Updated at 4:05 p.m.
Gov. Phil Scott on Monday appointed Abbey Duke, a Democrat, to fill the legislative seat vacated by former state Rep. Emma Mulvaney-Stanak, who was sworn in as Burlington’s mayor last month.
Duke is the founder and CEO of Sugarsnap, a South Burlington-based catering company, and the chair of Burlington’s Parks, Recreation and Waterfront Commission. Vermont’s Democratic and Progressive parties had each sent the governor a list of three candidates to replace Mulvaney-Stanak, who served as a Progressive/Democrat in the House.
“I appreciate Abbey for her willingness to get involved and serve the people of Burlington,” Scott said in a press release. “Her experience as a successful small business owner will add a valuable perspective to the House.”
The governor’s choice for the Chittenden-17 district seat prompted an immediate outcry from Progressives. In an interview, Josh Wronski, the executive director of the Vermont Progressive Party, called Scott’s appointment of a Democrat “really disappointing” and said it went against years of precedent.
“It’s really poor form in my view and just an unfortunate choice,” Wronski said, “especially for that district which chose someone who had very strong Progressive values to represent them and is really looking for someone who has very strong Progressive values to represent them.”
Responding to Wronski’s comments, Jason Maulucci, Scott’s press secretary, wrote in an email, “Former Rep. Mulvaney-Stanak ran in the Democratic primary, not the Progressive primary. If the Progressive Party wants to be taken seriously, it should consider asking candidates to run in their own primaries, not another party’s.”
Vermont politicians sometimes run as “fusion candidates,” choosing to participate in one party’s primary while also seeking the nomination of another party. If such a candidate is nominated by both parties, she may choose which to list first on the general election ballot.
Mulvaney-Stanak, a previous chair of the Vermont Progressive Party, was first elected to the House in 2020 as a Progressive-Democrat after defeating four-term incumbent Jean O’Sullivan in the Democratic primary.
She again prevailed in the Democratic primary in 2022, while also securing the Progressive nomination. In her second term, she chaired the House Progressive Caucus.
After winning the Burlington mayoral race as a Progressive, Mulvaney-Stanak had considered serving in both the Statehouse and in City Hall until the end of the legislative session, but later chose to step down as a legislator at the start of her mayorship so she could “effectively serve the city.”
In an emailed statement, Mulvaney-Stanak said she was disappointed that Scott “did not adhere to past practice of appointing a member of the same party” to fill the vacancy.
“The voters of Chittenden-17 elected and reelected a Progressive to the House of Representatives, and this appointment does not reflect the will of our constituents,” she said.
She added, “I do wish Representative Duke well as she begins her service in the legislature, and I am happy to collaborate with her as she serves the remaining six months of the term.”
Duke, in an interview, said that her main priority is “just to be here and learn and get my feet under me and represent my district as well as I can.”
“I’m looking forward to serving all of my neighbors to the best of my abilities in Montpelier,” she said.
