The Green Mountain Peace and Justice Party has called on the Vermont legislature to reappoint incumbent Lieutenant Governor David Zuckerman for a second term when it meets next year. Under Vermont law, the legislature must select the Lieutenant Governor if no candidate receives a majority of the votes cast in the election.
The statement comes in response to Republican John Rodgers defeating Democratic and Progressive Party nominee David Zuckerman and Green Mountain Peace and Justice Party nominee Ian Diamondstone with 46.09% of the vote, according to official state election results. Under Section 47, Chapter II of the Vermont Constitution, candidates for Lieutenant Governor must obtain a majority of the votes cast. If no candidate achieves this, “…the Senate and House of Representatives shall by joint ballot, elect to fill the office, not filled by the voters as aforesaid, one of the three candidates for such office (if there be so many) for whom the greatest number of votes shall have been returned.”
“The Green Mountain Peace & Justice Party (formerly Liberty Union Party) is a socialist political party. This means our party believes in democracy in every aspect of society – both in the workplace and in our elections,” the party wrote. “Even though our candidate lost this election, the will of a majority of Vermonters should be respected – and they opposed Mr. Rodgers’ vision for our state. Our legislature should respect that as well.”
The party states that the combined totals of votes for Zuckerman and Diamondstone surpass Rodgers’ total, constituting a narrow majority of the votes cast. When the statement was released, this combined total equaled 50.7%. However, since then, Vermont has released official results, including ballots that left the Lieutenant Governor’s race blank, reducing the combined total to 48.15%.
| Candidate Name | Primary Party | Vote Total | Vote Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| John S. Rodgers | Republican | 171,854 | 46.09% |
| David Zuckerman | Progressive/Democratic | 165,876 | 44.48% |
| Ian Diamondstone | Green Mountain Peace and Justice | 13,671 | 3.67% |
| Write-ins | N/A | 1,013 | 0.27% |
| Overvotes | N/A | 95 | 0.03% |
| Blanks | N/A | 20,376 | 5.46% |
Notably, Zuckerman has since conceded the race for Lieutenant Governor.
In addition to urging the legislature to elect Zuckerman, the Green Mountain Peace and Justice Party has called for the creation of a “Popular Front,” which it intends to promote peace, advocate for equitable wealth distribution, and resist what the party describes as “fascism and the anti-working-class agenda of the Republican Party.”
“The Green Mountain Peace & Justice Party welcomes the creation of a Popular Front to resist the rise of fascism in the United States, and we hereby commit ourselves to coordinating such efforts with allied political parties, labor unions, and environmentalists in the days, weeks, months, and years to come,” the party stated.
“Under Vermont law, the legislature must select the Lieutenant Governor if no candidate receives a majority of the votes cast in the election.”
See, it makes sense that Vermont winds up with a communist high bailiff.
““The Green Mountain Peace & Justice Party (formerly Liberty Union Party) is a socialist political party. This means our party believes in democracy”
No. Quite the opposite, in fact.
“Even though our candidate lost this election, the will of a majority of Vermonters should be respected – and they opposed Mr. Rodgers’ vision for our state. Our legislature should respect that as well.”
Case in point. Even more Vermonters opposed Zuckerman XOR Diamondstone. But this socialist party has zero respect for democracy.
“[T]he Green Mountain Peace and Justice Party has called for the creation of a “Popular Front,” which it intends to […] resist what the party describes as “fascism and the anti-working-class agenda of the Republican Party.”
Once again, I am vindicated: https://ballot-access.org/2024/04/28/vermont-green-mountain-peace-justice-party-nominates-cornel-west/#comment-1217716
I hope Mr. Rodgers brings “a beautiful day in th[eir] neighborhood”, “a neighborly day in th[eir] beauty wood”….using the Vermont National Guard armed with chainsaws.