The Vermont Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sov ...

of Vermont. From the time of the American Civil War until the 1960s, Vermont was an almost exclusively Republican state, with Republicans dominating Vermont politics, especially the governorship, from 1854 to 1960. However, perhaps inspired by the election of

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination i ...

as president in 1960, Vermont Democrats have since staged a resurgence in state politics. The Democratic Party is currently the dominant party in Vermont. The party has almost complete control of the state, with the exception of

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

governor,

Phil Scott Philip Brian Scott (born August 4, 1958) is an American politician, businessman and stock car racer who has served as the 82nd governor of Vermont since 2017. A member of the Republican Party, he was elected governor in the 2016 general electi ...

. It controls Vermont's at-large U.S. House seat, one of its U.S. Senate seats, and both houses of the

state legislature A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...

. The other U.S. Senate seat is held by

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independe ...

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 20 ...

, who caucuses with the Democrats.

History

The exact date or year the state party was formed is unknown because the state headquarters has not retained archives of historical documents.Appleton, Andrew & Ward, Daniel. "State Party Profiles". Congressional Quarterly Inc, 1997. p. 332. Prior to 1824, opponents of the

Federalist Party The Federalist Party was a conservative political party which was the first political party in the United States. As such, under Alexander Hamilton, it dominated the national government from 1789 to 1801. Defeated by the Jeffersonian Repu ...

were known as Republicans or

Democratic-Republicans The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the ear ...

. After the demise of the Federalists left only one major party, supporters of Democratic-Republicans

John Quincy Adams John Quincy Adams (; July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, and diarist who served as the sixth president of the United States, from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States ...

and

Henry Clay Henry Clay Sr. (April 12, 1777June 29, 1852) was an American attorney and statesman who represented Kentucky in both the United States Senate, U.S. Senate and United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives. He was the seven ...

were largely responsible for founding the Whig Party in the early 1830s as the main opposition to Democratic-Republican

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

. In 1830, Vermont newspaper articles still referred to supporters of

for president in 1832 as Democratic-Republican, or occasionally "Democratic". By 1831, the name Democratic was used more often as a way to distinguish Jackson and his supporters from the "old" Democratic-Republican Party of

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...

. By the end of 1831, "Democratic" was used almost exclusively. Since Vermont was dominated for so long by Republicans, the national Democratic Party paid little attention to Democrats in the state.Appleton, Andrew & Ward, Daniel. "State Party Profiles". Congressional Quarterly Inc, 1997. p. 330. Democrats usually contested statewide elections, but opposition to Republicans was generally desultory. Democrats filled appointed federal positions such as U.S. Attorney during the administrations of Democratic presidents, and occasionally received appointment to positions that were considered non-partisan, such as Seneca Haselton's tenure as an associate justice of the

Vermont Supreme Court The Vermont Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority of the U.S. state of Vermont. Unlike most other states, the Vermont Supreme Court hears appeals directly from the trial courts, as Vermont has no intermediate appeals court. The Cou ...

. It was not until the 1960s that the Democrats started to pull together an effective statewide organization.

Ideology, policies, and party platform

Ideology

Today, the Vermont Democratic Party is rooted in

progressivism Progressivism holds that it is possible to improve human societies through political action. As a political movement, progressivism seeks to advance the human condition through social reform based on purported advancements in science, tech ...

and

American liberalism Liberalism in the United States is a political and moral philosophy based on concepts of unalienable rights of the individual. The fundamental liberal ideals of freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, the separation of ch ...

. The state is considered a breeding ground for

Progressives Progressivism holds that it is possible to improve human societies through political action. As a political movement, progressivism seeks to advance the human condition through social reform based on purported advancements in science, techn ...

and Independents, many of which have close ties to the Vermont Democratic Party. Most Progressives run under the Democratic Party banner in Vermont.

Policies

The Vermont Democratic Party advocates for

universal health care Universal health care (also called universal health coverage, universal coverage, or universal care) is a health care system in which all residents of a particular country or region are assured access to health care. It is generally organized ar ...

, equality for all, and

social justice Social justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has often referred to the process of ensuring that individuals ...

.Vermont Democratic Party
/ref> Many of the party's proposals have been adopted, including universal health care ( Green Mountain Care),

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being Mexico, constituting ...

