A team of five Democratic state senators led by Senate President John Campbell unearthed Wendy Wilton’s legislative votes from seven years ago as a state senator. They used those votes to paint her as a champion for right-wing views.
“Wilton’s votes were extreme, out of the mainstream, and simply out of touch with everyday Vermonters,” said Campbell in a statement. “Wilton was an outlier.”
The state senators included Claire Ayer, Mark MacDonald, Richard Mazza and Richard Sears, in addition to Campbell. They pointed to Wilton’s votes against raising Vermont’s minimum wage, Catamount Health, a state subsidized program for uninsured Vermonters, and against an early childhood education bill, among others.
Wilton’s campaign responded with a statement: “Today’s five Democrats manufacturing a political event endorsing Beth Pearce isn’t news. Beth has serious problems and will stop at nothing, including distorting Wilton’s Senate record to stay in power.”
The statement continued: “Wilton’s campaign enjoys broad bipartisan support and it’s obviously putting fear in the hearts of many hyper-partisan Democrats.” It also suggested that Wilton’s key message of taking transparency to state government appealed to Vermonters across party lines.
Wilton didn’t elaborate on how the state senators had distorted her voting record, or name supportive Democratic politicians or state officials.
In a press release, the Democratic senators highlighted the following votes from Wilton in the 2005-2006 legislative session, claiming that she’d voted 58 times with the Senate minority:
Against raising the minimum wage to $7 – one of just four no votes in the Senate (S.80, 2/9/2005 RC#710)
Against protecting Vermont farmers from liability to GMO companies – sole no vote in the Senate (S.18, 4/5/2005, #702)
Against the 2005 renewable energy bill and energy efficiency standards for appliances – one of just three no votes in the Senate (S.52, 2/23/2005 RC# 708)
Against Early Childhood Education bill – one of just four no votes in the Senate (S.314, 3/23/2006 RC#825)
Against a health care bill creating Catamount Health for uninsured Vermonters – one of just three no votes in the Senate (H.861, 4/14/2006 RC#838)
Veteran state Sen. Vince Illuzzi, who worked alongside Wilton in her Senate term, said: “Often there are no right or wrong answers when setting policy.” Speaking of Wilton’s votes on the minimum wage and the Catamount Health bill, he said: “Although I disagreed with her two votes, she nonetheless represented a viewpoint that was advanced by some small business organizations, who expressed fear at the cost of doing business in Vermont.”
Illuzzi disagreed with a broad portrait of Wilton as an ideologue obstructing populist legislation. “I would not say she was an obstructionist,” said Illuzzi. “From time to time she had views that did not comport with the majority. Her votes reflected that there are often reasonable grounds for differences of opinion.”
Illuzzi supports Wilton’s campaign, and has won election as both a Democrat and a Republican. This year he is running for state auditor as a Republican.
In an interview after the press conference, Campbell said that Democrats were worried about the treasurer’s race, acknowledging the recent uptick of appearances on the candidates’ campaign trails. But he chalked up recent endorsements and activity to people who aren’t usually political.
Campbell claims the votes are a reminder of Wilton’s past as a member of a “tiny minority, an ideological minority,” from which he argues she hasn’t yet emerged.
