Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman, a progressive Democrat, said publicly Thursday morning that he has dropped the tight race for Vermont’s second-in-command to his Republican opponent and former Democratic lawmaker John Rodgers.
Zuckerman, who came in only second with an estimated 6,000 votes, announced his concession on WVMT’s radio program “The Morning Drive,” revealing that he had also conceded to Rodgers on the phone earlier that morning and offered his congratulations.
Unofficial results on the Secretary of State’s website show Rodgers received 171,853 voters (46.1% of the vote), followed by Zuckerman’s 165,868 votes (44.5%) and Green Mountain Peace & Justice Party candidate Ian Diamondstone’s 13,671 votes (3.7%).
Despite Rodgers’ slim margin of victory, Zuckerman said he would refrain from requesting a recount, which he described as a “huge undertaking,” to prevent statewide election officials, who he trusts have done their due diligence, from are taxed.
Zuckerman’s concession comes a day after he faced moderate opposition from Rodgers supporters, who chided Zuckerman for not immediately conceding defeat. Zuckerman refuted the criticism, saying he had little sleep the day after the election and needed time to think about the results before making any announcements.
Green Mountain & Justice Party calls for Zuckerman to be appointed lieutenant governor
Although Rodgers secured the most votes, he did not win the majority — 50% or more — needed to prevent intervention from the Vermont Legislature under the state constitution. Due to the lack of majority rule, state senators and representatives will choose the next lieutenant governor from the top three candidates. This means Zuckerman still has a chance to keep his seat.
The Green Mountain & Justice Party — a socialist third party that is further left than the Progressive Party — called on the Legislature in a press release to elect Zuckerman over Rodgers, arguing that Vermonters who voted for Diamondstone would have voted for Zuckerman voted as the incumbent president and Rodgers were the only candidates. Added together, the votes for Zuckerman and Diamondstone meet the 50% threshold.
“Due to the election of a radical Republican Party led by the authoritarian Donald Trump, we call for the creation of a Popular Front committed to promoting peace, fair wealth distribution, and resisting fascism and the Republican Party’s anti-labor agenda. Party,” the press release states. “As part of this united front, our party calls on our Legislature to elect Mr. Zuckerman as Lieutenant Governor. While we do not endorse Mr. Zuckerman, the views of our constituents are sufficiently aligned with those of Mr. best represents the views of a majority of Vermonters.”
The idea is “very tempting…,” Zuckerman told the host of “The Morning Drive,” admitting that while he doesn’t plan to ask lawmakers to vote for him, he “won’t stop them from to do if they want. do that.”
When a caller asked Zuckerman if he would “respectfully decline” the Legislature’s offer if they chose him, he said he would “very seriously consider accepting their decision” because it would be legal under the Constitution.
Has the Vermont legislature ever elected the candidate who didn’t get the most votes?
But how likely is it that the Legislature will choose Zuckerman over Rodgers?
According to Zuckerman himself, the last time the Legislature chose not to vote for the candidate with the most votes was in 1976. He said he also doesn’t expect the Legislature to vote for him now that he has conceded.
Megan Stewart is a government accountability reporter for the Burlington Free Press. Contact her at mstewartyyounger@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: VT Lt Gov. Zuckerman Admits Race: What a Third Party Wants Instead
