Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Milne is leaning against asking for a recount because it will likely not put him in first place, he said Tuesday.
Milne was the second-highest vote-getter in the closest gubernatorial election in modern Vermont history. The sitting governor, Peter Shumlin, a Democrat, only narrowly beat Milne by 2,434 votes. Milne who is a political newbie ran an unconventional campaign and spent only a quarter of what Shumlin did on the race.
Wednesday at 5 p.m. is the deadline to ask for a recount. Milne will make a final decision after seeing the official results the secretary of state is set to present at 10 a.m.
“Unless the votes change dramatically it’d be unlikely we’d ask for a recount,” Milne said Tuesday evening in a phone interview.
A recount of the 193,000 ballots would cost between $60,000 and $80,000 and the expense to taxpayers is another deterrent, he said. “If it’s unlikely to change the vote it seems like whether it looks like a bad thing or not it just seems like it’s a waste of time,” Milne said.
The Republican challenger also faces the question of how the Legislature will vote in January.
Because no candidate earned more than 50 percent of the vote, lawmakers will cast ballots to choose the next governor from the top three vote-getters: Shumlin, Milne and Libertarian Dan Feliciano, who received 4.4 percent of the vote.
Milne hinted last week that he would urge lawmakers to vote for him in January, because he won the majority of votes in more legislative districts than Shumlin. This week he dismissed that notion as incorrect reporting.
Milne said he has not proactively called any lawmakers to lobby for votes. He has spoken to the handful who have called him, he said. The Legislature traditionally chooses the candidate who wins the most votes overall.
Milne Tuesday would not say if he believes legislators should vote for the person who got the most votes overall (Shumlin), the person who won his or her legislative district, or the person he or she believes is best qualified.
He would also not comment on whether he agrees that lawmakers’ ballots in January should be secret. The constitution does not specifically say the votes must be cast by secret ballot, but it has been interpreted that way and is the tradition.
Milne said he will wait and see over the next week, then decide what is in the best interest of Vermont as far as how legislators should vote.
Asked if he plans to run for office in the future, Milne made it clear he has not ruled out the possibility of becoming governor in January.
“Who knows. I think there’s a chance that you might see me back in two years as the incumbent governor,” Milne said.
Milne said the past week, as he has declined to concede but not decided on a recount, has been fun, and a good learning experience. His status was a hot topic of conversation at his aunt’s 90th birthday party over the weekend, he said.
“If I didn’t see an opportunity to win in January I wouldn’t be pressing forward,” Milne said.
Milne managed to shake the security detail that accompanied him directly after the election after about 36 hours, he said.
