(Host) In Rutland County, long-time incumbent James Mongeon defeated Brian Marthage in the republican Primary for Rutland County State’s Attorney. Voter turnout was relatively low and unofficial results indicate Mongeon won by several hundred votes.
VPR’s Nina Keck has more.
(Keck) James Mongeon didn’t lose much sleep over his last four elections – he ran unopposed. This time, however, the 54-year-old incumbent faced a challenger: 35-year-old Brian Marthage, a deputy state’s attorney in Bennington.
Mongeon’s record in the courtroom and his relations with local law enforcement came under fire in the race. But Mongeon campaigned heavily on his 24 years of experience as a public prosecutor, which seemed to appeal to voters.
While Mongeon couldn’t be reached, challenger Brian Marthage says even though he lost, he thinks it was important to provide voters with a choice.
(Marthage) “If this race served one significant purpose for the community, I think it’s to bring to the fore some issues that have been festering for a while. And hopefully the message that Jim will get is that things need to change. So even though I didn’t prevail on that, I think the vote totals show that that message resonated with a fair number of voters who were out there.”
(Keck) Republican James Mongeon will now face Democratic Challenger Lamar Enzor, a deputy state’s attorney for Windsor County – on November 5.
For Vermont Public Radio, I’m Nina Keck in Rutland.