Democratic Party Of Vermont
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The Vermont Democratic Party is the affiliate of the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...
in the U.S. state of
Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
. From the time of the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
until the 1960s, Vermont was an almost exclusively Republican state, with Republicans dominating Vermont politics, especially the governorship, from 1854 to 1960. However, perhaps inspired by the election of
John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination i ...
as president in 1960, Vermont Democrats have since staged a resurgence in state politics. The Democratic Party is currently the dominant party in Vermont. The party has almost complete control of the state, with the exception of Republican governor, Phil Scott. It controls Vermont's at-large
U.S. House The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...
seat, one of its
U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...
seats, and both houses of the
state legislature A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...
. The other U.S. Senate seat is held by
Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...
Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Vermont since 2007. He was the U.S. representative for the state's at-large congressional district from 1991 to 2007 ...
, who caucuses with the Democrats.


History

The exact date or year the state party was formed is unknown because the state headquarters has not retained archives of historical documents.Appleton, Andrew & Ward, Daniel. "State Party Profiles". Congressional Quarterly Inc, 1997. p. 332. Prior to 1824, opponents of the
Federalist Party The Federalist Party was a Conservatism in the United States, conservative political party which was the first political party in the United States. As such, under Alexander Hamilton, it dominated the national government from 1789 to 1801. De ...
were known as Republicans or
Democratic-Republicans The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early ...
. After the demise of the Federalists left only one major party, supporters of Democratic-Republicans John Quincy Adams and
Henry Clay Henry Clay Sr. (April 12, 1777June 29, 1852) was an American attorney and statesman who represented Kentucky in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. He was the seventh House speaker as well as the ninth secretary of state, al ...
were largely responsible for founding the Whig Party in the early 1830s as the main opposition to Democratic-Republican
Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...
. In 1830, Vermont newspaper articles still referred to supporters of
Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...
for president in 1832 as Democratic-Republican, or occasionally "Democratic". By 1831, the name Democratic was used more often as a way to distinguish Jackson and his supporters from the "old" Democratic-Republican Party of
Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...
. By the end of 1831, "Democratic" was used almost exclusively. Since Vermont was dominated for so long by Republicans, the national Democratic Party paid little attention to Democrats in the state.Appleton, Andrew & Ward, Daniel. "State Party Profiles". Congressional Quarterly Inc, 1997. p. 330. Democrats usually contested statewide elections, but opposition to Republicans was generally desultory. Democrats filled appointed federal positions such as U.S. Attorney during the administrations of Democratic presidents, and occasionally received appointment to positions that were considered non-partisan, such as Seneca Haselton's tenure as an associate justice of the
Vermont Supreme Court The Vermont Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority of the U.S. state of Vermont. Unlike most other states, the Vermont Supreme Court hears appeals directly from the trial courts, as Vermont has no intermediate appeals court. The Court ...
. It was not until the 1960s that the Democrats started to pull together an effective statewide organization.


Ideology, policies, and party platform


Ideology

Today, the Vermont Democratic Party is rooted in
progressivism Progressivism holds that it is possible to improve human societies through political action. As a political movement, progressivism seeks to advance the human condition through social reform based on purported advancements in science, tec ...
and American liberalism. The state is considered a breeding ground for
Progressives Progressivism holds that it is possible to improve human societies through political action. As a political movement, progressivism seeks to advance the human condition through social reform based on purported advancements in science, techno ...
and Independents, many of which have close ties to the Vermont Democratic Party. Most Progressives run under the Democratic Party banner in Vermont.


Policies

The Vermont Democratic Party advocates for
universal health care Universal health care (also called universal health coverage, universal coverage, or universal care) is a health care system in which all residents of a particular country or region are assured access to health care. It is generally organized ar ...
, equality for all, and
social justice Social justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has often referred to the process of ensuring that individuals fu ...
.Vermont Democratic Party
/ref> Many of the party's proposals have been adopted, including universal health care ( Green Mountain Care),
same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same Legal sex and gender, sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being ...
, and the closing and de-commissioning of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power station, set to take place in early 2015. The party tends towards
environmentalism Environmentalism or environmental rights is a broad philosophy, ideology, and social movement regarding concerns for environmental protection and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seek ...
, favoring measures to protect Vermont's natural resources and ecosystems. Democrats in the state have also called for Vermont to be the first state to use only
renewable energy Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale. It includes sources such as sunlight, wind, the movement of water, and geothermal heat. Although most renewable energy ...
sources. The Party also favors campaign finance reform, but lines up behind the National Party in voicing support for some liberalization of campaign finance regulations so that it may better remain competitive with the Republicans.


