Democrat T.J. Donovan will run for Vermont Attorney General in the 2016 election, regardless of what incumbent Bill Sorrell decides.
The Chittenden County stateโs attorney told Seven Days on Sunday that he has decided to make a second bid for the office held by fellow Democrat Sorrell.
Donovan said Monday that Gov. Peter Shumlinโs decision to bow out of the race 18 months before the next election has accelerated the campaign season, and he saw no reason not to tell people he is running. Supporters encouraged him to run after he gave a speech at the Democratsโ annual David Curtis Awards dinner in Burlington on Friday night.
โI had a lot of supportive people who came up to me,โ Donovan said. โI thought about it, and thereโs no reason to be quiet about it. Iโm running and thereโs no reason to keep it a secret. There are no secrets in politics, so why not be open and honest about the fact that Iโm running for attorney general.โ
There is also a practical reason for Donovanโs early announcement: He needs to raise money, upward of $200,000, to win a possible primary against the 68-year-old Sorrell, the incumbent. Sorrell said Monday that he would not announce his intentions until a campaign finance complaint against him is resolved
โI want to win, and you win by being prepared, you win by having a team, a finance team and a political team,โ Donovan said.
Donovan lost to Sorrell, who has held the seat since 1997, by 714 votes in the 2012 primary.
Sorrell coasted to victory in the 2012 general election and was unchallenged in 2014, but he now faces allegations that he violated campaign finance laws. The Committee for Fairness and Justice, the Democratic Attorneys General Association super PAC, spent nearly $200,000 on media buys to support Sorrellโs primary race against Donovan in 2012.
Brady Toensing, vice chair of the Vermont Republican Party, alleges that Sorrell violated campaign finance laws by coordinating with the Committee for Fairness and Justice on the media blitz that helped him edge out Donovan.
Tom Little, who is conducting an independent investigation into the charges, is expected to deliver his findings to an eight-member panel of stateโs attorneys by the end of August. Sorrell says he is cooperating โfullyโ with the investigation. He is compiling responses to the allegations this week.
โI have nothing to hide, and I look forward to responding to each and every one of the allegations,โ Sorrell said.
The attorney general โwonโt even think aboutโ running for a 10th term until the investigation is over and the report has been released. โMy priority right now is to maintain the integrity of my office, and my personal integrity in the face of these allegations,โ he said Monday.
Donovan, 41, has built a reputation on implementing innovative criminal justice programs that address underlying poverty issues that often go hand in hand with crime. He gave drivers with suspended licenses amnesty in a one-day pilot program in March. Hundreds of residents from Chittenden, Washington, Lamoille and Grand Isle counties took advantage of the program and reinstated their licenses for $20. Donovan billed the program as a way to help poor people with unpaid traffic tickets go back to work. In 2012, he introduced a rapid intervention program that diverts drug addicts from the prison system and into substance abuse treatment.
โI want to be a champion for everyday Vermonters, for people who need a hand up,โ Donovan said. โThe attorney general can be a great equalizer and can fight to level the playing field for everyday Vermonters. Thatโs what Iโve done in this office. Iโve brought drug reform, driver restoration programs, and that kind of collaboration and leadership is what I want to bring to the Attorney Generalโs Office.โ
Donovan says as attorney general he will be focused on championing issues that affect middle-class Vermonters, including consumer rights, environmental protection and criminal justice.
