Vermont’s statewide office races are noticeably sleepier than this time last election cycle, with only one non-incumbent candidate thus far registered and fundraising just under eight months until the general election.
That’s according to the first set of campaign filings since last July, which were due to the Vermont Secretary of State’s office by midnight on Friday.
Raking in the most this reporting period was Democratic State Treasurer Mike Pieciak, who reported nearly $107,000 in contributions over the last nine months.
Except for current officeholders, the only other person to submit a report showing fundraising activity since July 1, 2023, was Democratic gubernatorial candidate Esther Charlestin. She announced her 2024 bid for governor in January and is thus far the only candidate to announce a run for state government’s top position.
As of Monday, Republican Gov. Phil Scott has not yet announced a bid for reelection this year. Last election cycle, in 2022, he waited until May to announce his campaign for a fourth term.
In fact, none of Vermont’s statewide incumbents have officially launched their reelections, nor have any opponents besides Charlestin — though they still have time. The registration deadline for candidates who want to run in the August primary is not until May.
Despite the absence of any announcement, all of them reported receiving campaign contributions over the most recent reporting period.
The Scott campaign reported to the Secretary of State’s Office on Friday that he has raised $3,675 in the first reporting period of the cycle — a modest sum, but still five times the mere $709 that the campaign had raised by this time in 2022.
Most of this year’s haul comes from a $2,240 contribution from Anheuser Busch, sent Scott’s way in October. The governor also received a $1,000 check in February from OnLogic co-founder Lisa Groeneveld, who shares the governor’s hometown of Barre. As of March 15, Scott’s campaign has raised $235 total in small individual contributions under $100.
But Scott’s March fundraising numbers were dwarfed by those of his fellow statewide office holders — most notably, Pieciak.
The majority of the state treasurer’s contributions came from individuals — including some of Vermont’s political heavy hitters, such as former-U.S. Senate staffer Luke Albee ($250), Norwich-based mega-donor Jane Stetson ($1,000) and former-Attorney General Bill Sorrell ($1,000). Pieciak also received $500 from New York-based union political action committee Unite Here and $1,000 from South Burlington-based Forest Park Realty.
Second to Pieciak was Attorney General Charity Clark, who reported nearly $47,000 in campaign contributions as of March 15. Several of the Democrat’s contributions came thanks to corporations or PACs, like 1-800-Contacts ($2,000), the National Beer Wholesalers Association ($1,500) and Cross & Shield PAC ($200). Clark also received several multi-thousand-dollar donations from sports betting platforms such as Fanduel ($2,000), Fantasy Sports Operation Coalition ($4,000) and Underdog Fantasy Sports ($4,000). The Democratic Attorneys General Association maxed out its campaign cycle contribution limit to Clark with a $4,480 check.
Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman, a Progressive-Democrat, reported nearly $29,000 in contributions, and Democratic Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas nearly $14,000. State Auditor Doug Hoffer did not file a finance report by Friday’s deadline.
Charlestin, the Middlebury educator, has raised $1,700 in campaign contributions. The vast majority of those funds, $1,600, are thanks to contributions which exceed $100 from three donors, including the candidate. Charlestin reported having contributed $400 to her own campaign thus far. She has spent over $6,600, namely on website development, media consulting and independent contractors.
