[T]he National Association of Realtors is looking to get one of its own elected lieutenant governor of Vermont.
The membership organization, which calls itself America’s largest trade association, has spent $54,000 in online advertising for Don Turner, the Republican candidate in the race against Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman, a Progressive.
Turner is a realtor, developer, the town manager of Milton and the outgoing House minority leader. He said he first heard about the contribution from the National Association of Realtors Fund, a political action committee, on Friday, when it was reported to the Secretary of State’s Office. (PACs can’t coordinate with campaigns.)
“I don’t know why the National Association of Realtors invested in this campaign but I’m very grateful for it,” he said, adding, “Well, I’ve been a realtor for 36 years, so I’ve been active in the realtor world.”
Wesley Shaw, NAR’s media manager of advocacy issues, referred questions about the contribution to the Vermont Association of Realtors, which referred questions back to the national group. Turner said he didn’t know where the ads would show up online.
During the last legislative session, Vermont Realtors lobbied against parts of S.260, a clean water bill that included fees and legal avenues for individuals to sue property owners. It is also a proponent of reforming Act 250, the state’s land use law.
A commission toured the state over the summer with an eye toward improving the law, which has frustrated developers who say it puts up too much red tape. A number of lawmakers on the commission received contributions from Vermont Realtors.
Turner has been outspoken about the need for Act 250 reform in his race against Zuckerman, who is a leading environmental advocate.
“I believe in Act 250 but Act 250 has to be a process,” he said by phone Thursday. Turner argued during a debate last month that the law has become a cudgel for people opposed to particular projects, rather than a predictable process with certain environmental and social conditions that must be met for projects to get a green light from the state.
“I continue to work based on my experience and build relationships across all party lines … to build a partnership that shows I’m not trying to get rid of Act 205, I’m trying to make it more predictable,” he said.
The committee’s spending on Turner is the second highest sum from any PAC in this election cycle, but is dwarfed by the more than $200,000 that the Republican Governors Association has spent on Gov. Phil Scott’s campaign through the Stronger Vermont PAC, which still has that much left in the bank.
Turner had raised $191,537 in direct contributions to his campaign as of the last reporting period ending on Oct. 1. Zuckerman has raised $117,716.65. Most of Turner’s contributions come from individuals, though he has also received money from corporations such as Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson. Zuckerman, like other Progressives, does not accept corporate donations.
The incumbent lieutenant governor has received about $13,830 from PACs and other special interest groups, including labor unions, GunSense, and the Vermont Credit Unions PAC.
The Vermont Association of Realtors, the local arm of the national group, has also given the maximum direct contribution of $4,080 to Turner. The Vermont Realtors PAC has been one of the most active spenders in this year’s campaign, giving a total of $58,463 to more than 60 candidates of all political stripes.
The only other candidate to receive the maximum donation from the local realtor’s organization is Gov. Phil Scott, who is up against Democratic candidate Christine Hallquist. Neither Zuckerman or Hallquist received any money from the group.
Matt Musgrave, advocacy and development director for Vermont Realtors, said the PAC only accepts donations from individuals and had turned away checks from business accounts.
The national association has spent almost $5 million on candidates across the country as of the end of August, according to OpenSecrets.org. Its spending skews slightly Republican.
The only other candidate it has supported in Vermont is Rep. Peter Welch, a Democrat, who received $5,000 from the group. The group spent $300,000 earlier this year on Rep. Michael Capuano, D-Mass., who was unseated by Ayanna Pressley, a Boston city councilor, in the Democratic primary.
