[T]he third-place finisher in the race for Vermont governor is switching parties.
Dan Feliciano, who received 8,428 votes (4.4 percent) in November, is leaving the Libertarian Party to become a Republican, he said Wednesday.
Feliciano, 51, said he has much in common with the Vermont GOP and said its larger base would give him a better chance to win in 2016.
Feliciano, who was vice chairman of the state Libertarian Party, said he was interested in another run for governor but might consider vying for a lower statewide office.
“It depends on what it is,” he said. “I have to be in a position where I can really influence things and get things done. I would not be good in the middle.”
Feliciano brought media attention to the Vermont Libertarian Party by seeking the Republican nomination via a write-in campaign in the August primary. That bid fell short as Scott Milne easily won the GOP spot on the November ballot.
The move caused friction among Libertarians, some of whom bristled at Feliciano’s attempt to run on both tickets. Some Republicans also criticized his attempt while others embraced his candidacy as an alternative to Milne.
David Sunderland, chairman of the Vermont Republican Party, said Feliciano was welcome but “had some work to do” before earning GOP voters’ support.
“He needs to be willing to reconsider some of the advice he’s been receiving from some people who work more to divide than to unite the party,” Sunderland said Wednesday.
Sunderland said many in the GOP were unhappy that after Feliciano lost his write-in campaign against Milne, Feliciano did not withdraw and back the Republican candidate.
“By most reasonable accounts, his presence cost the Republican candidate the race for governor,” Sunderland said.
Sunderland said many Republican voters share Libertarian ideals and that Feliciano would be accepted as a candidate if he worked toward the party’s common goals.
Feliciano said he left the Libertarian Party cordially and believes his decision to join the Republicans will give him a stronger voice in Vermont politics.
“I notified the party in an informal way; people agreed to disagree,” he said of leaving the Libertarians. “It’s one thing to talk about liberty from the outside and another to get in the game. I want to take action. I have to be in Montpelier to make my presence felt.”
Jeremy Ryan, chairman of the Vermont Libertarian Party, commented on Feliciano’s decision in an email Wednesday: “I think the Republican Party is probably a better fit for him at this time.”
During his campaign, Feliciano was a strong opponent of Democratic Gov. Peter Shumlin’s plan for publicly financed health care at a time when Milne was wavering on the issue. That resonated with many Republican voters who share Libertarian views on small government and fiscal restraint.
“My focus has always been on cutting spending and ending single payer,” Feliciano said Wednesday. “My views are much more aligned with what the GOP is doing now in its platform.”
Feliciano, a business efficiency expert at Keurig Green Mountain, said he would spend the next two years “keeping an eye on Montpelier” and offering his ideas on health care, cutting spending, property tax reform and education to anyone who will listen.
Politically, he said he “likes the thinking” of Rep. Don Turner, R-Milton, the House minority leader. He also praised Sen. Chris Bray, an Addison County Democrat, saying, “I like how pensive he is. He’s unbiased and willing to listen.”
Feliciano said he would continue to seek counsel from Republican strategist Darcie Johnston, who runs the advocacy group Vermonters for Health Care Freedom. Johnston is a staunch opponent of single payer health care.
Editor’s note: This story was updated at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
