Sarah McCall, the executive director at Emerge Vermont, will be the campaign manager for Sue Minter, a Democrat who announced last week she will run for governor in the 2016 election cycle. Minter, who stepped down as secretary of the Agency of Transportation, is the only woman in the gubernatorial race so far among five candidates, three Democrats and two Republicans.
McCall worked with former Vermont Gov. Madeleine Kunin and others to launch Emerge Vermont in 2013, and serves as Ward 3 chair for the Burlington Democrats. Emerge offers programs for women who want to run for office.
“The Sue that I have seen over the last two years is a dedicated public servant and community leader,” McCall said Tuesday. “I really look forward to helping communicate Sue’s vision for Vermont over the next year.”
McCall said she has not resigned from Emerge, but will officially sign on to Minter’s campaign in a few weeks. The company is now searching for a new executive director, according to a job listing on its website.
McCall studied Women and Gender studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and has worked in many political advocacy groups including the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund and Institute and the American Association of People with Disabilities, according to an online biography.
McCall said Minter reached out to her before resigning as secretary of the Agency of Transportation, but she wasn’t offered the job of campaign manager until this weekend.
While Kunin is the first and only woman to have served as the governor of Vermont, McCall said she is confident Minter could be the second woman in Vermont history to become CEO of the state.
“I don’t see it as an uphill battle,” McCall said. “We are in for a really great primary.”