, and the closing and de-commissioning of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power station, set to take place in early 2015. The party tends towards

environmentalism Environmentalism or environmental rights is a broad Philosophy of life, philosophy, ideology, and social movement regarding concerns for environmental protection and improvement of the health of the environment (biophysical), environment, par ...

, favoring measures to protect Vermont's natural resources and ecosystems. Democrats in the state have also called for Vermont to be the first state to use only

renewable energy Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale. It includes sources such as sunlight, wind, the movement of water, and geothermal heat. Although most renewable energy ...

sources. The Party also favors campaign finance reform, but lines up behind the National Party in voicing support for some liberalization of campaign finance regulations so that it may better remain competitive with the Republicans.

Party platform

Documents representing the Vermont Democratic Party's platform have been approved on September 12, 2020, by the party. It conforms very closely to the

United States Democratic Party The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States. Founded in 1828, it was predominantly built by Martin Van Buren, who assembled a wide cadre of politicians in every state behind war hero And ...

platform, addressing issues such as the economy, the environment, foreign policy, and civil rights.

Economic opportunity

The primary focus of the Vermont Democratic Party's economic platform rests with keeping businesses owned and operated in Vermont. There should be heavy focus on

entrepreneurship Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally encountered in starting a business, which may include other values t ...

and job creation. The party supports a strong and vibrant

middle class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. C ...

that encourages youth to pursue careers within the state. Its main focus is economic growth and job creation. The party believes that the state government should make Vermont a desirable place for people to bring, or begin, their businesses. The party plans on doing this by giving financial incentives to businesses that are energy efficient, are located in developing areas within Vermont, and provide workers with a livable wage. The party wants to reverse the Bush tax cuts. It voices support for a graduated income tax; the premise that taxes should be based upon the individual taxpayer's ability to pay them. Under such a system, the wealthy would be taxed at a higher percentage level than the middle class, and the very poor would pay little or no income tax.

Environmental issues

The party believes a healthy environment is essential to the

quality of life Quality of life (QOL) is defined by the World Health Organization as "an individual's perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards ...

and recognizes global climate change as a major problem. The party believes everyone has moral and ethical obligations to protect and conserve the environment. It is committed to the rigorous and consistent enforcement of environmental laws and regulations. It also supports

alternative energy Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale. It includes sources such as sunlight, wind, the movement of water, and geothermal heat. Although most renewable energy ...

, including investments and research, and favors the rapid implementation of 'cleaner' alternatives to oil and other fossil fuels. Vermont Democrats also support laws that places caps, or limits, on the carbon emissions of both public transportation and personal vehicles.

Foreign policy

The party is opposed to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It believes the decision to go to war was ill-advised and has led to the deaths of thousands of innocent people. The party has strongly supported President Obama's decisions to withdraw troops from both Iraq and Afghanistan.

Civil rights

The Vermont Democratic Party supports equal rights amendments to the

Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these pr ...

and the protection of all citizens, regardless of race, gender or gender identity, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, military service, or creed. It has supported Vermont's pioneering initiatives in same-sex marriage, plus the predecessor laws favoring civil unions. It also supports the repeals of

Don't Ask, Don't Tell "Don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) was the official United States policy on military service of non-heterosexual people, instituted during the Clinton administration. The policy was issued under Department of Defense Directive 1304.26 on Decembe ...

and the

Defense of Marriage Act The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was a United States federal law passed by the 104th United States Congress and signed into law by President Bill Clinton. It banned federal recognition of same-sex marriage by limiting the definition of marr ...

. The party also denounces torture and believes all people have

due process Due process of law is application by state of all legal rules and principles pertaining to the case so all legal rights that are owed to the person are respected. Due process balances the power of law of the land and protects the individual per ...

rights that should never be violated. The party strongly supported President Obama's decision to ban the torturous technique of

waterboarding Waterboarding is a form of torture in which water is poured over a cloth covering the face and breathing passages of an immobilized captive, causing the person to experience the sensation of drowning. In the most common method of waterboard ...

from being used on suspected terrorists.

Howard Dean

Howard Dean Howard Brush Dean III (born November 17, 1948) is an American physician, author, lobbyist, and retired politician who served as the 79th governor of Vermont from 1991 to 2003 and chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) from 2005 to 2009 ...

may be the most nationally renowned Democratic politician to come out of Vermont in recent years. He served as Governor of Vermont from 1991 to 2003. In 2004 he ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for president. Dean also served as chair of the Democratic National Committee from 2005 to 2009, and is credited with being instrumental in

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...

