[A] Republican incumbent was pushed aside in Rutland County and a renewable energy advocate won the nomination in Washington County in two of the high-profile state Senate primaries Tuesday.
In arguably the most hotly contested primary contest, Andrew Perchlik came in third place in a six-way race, securing a spot on the ballot, along with incumbent Sens. Anthony Pollina, P/D-Washington, and Ann Cummings, D-Washington, who finished in the top two spots.
Perchlik finished with 3,873 votes, just under 16 percent of the vote, compared to fourth-place finisher Ashley Hill, who had 11 percent. He attributes the win in part to his volunteers who helped with outreach in all 16 towns in the county.
“It was a great honor,” Perchlik said in an interview Wednesday. “I feel excited about the election and am really appreciative of the votes and volunteers that made it happen.”
Perchlik is the director of Vermont’s Clean Energy Development Fund, and the founding director of Renewable Energy Vermont, a trade association. The 50-year-old lived in Marshfield for 20 years, where he was selectboard chair for two years, before moving to Montpelier.
Hill, a deputy state’s attorney for Washington County, fell short of the nomination in her second attempt. She previously ran for state Senate in 2016 but lost the primary to former Sen. Francis Brooks by a single vote.
Theo Kennedy, a gelato shop owner and lobbyist from Middlesex, finished fifth with 2,148 votes. Andrew Brewer, the former owner of Onion River Sports in Montpelier, was sixth with 2,033 votes.
Perchlik said he thinks the difference came down to his background and experience on renewable energy and climate issues. He was pleased that he did well in Montpelier — a city where other candidates have strong ties — and even beat out Pollina and Cummings for the vote in the capital city.
“I have a feeling that I was a good number of people’s first choice, and was a good number of people’s second and third choice, and I have a theory that that had an impact,” Perchlik said.
Rutland incumbent finishes last
In Rutland County’s Republican primary, five candidates competed for three seats with incumbent Sen. David Soucy, R-Rutland, coming in last.
Soucy was appointed by Gov. Phil Scott in 2017 to fill the seat vacated by former Sen. Kevin Mullin, who left to become chair of the Green Mountain Care Board.
Candidates largely expected the race to be for the open second seat after the retirement of Peg Flory, but were taken by surprise when Soucy picked up just over 10 percent or 1,638 votes, placing him fifth in the five-way contest.
Ed Larson, who barely edged out Terry Williams for the third nomination, said the result left him and others “kind of stunned.”
“David Soucy is a very positive individual; he’s been a very good senator. I’m not sure if there’s maybe a shift from the voters of this county saying ‘we want change’ and we want something to be different,” he said.
Larson, a former Rutland City alderman, said he expected the race to be for the open seat.
“Quite frankly I was flabbergasted and I still am,” he said in an interview Wednesday morning.
Soucy did not return a phone call and email seeking comment .
Rutland County vote totals have yet to be completed, according to unofficial results from the Vermont Secretary of State’s website. The winners of that primary should have a clear path through the general election. No Democratic candidates are running, and no independents have filed for the district.
The numbers show a first place finish for incumbent Sen. Brian Collamore, R-Rutland, with 3,458 or over 21 percent of the vote, with one district yet to report.
Business owner James McNeil, a former House representative for Rutland-4, finished in second with 2,776 votes or 17 percent.
Larson is exactly 48 votes ahead of Williams, a Poultney selectman, for the third nomination with Middletown Springs yet to report as of Wednesday afternoon. He was not ready to declare victory until hearing the final count.
“I’m pleased that the people in their area showed their support and gave me their support to represent them,” Larson said.
Larson said he would like to push for pension tax leniency for those over 62, as part of an effort to “try to stop the bleed of seniors” to southern U.S. destinations with a lower cost of living.
Larson said he believes Rutland County “often gets overlooked” and plans to work to ensure the district is heard in Montpelier, particularly on jobs, the economy and education.
“Sometimes you kind of feel that you’ve the left out a section of Vermont and I think that has to be emphasized,” he said.
