The Vermont Progressive Party, formerly the Progressive Coalition, is a progressive

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

founded in 1999 and active only in the

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

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 ...

. As of 2019, the party has two members in the

Vermont Senate The Vermont Senate is the upper house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The senate consists of 30 members. Senate districting divides the 30 members into three single-member districts, six two-m ...

and seven members in the

Vermont House of Representatives The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives ar ...

, as well as several more affiliated legislators who caucus with 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 ...

. After the Democratic and Republican parties, the Progressive Party has the highest number of seats in state and national offices for any organized political party in the country.

History

Formation in Burlington

The Vermont Progressive Party originated in the early 1980s with the successful independent campaign of

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 ...

for

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

Burlington Burlington may refer to: Places Canada Geography * Burlington, Newfoundland and Labrador * Burlington, Nova Scotia * Burlington, Ontario, the most populous city with the name "Burlington" * Burlington, Prince Edward Island * Burlington Bay, no ...

(prior to being elected mayor Sanders was a leader in the Vermont Liberty Union Party). Sanders, who was later elected to the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

and subsequently to the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

, and who co-founded the

Congressional Progressive Caucus The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) is a congressional caucus affiliated with the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party in the United States Congress. The CPC represents the most Left-wing politics, left-leaning faction of the ...

, never officially associated himself with the Progressive Party due to the fact it was only organized at the state level and not nationally, although the Progressives were among his biggest supporters. A group of Sanders's supporters, the "Progressive Coalition" as they had come to be known, as well as former members of the dissolved Citizens Party, organized themselves during his final term as mayor to contest future elections within the city as well as other parts of the state. Progressive Peter A. Clavelle was elected Mayor of Burlington in 1989 and served seven terms. After winning his first term, he remained in office until 1993 when he lost his re-election bid after giving domestic partners of city employees full benefits. Clavelle returned to the mayor's office two years later in 1995, continuing to hold the position until 2006, when he was succeeded by Progressive State Representative

Bob Kiss Bob Kiss (born April 1, 1947) is a Vermont politician and former 39th Mayor of Burlington, Vermont. Kiss was a member of the Vermont House of Representatives from January 2001 until he stepped down to assume office as mayor of Burlington, follo ...

Expansion to state government

The coalition succeeded in electing several members, including Terry Bouricius in 1990, to the

Vermont General Assembly The Vermont General Assembly is the legislative body of the state of Vermont, in the United States. The Legislature is formally known as the "General Assembly," but the style of "Legislature" is commonly used, including by the body itself. The G ...

, and formally became the Progressive Party after establishing a stable political base following the 1998 elections. In the 2004 elections, the party picked up three new seats and then had five representatives in the

. By the 2012 elections the party had several members of the legislature and a candidate elected to statewide office, as well as dozens of local office holders around the state.

Election results

Platform

The Progressive Party encompasses a progressive platform. The party's main focus has historically been advocacy for a single-payer health care system, which has recently made great strides with the implementation of

Green Mountain Care In 2011, the Vermont state government enacted a law functionally establishing the first state-level single-payer health care system in the United States. Green Mountain Care, established by the passage of H.202, creates a system in the state whe ...

, a health care program that was pushed by Democratic Governor

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 ...

due to pressure from the Progressive Party. Other major policy platforms are renewable energy programs and a phase-out of nuclear energy, public transportation proposals including one for a high-speed rail system, criminal justice reforms directed at reducing the state's prison population and better protecting convicts' rights, the creation of programs to end homelessness in the state, ending the

War on Drugs The war on drugs is a Globalization, global campaign, led by the United States federal government, of prohibition of drugs, drug prohibition, military aid, and military intervention, with the aim of reducing the illegal drug trade in the Unite ...

and repealing

No Child Left Behind The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) was a U.S. Act of Congress that reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act; it included Title I provisions applying to disadvantaged students. It supported standards-based education ...

and ending the focus on standardized testing in the school system. The party also has an anti-war stance, advocating for Vermont's national guard to be restricted from engaging in war zones outside the United States, an end to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and opposition to all preemptive wars, strikes, or other offensive or interventionist military actions. The party is very supportive of

LGBT rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Notably, , 33 ...

and members of the party were involved in the legalization of same-sex marriage in the state. Economically, the party also calls for converting the

minimum wage A minimum wage is the lowest remuneration that employers can legally pay their employees—the price floor below which employees may not sell their labor. Most countries had introduced minimum wage legislation by the end of the 20th century. Bec ...

to a

living wage A living wage is defined as the minimum income necessary for a worker to meet their basic needs. This is not the same as a subsistence wage, which refers to a biological minimum, or a solidarity wage, which refers to a minimum wage tracking labor ...

and having it tied to inflation rates, having the economy focus on small and local businesses, empowerment of

worker cooperative A worker cooperative is a cooperative owned and Workers' self-management, self-managed by its workers. This control may mean a firm where every worker-owner participates in decision-making in a democratic fashion, or it may refer to one in which ...

s and publicly owned companies as democratic alternatives to multi-national corporations and to decentralize the economy, for the strengthening of state law to protect the right to unionize, for implementing a progressive income tax and repealing the Capital Gains Tax Exemption and residential education property tax, and for all trade to be subject to international standards on human rights. The party is also critical of privatization.