Party platform

Documents representing the Vermont Democratic Party's platform have been approved on September 12, 2020, by the party. It conforms very closely to the
United States Democratic Party The Democratic Party is one of the Two-party system, two Major party, major contemporary political parties in the United States. Founded in 1828, it was predominantly built by Martin Van Buren, who assembled a wide cadre of politicians in eve ...
platform, addressing issues such as the economy, the environment, foreign policy, and civil rights.


Economic opportunity

The primary focus of the Vermont Democratic Party's economic platform rests with keeping businesses owned and operated in Vermont. There should be heavy focus on
entrepreneurship Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally encountered in starting a business, which may include other values th ...
and job creation. The party supports a strong and vibrant
middle class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. Commo ...
that encourages youth to pursue careers within the state. Its main focus is economic growth and job creation. The party believes that the state government should make Vermont a desirable place for people to bring, or begin, their businesses. The party plans on doing this by giving financial incentives to businesses that are energy efficient, are located in developing areas within Vermont, and provide workers with a livable wage. The party wants to reverse the Bush tax cuts. It voices support for a graduated income tax; the premise that taxes should be based upon the individual taxpayer's ability to pay them. Under such a system, the wealthy would be taxed at a higher percentage level than the middle class, and the very poor would pay little or no income tax.


Environmental issues

The party believes a healthy environment is essential to the
quality of life Quality of life (QOL) is defined by the World Health Organization as "an individual's perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards ...
and recognizes
global climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...
as a major problem. The party believes everyone has moral and ethical obligations to protect and conserve the environment. It is committed to the rigorous and consistent enforcement of environmental laws and regulations. It also supports
alternative energy Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a Orders of magnitude (time), human timescale. It includes sources such as Solar power, sunlight, wind power, wind, the movement of Hydropo ...
, including investments and research, and favors the rapid implementation of 'cleaner' alternatives to oil and other fossil fuels. Vermont Democrats also support laws that places caps, or limits, on the carbon emissions of both public transportation and personal vehicles.


Foreign policy

The party is opposed to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It believes the decision to go to war was ill-advised and has led to the deaths of thousands of innocent people. The party has strongly supported President Obama's decisions to withdraw troops from both Iraq and Afghanistan.


Civil rights

The Vermont Democratic Party supports equal rights amendments to the
Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When ...
and the protection of all citizens, regardless of race, gender or gender identity, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, military service, or creed. It has supported Vermont's pioneering initiatives in same-sex marriage, plus the predecessor laws favoring civil unions. It also supports the repeals of
Don't Ask, Don't Tell "Don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) was the official United States policy on military service of non-heterosexual people, instituted during the Clinton administration. The policy was issued under Department of Defense Directive 1304.26 on December ...
and the Defense of Marriage Act. The party also denounces torture and believes all people have
due process Due process of law is application by state of all legal rules and principles pertaining to the case so all legal rights that are owed to the person are respected. Due process balances the power of law of the land and protects the individual pers ...
rights that should never be violated. The party strongly supported President Obama's decision to ban the torturous technique of
waterboarding Waterboarding is a form of torture in which water torture, water is poured over a cloth covering the face and breathing passages of an immobilized captive, causing the person to experience the sensation of drowning. In the most common method ...
from being used on suspected terrorists.


Howard Dean

Howard Dean may be the most nationally renowned Democratic politician to come out of Vermont in recent years. He served as Governor of Vermont from 1991 to 2003. In 2004 he ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for president. Dean also served as chair of the Democratic National Committee from 2005 to 2009, and is credited with being instrumental in
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
's successful campaign for the presidency in 2008. His
Fifty-state strategy In the context of American politics, a fifty-state strategy is a political strategy which aims for progress in all states of the United States of America, rather than conceding certain states as "unwinnable". In a presidential campaign, it is usual ...
is widely considered the reason Obama was able to win in some traditionally Republican states.


Current elected officials

As of late 2020, there are Democratic incumbents holding five of the six statewide offices in the executive branch — all but
Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
(Republican) — and the Democrats also hold firm majorities in Vermont's Senate and House of Representatives. At the federal level, Democrats hold one of the state's U.S. Senate seats, and Democrats also hold the state's single 'At-Large' seat in the U.S. House of Representatives; the incumbent, Representative
Peter Welch Peter Francis Welch (born May 2, 1947) is an American lawyer and politician who is a United States senator-elect from Vermont, and the current U.S. representative for since 2007. A member of the Democratic Party, he has been a major figure in ...
, first elected in 2006, was the first Democrat to represent Vermont in the lower chamber of Congress since William H. Meyer in 1961, and the first House Democrat from Vermont to be re-elected in more than 150 years.


Members of Congress


U.S. Senate

File:Patrick Leahy 117th Congress (cropped).jpeg, Senior U.S. Senator
President pro tempore of the United States Senate The president pro tempore of the United States Senate (often shortened to president pro tem) is the second-highest-ranking official of the United States Senate, after the Vice President of the United States, vice president. According to Articl ...


