Out of all the candidates vying for non-federal office in Vermont this year, Kitty Toll has raised the most, according to new filings due Tuesday to the Secretary of State’s Office. The Democratic former state representative, who is running for lieutenant governor, brought in $117,597 and spent $6,442.
Toll came out ahead of three opponents in the Democratic primary — former Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman, nonprofit leader Patricia Preston and Rep. Charlie Kimbell, D-Woodstock — as well as Sen. Joe Benning, R-Caledonia, who is running in the Republican primary.
Tuesday’s deadline is the first since July 2021 — and the first since the retirement of U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., triggered a series of competitive races in the state. The filings provide a first look at the fundraising prowess of candidates for statewide office, particularly those hoping to succeed Democratic Lt. Gov. Molly Gray, who is running for the U.S. House.
Candidates for federal office, such as Gray, file reports with the Federal Election Commission on a different schedule. The first batch of federal filings were due at the end of January.
A little over 90% of Toll’s haul — $107,870 — came in the form of contributions over $100. Toll spent more than a decade in the Legislature, and many of her donors are current or former denizens of the Statehouse, including Shap Smith ($1,000) and Mitzi Johnson ($500), both former Democratic speakers of the House. State Treasurer Beth Pearce ($500) also gave as did former Leahy chief of staff and Washington, D.C., lobbyist Luke Albee ($500); Vermont Student Assistance Corporation President and CEO Scott Giles ($250); and longtime University of Vermont lobbyist Wendy Koenig ($750).
Zuckerman, a Progressive/Democrat hoping to reclaim his old job, came in second, bringing in $92,317. A press release sent out by Zuckerman’s campaign touted his “grassroots support” and noted that 91% of his 501 donors contributed $100 or less.
But while it’s true that the vast majority of Zuckerman’s donors gave in small amounts, those giving over $100 still accounted for $75,381, or 80% of his campaign’s fundraising total, according to his filing.
Many of Zuckerman’s high-dollar donors are well known in Vermont progressive politics. They include philanthropist Crea Lintilhac ($500); Jeff Weaver, a longtime confidante and campaign manager to U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. ($200); as well as Ben & Jerry’s founders Ben Cohen ($2,500) and Jerry Greenfield ($2,000).
Preston, a political newcomer and executive director of the Vermont Council on World Affairs, came in third among the Democratic candidates for lieutenant governor. But she is not exactly fundraising like a neophyte.
Preston reported $88,935 in contributions, although more than a quarter of those donations — $23,330 — were not cash but in-kind contributions, which can include any good or service provided to a candidate for free. (In Preston’s case, donors contributed free legal and consulting services as well as video production, logo design and equipment rental.)
Her donors also included influential and deep-pocketed figures in Democratic politics. Among them were former Merrill Lynch executive and former Sugarbush CEO Win Smith ($2,000); renewable energy entrepreneur David Blittersdorf, who gave the maximum allowable $4,210; Burlington developer Ernie Pormerleau ($3,000); and Casella Waste Systems Chair and CEO John Casella. Former Vermont Attorney General Bill Sorrell ($500) and former Burlington Mayor Peter Clavelle ($200) also contributed.
Democratic mega-donor Bill Stetson gave Preston $1,000, although he and his wife, Jane, who previously served as the Democratic National Committee’s finance chair, appear to be hedging their bets. They also gave Toll a combined $3,000.
Kimbell, the state representative from Woodstock, was the first to declare his candidacy for the lieutenant governor’s post. He, however, raised the least of all the Democrats: $43,637, according to the filings.
On the other side of the aisle, Benning — the Republican state senator from Caledonia County — raised just $8,174 from 36 contributors, according to his filing. Gregory Thayer, a right-wing activist, had not submitted a report as of press time.
Deputy Secretary of State Chris Winters, who announced last month he was running as a Democrat to succeed his boss, Jim Condos, as secretary of state, raised $21,380. His only competitor in the race thus far, Montpelier City Clerk John Odum, also a Democrat, brought in $6,648, although Odum only just announced his bid Monday — the day before the filing deadline.
Incumbents who have not yet declared their intentions about 2022 reported little fundraising, as is typical. Attorney General TJ Donovan, a Democrat, reported $1,905 in contributions. Gov. Phil Scott brought in just $709, although the Republican has $272,274 in the bank leftover from his last campaign.
Correction: An earlier version of this story referred incorrectly to the combined amount contributed to Kitty Toll’s campaign by Bill and Jane Stetson. It was $3,000.
Disclosure: Crea Lintilhac is a board member of the Vermont Journalism Trust, VTDigger’s parent organization.