Elected officials

State

State-wide office * David Zuckerman (P/D),

Lieutenant Governor of Vermont The lieutenant governor of Vermont is elected for a two-year term and chosen separately from the governor. The Vermont Lieutenant Governor's main responsibilities include acting as governor when the governor is out of state or incapacitated, presi ...

(2017–2021) * Doug Hoffer (D/P),

Vermont Auditor of Accounts The Vermont State Auditor of Accounts is one of six constitutional officers in Vermont, elected statewide every two years. The Office provides an independent and objective assessment of Vermont's governmental operations. The current Auditor is ...

(2013–present)

President pro tempore A president pro tempore or speaker pro tempore is a constitutionally recognized officer of a legislative body who presides over the chamber in the absence of the normal presiding officer. The phrase ''pro tempore'' is Latin "for the time being". ...

Tim Ashe Timothy R. Ashe (born December 10, 1976) is an American politician who ran for a wide range of political offices in Vermont and served as a Democrat/Progressive in the Vermont State Senate from Chittenden County from 2009 to 2021 and as Presiden ...

(D/P), Chittenden, with 5 others (3 D, 1 D/P, 1 P/D) (2009–2021) * Senator Philip Baruth (D/P) Chittenden with 5 others (3 D, 1 D/P, 1 P/D) (2011–present) * Senator

Cheryl Hooker Cheryl Mazzariello Hooker (born February 15, 1950) is an American politician. She has served in the Vermont Senate from the Rutland district since 2019. She previously served in the Vermont Senate from 1997 to 1999 and several terms in the Ver ...

(D/P)

Rutland Rutland () is a ceremonial county and unitary authority in the East Midlands, England. The county is bounded to the west and north by Leicestershire, to the northeast by Lincolnshire and the southeast by Northamptonshire. Its greatest len ...

with 2 others (2 R) (2019–present) * Senator Christopher Pearson (P/D), Chittenden, with 5 others (3 D, 2 D/P) (2017–present) * Senator

Andrew Perchlik Andrew John Perchlik (born June 3, 1968) is an American activist and politician from Vermont. A Democrat, in 2018 he was elected to the Vermont Senate from the three-member at-large Washington County Senate District. Early life and education Pe ...

(D/P),

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, with 2 others (1 D, 1 P/D) (2019–present) * Senator

Anthony Pollina Anthony Pollina (born February 17, 1952) is an American Progressive politician who has served as a member of the Vermont Senate since 2011. Biography Anthony Pollina was born in Ridgewood, New Jersey on February 17, 1952, the son of Salvatore P ...

(P/D),

, with 2 others (1 D, 1 D/P) (2011–present)

* Rep. Mollie Burke (P), Windham-3-2, single member district (2009–present) * Rep. Robin Chesnut-Tangerman (P), Rutland-Bennington, single member district (2015–present) * Rep. Brian Cina (P), Chittenden-6-4, with 1 (P) (2017–present) * Rep.

Selene Colburn Selene Colburn is an American politician currently serving in the Vermont House of Representatives from the Chittenden-6-4 district since 2017 as a member of the Vermont Progressive Party. Prior to her tenure in the State House she served on the ...

(P), Chittenden-6-4, with 1 (P) (2017–present) * Rep.

Mari Cordes Mari Cordes is an American politician who has served in the Vermont House of Representatives since 2019. References Living people University of Michigan alumni Vermont College of Fine Arts alumni 21st-century American politicians 21 ...

(D/P), Addison-4, with 1 (D) (2019–present) * Rep. Diana Gonzalez (P), Chittenden-6-7, with 1 (D) (2015–present) * Rep. Sandy Haas (P), Windsor-Rutland-2, single member district (2005–present) * Rep. Zachariah Ralph (P), Windsor-1, with 1 (D) (2019–present)

County

* Chittenden County ** Daniel L. Gamelin (D/P/R),

High Bailiff The High Bailiff ( gv, Ard-Vaylee) is a legal position held within the Isle of Man. The High Bailiff is the head stipendiary magistrate. The current High Bailiff is Her Worship Jayne Hughes, who took office on 11 March 2019. The High Bailiff ...

(2011–present) * Essex County ** Vincent Illuzzi (R/P/D/L),

State's Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a loc ...

(1999–present) ** Trevor Colby (R/P),

Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

(2011–present) * Grand Isle County ** Ray C. Allen (D/P/R), Sheriff (2015–present) * Windham County ** Alan Blood (P),

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

Putney Putney () is a district of southwest London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. History Putney is an ancient paris ...

