feat. And that’s quite a run for a three-seat district where officeholders stand for reelection every two years.
But Republican Pat McDonald, who formerly represented the town of Berlin in the House of Representatives, thinks she can buck the odds.
McDonald blames the Democratically controlled Legislature for fostering a hostile business climate in the state. And she says voters in Washington County are looking for someone who will treat business owners as allies, and not revenue streams.
"We keep talking about taxing the rich, hitting businesses up again for more income, We have to look beyond that, and develop an economy that welcomes businesses, who in turn would create jobs." - Pat McDonald, Washington County GOP candidate for state Senate
“We keep talking about taxing the rich, hitting businesses up again for more income,” McDonald says. “We have to look beyond that, and develop an economy that welcomes businesses, who in turn would create jobs.”
Republican Dexter Lefavour and Progressive/Democrat Sandy Gaffney also are mounting challenges. But it’s McDonald, a veteran of state bureaucracy who served as secretary or commissioner of six different departments, that has the incumbents worried.
“I think it’s going to depend on who votes. And that’s very important because this is an off-season election. There is not a lot of excitement, and so who votes? I think it’s a wide open election,” says incumbent Sen. Ann Cummings.
"I think it's going to depend on who votes. And that's very important because this is an off-season election. ... I think it's a wide open election." - Incumbent Democratic Sen. Ann Cummings
Cummings, a nine-term Democrat from Montpelier, says many of her constituents are reeling from wage stagnation.
Cummings formerly chaired the Senate Committee on Finance, and she says she’s eager to revisit a debate in Montpelier over the state’s tax code, and whether it’s as progressive as it ought to be.
“And the thought is that wealthy people in this state can take unlimited deductions. And is that good thing or a bad thing?” Cummings says.
Progressive/Democrat Anthony Pollina is a former gubernatorial candidate who has served in the Senate since 2011. Pollina has been the Vermont Senate’s most strident proponent for raising taxes on the wealthy. His proposals would have used the additional revenue to prop up programs that serve the poor and vulnerable.
"I think the overall concern is one of trying to deal with poverty and income inequality." - Incumbent Progressive Senator Anthony Pollina
“We all know there’s been a lot of talk about health care and property taxes, and that’s a big concern. But I think the overall concern is one of trying to deal with poverty and income inequality,” Pollina says. “And the fact that people are in fact working harder and harder, the cost of everything is going up, and yet income is down.”
Pollina has pushed hard for a state bank, and takes credit for legislation during the last session that uses state money to underwrite loans for local business and infrastructure projects.
Republican Bill Doyle is the third incumbent. First elected 44 years years ago, Doyle is the longest-serving lawmaker in Montpelier. Doyle says he’s eager to find new revenue streams for public schools, including recruiting foreign students to Washington County high schools.
McDonald is getting significant help in the closing weeks of her campaign from an out-of-state Republican political action committee that has spent more than $300,000 to boost the electoral prospects of GOP candidates for the House and Senate.
