(Host) With just a week to go before Vermont’s primary election, the five Democrats met last night in their last statewide broadcast debate of the campaign.
As VPR’s Ross Sneyd reports, all of them were looking forward to the fall election.
(Sneyd) Brian Dubie wasn’t in the room. But he was the foil for all five of the Democrats during VPR’s debate.
Each of them made a pitch for why he or she was the candidate to beat the Republican, who faces no opposition in the primary.
State Senator Doug Racine described himself as the best candidate to win a race against Dubie.
(Racine) "I’ve beaten Brian Dubie. He went after me in the civil unions year, prior to Take Back Vermont. I beat him then and I’m going to beat him again."
(Sneyd) The candidates all hit on familiar issues, touting their experience and the campaign platforms that by now they’ve repeated over and over.
Susan Bartlett says her moderate approach to politics is her biggest selling point.
(Bartlett) "I’m very pragmatic, straightforward and not making a lot of promises that I can’t keep. So I think I’m the pragmatist that we need for a governor right now."
(Sneyd) The candidates did mix it up among one another. The debate format allowed them an opportunity to question each other directly.
Secretary of State Deb Markowitz asked state Senator Peter Shumlin about his record on taxes. She suggested Shumlin has said he wouldn’t advocate new taxes when he’s done just that as a legislator.
(Markowitz) "You said, ‘The only way we Democrats are going to win is by having a candidate who is consistent on taxes.’ And so the question is how do you explain your own inconsistency on this issue?"
(Sneyd) Shumlin responded with a long list of taxes that had been cut during the Dean administration while he was a legislative leader.
And he says last year, when taxes rose for wealthy taxpayers, they were cut for others.
(Shumlin) "The fact is I have a very consistent record on taxes. Brian Dubie can’t stand up to it. It’s that I’ve reduced taxes while they’ve increased them."
(Sneyd) And all of them cited their experience as the reason they should be chosen in the primary.
Former state Senator Matt Dunne says he’s served in the Legislature, worked in the Clinton administration and worked in private business.
(Dunne) "And it’s those experiences that give me the opportunity today to be a strong candidate, to be the candidate to deliver on the promise of an economy that works for all of Vermont."
(Sneyd) Although they volleyed with one another, none of the candidates aggressively went after another. With just a week to go, they all tried to play to their strengths and avoid any pitfalls that could turn off voters.
For VPR News, I’m Ross Sneyd.