, with 9 (8 D, 1 P) (2019–present) ** Edith Gould (P), Justice of the Peace, Putney, with 9 (8 D, 1 P) (2017–present) * Caledonia County ** Christian Bradley Hubbs (P), Justice of the Peace,

Burke Burke is an Anglo-Norman Irish surname, deriving from the ancient Anglo-Norman and Hiberno-Norman noble dynasty, the House of Burgh. In Ireland, the descendants of William de Burgh (–1206) had the surname ''de Burgh'' which was gaelicised ...

, with 6 (2 R, 2 I, 2 D) (2019–present)

Municipal

City

* Burlington ** City Council *** Perri Freeman (Central District-Ward 2 & 3) (2019–present) *** Jack Hanson (East District-Ward 1 & 8) (2019–present) *** Zoraya Hightower (Ward 1) (2020–present) *** Max Tracy (Ward 2) (2012–present) *** Joe Magee (Ward 3) (2021–present) *** Ali Dieng (D/P) (Ward 7) (2017–present) *** Jane Stromberg (Ward 8) (2020–present) ** Ward Clerk *** Wendy Coe (Ward 2) (2010–present) ** Ward Inspector *** Jane Stromberg (Ward 1) (2019–present) *** Alex Rose (Ward 2) (2019–present) *** Kit Andrews (Ward 3) (2013–present) *** Bonnie Filker (Ward 3) (2019–present) * Montpelier ** Mayor ***

Anne Watson Anne Watson (born 1981) is an American educator and politician who has served as Mayor of Montpelier, Vermont since March 2018. Watson is a physics teacher at Montpelier High School. She served on the Montpelier city council for several years be ...

(2018–present)

Town

* Springfield ** Selectboard *** Stephanie Thompson (2010–present) * Fairlee ** Zoning and Planning Administrator *** John Christopher Brimmer (2012–present) * Berlin ** Selectboard *** Jeremy Hansen (2013–present) * Richmond ** Selectboard *** Steve May (2016–present) * The party also has a significant number of its members elected to other local offices in town governments and appointed to serve as town officials. However, in Vermont these elections are

non-partisan Nonpartisanism is a lack of affiliation with, and a lack of bias towards, a political party. While an Oxford English Dictionary definition of ''partisan'' includes adherents of a party, cause, person, etc., in most cases, nonpartisan refers sp ...

and no party name appears before their names on election ballots or during an appointment process.

Party leaders

The current chair of the party's State Committee is State Senator and former Gubernatorial nominee and Congressional candidate

, and the current vice-chair, Marielle Blais, was first elected in 2019. Secretary Chris Brimmer, also the Chair of the Caledonia County Committee, has served since 2009. The current Treasurer is Robert Millar, who briefly served as Acting Chair in 2001, and Assistant Treasurer Martha Abbott previously served as Treasurer and twice as chair. After being in the position of Acting Chair while the State Committee was not formalized, Heather Riemer served as the party's first chair at its formation as a statewide party in 1999. The position of executive director was added in 2011, and since 2015 has been the party's only paid staff, and has been occupied by Joshua Wronski. Current Treasurer Robert Millar previously served as executive director from 2011 to 2015. * Chair: Anthony Pollina (2007–2009, 2017–present) * Vice Chair: Marielle Blais (2019–present) * Secretary: John Christopher Brimmer (2009–present) * Treasurer: Robert Millar (2019–present) * Assistant Treasurer: Martha Abbott (2019–present) * Executive Director: Joshua Wronski (2015–present) * Senate Caucus Leader: Anthony Pollina (2013–present) * Senate Caucus Whip: Christopher Pearson (2017–present) * House Caucus Leader: Robin Chesnut-Tangerman (2017–present) * House Caucus Whip: Diana Gonzalez (2017–present) * Youth/Student Caucus Leader: Carter Neubieser (2015–present) * Coordinating Committee: ** Nick Clark ** Carter Neubieser ** Adam Norton ** Zachariah Ralph ** Tanya Vyhovsky **

Cindy Weed Cindy Weed is an American politician who served in the Vermont House of Representatives from 2012 to 2019. In May of 2022 Weed announced her candidacy for the Vermont House, running again for her former seat in the Franklin-7 district. Referenc ...

** Regional Advisers ''(Non-voting)'': *** West-Central: Finnian Boardman Abbey *** East-Central: Traven Leyshon *** Northern: Jackie Stanton *** Southeast: Pamela Whitefield *** Southwest: Tim Guiles

Timeline of party Chairs

Notes

References

External links

*
Article on the Vermont Progressive Party from The Progressive Populist
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vermont Progressive Party 1999 establishments in Vermont Democratic socialist parties in the United States

Political parties established in 1999

Progressive Party Progressive Party may refer to: Active parties * Progressive Party, Brazil * Progressive Party (Chile) * Progressive Party of Working People, Cyprus * Dominica Progressive Party * Progressive Party (Iceland) * Progressive Party (Sardinia), Ita ...

Progressive parties in the United States Social democratic parties in the United States Regional and state political parties in the United States Political parties in the United States State and local socialist parties in the United States