U.S. House of Representatives


Statewide offices

*
Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...
:
Molly Gray Molly Rose Gray (born March 18, 1984) is an American attorney and politician serving as the 83rd and current lieutenant governor of Vermont. A member of the Democratic Party, she was an assistant attorney general for Vermont from 2018 to 2021. A ...
* Secretary of State:
Jim Condos James Christos Condos (born January 29, 1951) is an American politician from Vermont. He is a former Vermont Secretary of State and former Democratic member of the Vermont State Senate, representing the Chittenden senate district. The district ...
*
Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...
: TJ Donovan *
State Treasurer In the state governments of the United States, 48 of the 50 states have the executive position of treasurer. New York abolished the position in 1926; duties were transferred to New York State Comptroller. Texas abolished the position of Texas ...
:
Beth Pearce Elizabeth A. Pearce (born 1952/1953) is an American politician from Vermont who served as Vermont State Treasurer. Biography Beth Pearce resides in Barre. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of New Hampshire. She was ap ...
*
State Auditor State auditors (also known as state comptrollers, state controllers, state examiners, or inspectors general) are fiscal officers lodged in the executive or legislative branches of U.S. state governments who serve as external auditors, financial ...
:
Doug Hoffer Douglas R. Hoffer Jr. (born September 3, 1951) is an American policy analysis, policy analyst from Burlington, Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, who is currently serving as the Vermont Auditor of Accounts, Vermont State Auditor. He took office on Jan ...


Legislative

*
President pro tempore of the Vermont Senate The President ''pro tempore'' of the Vermont Senate presides over the Senate of the U.S. state of Vermont in the absence of the Lieutenant Governor. The President ''pro tempore'' also sets the policy priorities and legislative agenda for the Senat ...
: Becca Balint *Senate Majority Leader: Alison Clarkson *
Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives The Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives is the Speaker or presiding officer of the Vermont House of Representatives, the lower house of the Vermont Legislature. The Speaker presides over sessions of the Houses, recognizes members so t ...
: Jill Krowinski *House Majority Leader: Emily Long


Notable members


Governors

* John S. Robinson, 1853–1854 *
Philip H. Hoff Philip Henderson Hoff (June 29, 1924 – April 26, 2018) was an American politician from the U.S. state of Vermont. He was most notable for his service as the List of Governors of Vermont, 73rd governor of Vermont from 1963 to 1969, the state's ...
, 1963–1969 *
Thomas P. Salmon Thomas Paul Salmon (born August 19, 1932) is an American Democratic Party politician who served as the 75th governor of Vermont from 1973 to 1977. Biography Salmon was born in Cleveland, Ohio, raised in Stow, Massachusetts, and attended Hudson ...
, 1973–1977 *
Madeleine M. Kunin Madeleine Kunin (née May; born September 28, 1933) is a Swiss-born American diplomat, author and politician. She served as the 77th governor of Vermont from 1985 until 1991, as a member of the Democratic Party. She also served as United Stat ...
, 1985–1991 * Howard Dean, 1991–2003 *
Peter Shumlin Peter Elliott Shumlin (born March 24, 1956) is an American politician from Vermont. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 81st governor of Vermont from 2011 to 2017. He was first elected to the office in 2010, and was reelected to a ...
, 2011–2017


Senators

*
Patrick J. Leahy Patrick Joseph Leahy (; born March 31, 1940) is an American politician and attorney who is the senior United States senator from Vermont and serves as the president pro tempore of the United States Senate. A member of the Democratic Party, ...
, 1975–


Representatives

*
Isaac Fletcher Isaac Fletcher may refer to: *Isaac Fletcher (American politician) Isaac Fletcher (November 22, 1784 – October 19, 1842) was an American lawyer and politician. He served as a U.S. Representative from Vermont and as Adjutant General of the Ve ...
, 1837–1841 * John Smith, 1839–1841 * Paul Dillingham Jr., 1843–1847 * Lucius Benedict Peck, 1847–1851 *
Thomas Bartlett Jr. Thomas Bartlett Jr. (June 18, 1808 – September 12, 1876) was an American lawyer and politician. He served as a U.S. Representative from Vermont. Biography Bartlett was born in Sutton, Vermont, and attended the common schools. He studied law ...
, 1851–1853 * William H. Meyer, 1959–1961 *
Peter Welch Peter Francis Welch (born May 2, 1947) is an American lawyer and politician who is a United States senator-elect from Vermont, and the current U.S. representative for since 2007. A member of the Democratic Party, he has been a major figure in ...
, 2007–


References


Notes


External links

* {{authority control
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...
Democratic Party (United States) by state