[S]en. Norm McAllister believes the deck is stacked against him in a three-way primary race for two GOP slots in the Franklin County Senate race.
McAllister is facing off against two other legislative veterans for the nominations: fellow Sen. Dustin Degree and longtime House member Carolyn Branagan.
The race for the two seats in the state Senate representing Franklin County is happening in the shadow of an 800-pound gorilla. McAllister was arrested on the Statehouse steps 15 months ago and faced charges of sexually abusing two women and soliciting sex from a third.
Charges against him in the first of two trials were dropped in June, after a full day of testimony by his accuser in that case. The second trial, originally scheduled to begin next week, has been postponed to December.
While the criminal charges against McAllister loom in the background of the election, the two other candidates in the Republican primary are not dwelling on them.
Branagan was clear she is not running against McAllister — she is one of three contenders for two openings.
“People are anxious to get this behind us and to go on,” Branagan said.
For her, the two top issues facing the county are a lack of jobs and the prevalence of drug addiction. The state is establishing a new treatment hub in St. Albans, but Branagan said the need is urgent: “I don’t see it coming fast enough.”
She was first elected to the House 14 years ago. A long-serving member of the House Ways and Means Committee, she is confident in her knowledge of state finances. She believes that experience would make her a valuable representative of the county in the upper chamber.
Branagan sees supporting agriculture as critical to the economy in the northwestern corner of the state.
Degree, who is seeking his second term in the Senate, said that although McAllister’s legal situation is unresolved, to him “it’s not a distraction.”
“I honestly believe at this point, the best thing we can do is leave it up to the voters and let them have their say,” Degree said.
After McAllister’s suspension from the Senate in January, Degree sat on three committees, rather than the typical two.
“I’ve done my best through difficult times to really be a voice for our county,” Degree said.
He said one of the major issues facing Franklin County residents is affordability. Degree also raised opiate addiction and water quality in Lake Champlain as key priorities.
McAllister said Wednesday that he decided to seek a third Senate term because he’s “still very concerned about the direction that Vermont’s going in.”
The Highgate farmer said that during his tenure in the Senate, he has been dedicated to representing the interests of county residents, and he touted his voting record. The American Conservative Union, a national political organization, ranked him as voting 100 percent in line with conservative principles in 2015.
McAllister listed economic development as a key issue in Franklin County. He believes the area needs more manufacturing jobs. He also raised concerns that agriculture, particularly dairy farming, is at a crisis point.
“The economy is not moving well for the average person,” McAllister said.
He expressed disappointment that the criminal charges won’t be resolved ahead of primary day. Though the charges in the June trial were dropped after the accusing witness lied about her relationship with another employee on McAllister’s farm, he said the case did not end in a victory.
“My lawyers had won. I felt that I’d lost,” McAllister said. “I wanted to clear my name. I wanted people to understand that I hadn’t done anything.”
Meanwhile, McAllister still faces charges involving two other women.
“This year it’s not going to be, I suspect, about what I stand for as far as votes and things,” McAllister said. “It’s going to be overshadowed by the scam that’s being run on me.”
While the other candidates in the Republican primary were reluctant to discuss McAllister’s criminal charges in the context of the campaign, the two Democrats running for Senate were more open.
Denise Smith, executive director of Friends of Northern Lake Champlain, said she decided to run based on a number of issues, including lake water quality, education, opiate addiction, and domestic and sexual abuse.
Smith said she is passionate about combating sexual violence aside from the charges against McAllister. However, she said the way the community has reacted to the charges has highlighted the issue.
“One of the things that I just noticed in the first trial was the justice system I feel like really failed (the accuser), and I think that it’s going to continue,” Smith said.
Sara Kittell, a former school nurse who previously served 17 years in the Legislature, ran for a Senate seat in Franklin County two years ago and lost.
She said part of the reason she decided to run again was because she believes the county has been underrepresented due to McAllister’s suspension from the Senate.
“When you lose the public trust, you just should resign,” Kittell said.
Kittell, who chaired the Senate Agriculture Committee, pointed to farming as a key part of the state’s economy. She believes the agriculture sector, particularly dairy farming, needs support. Kittell also highlighted drug addiction as a key problem.
She sees the lack of full representation in the 2016 legislative session as a serious issue for the region.
“I feel like we have lost ground,” Kittell said. “We’ve missed opportunity in Franklin County.”