's successful campaign for the presidency in 2008. His Fifty-state strategy is widely considered the reason Obama was able to win in some traditionally Republican states.

Current elected officials

As of late 2020, there are Democratic incumbents holding five of the six statewide offices in the executive branch — all but

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

(Republican) — and the Democrats also hold firm majorities in Vermont's Senate and House of Representatives. At the federal level, Democrats hold one of the state's U.S. Senate seats, and Democrats also hold the state's single 'At-Large' seat in the U.S. House of Representatives; the incumbent, Representative Peter Welch, first elected in 2006, was the first Democrat to represent Vermont in the lower chamber of Congress since William H. Meyer in 1961, and the first House Democrat from Vermont to be re-elected in more than 150 years.

Members of Congress

U.S. Senate

File:Patrick Leahy 117th Congress (cropped).jpeg, Senior U.S. Senator

President pro tempore of the United States Senate The president pro tempore of the United States Senate (often shortened to president pro tem) is the second-highest-ranking official of the United States Senate, after the vice president. According to Article One, Section Three of the United S ...

U.S. House of Representatives

Statewide offices

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

: Molly Gray * Secretary of State:

Jim Condos James Christos Condos (born January 29, 1951) is an American politician from Vermont. He is a former Vermont Secretary of State and former Democratic member of the Vermont State Senate, representing the Chittenden senate district. The distric ...

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

: TJ Donovan *

State Treasurer In the state governments of the United States, 48 of the 50 states have the executive position of treasurer. New York abolished the position in 1926; duties were transferred to New York State Comptroller. Texas abolished the position of Texas ...

Beth Pearce Elizabeth A. Pearce (born 1952/1953) is an American politician from Vermont who served as Vermont State Treasurer. Biography Beth Pearce resides in Barre. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of New Hampshire. She was ...

State Auditor State auditors (also known as state comptrollers, state controllers, state examiners, or inspectors general) are fiscal officers lodged in the executive or legislative branches of U.S. state governments who serve as external auditors, financi ...

Doug Hoffer Douglas R. Hoffer Jr. (born September 3, 1951) is an American policy analyst from Burlington, Vermont, who is currently serving as the Vermont State Auditor. He took office on January 10, 2013. Personal life Hoffer was born in New Rochelle, Ne ...

Legislative

President pro tempore of the Vermont Senate The President ''pro tempore'' of the Vermont Senate presides over the Senate of the U.S. state of Vermont in the absence of the Lieutenant Governor. The President ''pro tempore'' also sets the policy priorities and legislative agenda for the Senate. ...

Becca Balint Rebecca A. "Becca" Balint (born May 4, 1968) is an American politician who is a member of the United States House of Representatives from Vermont's at-large congressional district as a member of the Democratic Party. She served as a member of ...

*Senate Majority Leader: Alison Clarkson *

Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives The Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives is the Speaker or presiding officer of the Vermont House of Representatives, the lower house of the Vermont Legislature. The Speaker presides over sessions of the Houses, recognizes members so ...

: Jill Krowinski *House Majority Leader: Emily Long

Notable members

Governors

* John S. Robinson, 1853–1854 *

Philip H. Hoff Philip Henderson Hoff (June 29, 1924 – April 26, 2018) was an American politician from the U.S. state of Vermont. He was most notable for his service as the 73rd governor of Vermont from 1963 to 1969, the state's first Democratic governor si ...

, 1963–1969 * Thomas P. Salmon, 1973–1977 * Madeleine M. Kunin, 1985–1991 *

, 1991–2003 *

Peter Shumlin Peter Elliott Shumlin (born March 24, 1956) is an American politician from Vermont. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the List of governors of Vermont, 81st governor of Vermont from 2011 to 2017. He ...

, 2011–2017

Senators

Patrick J. Leahy Patrick Joseph Leahy (; born March 31, 1940) is an American politician and attorney who is the senior United States senator from Vermont and serves as the president pro tempore of the United States Senate. A member of the Democratic Party, Le ...

, 1975–

Representatives

* Isaac Fletcher, 1837–1841 * John Smith, 1839–1841 * Paul Dillingham Jr., 1843–1847 * Lucius Benedict Peck, 1847–1851 * Thomas Bartlett Jr., 1851–1853 * William H. Meyer, 1959–1961 * Peter Welch, 2007–

References

Notes

External links

* {{authority control Democratic Party Democratic Party (United States) by state