Sue Minter Gets Berned 

October 3, 2016

Bernie Sanders Refuses To Help Sue Minter’s Struggling Campaign In Vermont

Sue Minter and her mentor Peter Shumlin’s failed policies are so toxic, even Bernie Sanders wants nothing to do with them. That’s the takeaway of a new story from POLITICO, which reports that Senator Bernie Sanders has no plans to campaign, fundraise for or help Sue Minter’s struggling campaign for governor in Vermont.

Minter is running on a continuation of Governor Peter Shumlin’s bad policies of higher taxes and fewer Vermonters working, while GOP gubernatorial nominee Phil Scott is running on a pro-business platform that rejects higher taxes and fees. While Bernie Sanders is out endorsing and campaigning for other candidates across the country, he’s staying far away from Sue Minter and Peter Shumlin.

“Vermont Democrats are feeling the Bern this fall — and not in a good way. Bernie Sanders, by far the most popular political figure in his state but one who has long clashed with the more moderate Democratic establishment there, has no apparent plans to assist Democrats’ nominee for governor, Sue Minter, who faces a difficult race against popular GOP Lt. Gov. Phil Scott despite Vermont’s liberal leanings.

Sanders’ unwillingness to participate in the Minter race ‘is starting to generate ill will’ with the state’s Democratic establishment, a top Vermont Democrat said, adding: ‘Is he going to let a Republican win his home state?’

Public polling in the race has been sparse, but it has consistently shown the jovial Scott, a champion semi-pro stock car racer and construction company owner, with strong favorability among Vermont voters of all stripes.

Vermont has struggled with an aging population, a high cost of living and an opioid crisis, all of which have dragged down Shumlin’s numbers during his time as governor. Scott is running as a check on the state’s liberalism, promising to right the ship by cutting taxes and regulations. But his main message is that he will break from the current unpopular administration.” (Kevin Robillard, “Vermont Democrats: Where’s Bernie?,” POLITICO, 10/2/2016)