There was very little distance on display between the Democrats running for governor.
During a Zoom forum Friday night hosted by Rights & Democracy, a social justice organization, all three Democratic gubernatorial candidates voiced support for a minimum wage increase and statewide paid family leave program, climate change policies, stabilizing the state’s struggling state college system, and expanding broadband.
And unlike the first Democratic debate — which was dominated by a back-and-forth between Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman and former education secretary Rebecca Holcombe over vaccination policy — no attacks between candidates.
Occasionally, the Democrats, Zuckerman, Holcombe and Bennington attorney Patrick Winburn, criticized Gov. Phil Scott, who announced Thursday that he was running for a third term.
“So many of the policies that Gov. Scott has delayed, scoffed at, he’s delayed he’s vetoed would have put Vermonters, and especially marginalized communities in a stronger place to address this virus,“ Zuckerman said, referring to minimum wage, paid leave, and broadband expansion.
“We need to win this governorship so that we’re not just talking about what we do, but so that we can implement the real policies that will help Vermonters.”
The three are vying for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination to be decided in the Aug. 11 primary.
Holcombe and Zuckerman highlighted the importance of bolstering the Vermont State Colleges System, a month after the former chancellor of the system, Jeb Spaulding recommended closing three campuses. The VSC has said it needs millions in additional revenue to survive.
Holcombe pointed out that Vermont is one of only two states that lets students use state grants to pay for higher education out of state.
“So we’re spreading our money out in ways that other states don’t do and that reduces what’s available for supporting higher education in Vermont,” she said.
She added that she is in favor of partnering public school districts with the college system “to tighten the handshake between our post K-12 system, and those critical postsecondary opportunities.”
“This isn’t just about creating more money,” Holcombe said. “It’s also about transforming our institutions, so they create opportunity and vibrancy in our Vermont communities.”
Zuckerman said that the state college system needs short-term and long-term funding sources, and that he would consider progressive taxes as an option.
“I’m one of the only candidates who’s talked about raising taxes on the wealthiest and we need to look at that for funding many of these initiatives,” he said.
All three candidates voiced support for taxing marijuana, which the state legalized in 2018. The state has yet to establish a marketplace for the drug.
“If we’re going to make pot legal, then we should tax pot,” said Winburn, who believes the revenue should be used to pay for drug education programs for youth.
Winburn added that he was also in favor of funding free school breakfasts for children.
“The children of Vermont need to have good health, they need to have a boost when they start their day, and they can’t be worried about where their next meal is going to come from,” Winburn said.
The Bennington attorney once again tried to tie Scott, a moderate Republican who has frequently criticized White House policies, with President Donald Trump.
“Gov. Scott is, by all accounts, a nice person. But what happens when he gets reelected?” Winburn said.
“Gov. Scott is going to follow the same sort of policies that Donald Trump has followed. A Trump-Scott regime cannot be allowed to happen,” Winburn said.
All three candidates voiced support for climate change policies.
Zuckerman said he was in favor of boosting funding for home weatherization, and that he supported a “Green Mountain New Deal.”
He said this plan involves reaping $100 million taxes from the top 5% of earners in the state to pay for initiatives including broadband expansion, which would help Vermonters cut down on commuting.
Zuckerman says that the $100 million would come out of the tax cuts wealthy residents got from President Donald Trump’s 2017 tax reform.
Winburn said he wants Vermont to eliminate its carbon footprint by 2050.
On criminal justice, Holcombe and Zuckerman both said that they favored stronger de-escalation training tactics and reforming the parole and the cash bail system.
Holcombe noted that in 2018, more than 100 people remained incarcerated in Vermont because they lacked housing.
“That’s wrong, as your governor I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen,” Holcombe said.
Zuckerman said that he wants to expand funding for Vermont’s office of racial equity, which, at this point, only has one employee.
“It’s absurd to have one person who’s got to do this with no staff,” he said.
