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Vermont Progressive Party
Chairperson Anthony Pollina
Secretary John Christopher Brimmer
Vice Chair Marielle Blais
Treasurer Will Anderson
House Leader Taylor Small
Founded 1980 (1980) Independent Coalition
1983 (1983) Progressive Coalition
1999-2000 (1999-2000) Vermont Progressive Party
Split from Citizens Party
Liberty Union Party
Democratic Party
Preceded by Franklin County Independent Coalition
Citizens Party
Liberty Union Party
Headquarters Montpelier, Vermont
Youth wing Progressive Youth Caucus
Ideology Democratic socialism
Social democracy
Progressivism
Environmentalism
Political position Left-wing
Colors      Red
Statewide Offices
2 / 6
Seats in the State Senate
1 / 30
Seats in the State House
4 / 150
Elected County Judges
1 / 42
Countywide Offices
1 / 42
Mayorships
2 / 8
Seats on the Burlington City Council
5 / 12
Local offices 14 (May 2024)

The Vermont Progressive Party, formerly the Progressive Coalition and Independent Coalition, is a political party in the United States that is active in Vermont. It is the third-largest political party in Vermont behind the Democratic and Republican parties. As of 2023, the party has one member in the Vermont Senate and five members in the Vermont House of Representatives, as well as several more affiliated legislators who caucus with the Democratic Party.

The last time a third-party had members elected to the state legislature in Vermont since James Lawson of the Socialist Party of America in 1917.

History

Background

William H. Meyer, a member of the Democratic Party, was elected to the United States House of Representatives from Vermont's at-large congressional district after defeating Republican nominee Harold J. Arthur in the 1958 election. Meyer's victory was the first time since the 1853 election that the Republicans had lost a statewide election in Vermont. Meyer was the most left-wing member of Congress from 1937 to 2002, according to Keith T. Poole. He lost reelection in the 1960 election against Republican nominee Robert Stafford.

Meyer formed the Liberty Union Party at a meeting in his home with Peter Diamondstone, Dennis Morrisseau, and twenty other people on June 27, 1970. Martha Abbott, a future chair of the Vermont Progressive Party, was one of the members of the Liberty Union Party's founding meeting. Bernie Sanders joined the party in 1971, and was selected to serve as the party's candidate for a Senatorial special election at his first meeting. During his time in the party Sanders also ran for United States Senate in the 1974 election and for Governor in the 1972 and 1976 elecitons. Sanders left the party on October 11, 1977.

Progressive Coalition

Sanders

Portrait of Bernie Sanders in c. 1986 (cropped)
The Vermont Progressive Party originated under Mayor Bernie Sanders as the Independent Coalition during his 1981 mayoral campaign and then as the Progressive Coalition during his tenure as mayor.

Sanders announced on November 8, 1980, that he would run for mayor of Burlington, Vermont, in the 1981 election and formally announced his campaign on December 16, at a press conference in city hall. Sanders had been convinced to run for the mayoralty by Richard Sugarman, an Orthodox Jewish scholar at the University of Vermont, who had shown Sanders a ward-by-ward breakdown of the 1976 gubernatorial election which showed Sanders receiving 12% of the vote in Burlington despite only getting 6% statewide. Sanders defeated incumbent Democratic Mayor Gordon Paquette by ten votes in the election. Sanders was reelected as mayor in the 1983, 1985, and 1987 elections.

During his mayoral campaign Sanders formed the Independent Coalition which according to Richard Sartelle was to bring working people, students, college faculty, union members, and all independent-minded citizens together. Sartelle ran with the support of the Independent Coalition for a seat on the city council from the 4th district, but was defeated by the Republican nominee.

The Citizens Party attempted to have Greg Guma run with their nomination for mayor in 1981, but Guma declined as it would be "difficult to run against another progressive candidate" and the party instead endorsed Sanders. Terry Bouricius, a member of the Citizens Party, was elected to the city council from the 2nd district becoming the first member of the party elected to office in Vermont.

Following his victory in the 1981 election Sanders faced difficulties with the city council due to eleven of the thirteen members of the board of alderman opposing Sanders. The council would oppose measures proposed by Sanders and override his vetoes on legislation. Bouricius and Sadie White were the only members of the city council aligned with Sanders.

During the 1982 elections Sanders endorsed Citizens nominees Richard Musty and Zoe Breiner, and independent candidate Gary DeCarolis for city council and all of them won causing the council to have five pro-Sanders members, five Republican members, and three Democratic members. However, the Republicans and Democratic members of the city council united to select Robert Paterson, a Republican, as president of the city council instead of Sadie White, a Sanders supporter, by a vote of eight to five after six ballots and to prevent the pro-Sanders members of the city council from receiving positions. Sanders stated that "Probably the Democrats feel more comfortable dealing with the Republicans than with us".

DeCarolis asked for members of the media to referred to him and other pro-Sanders members of the city council as the Progressive Coalition rather than as just Sanders supporters. An organizational meeting for Progressive Coalition, which was attended by over 100 people, was held on November 10, 1983. The Progressive Coalition was not a political party, but an organization that gave out endorsements.

During the 1984 elections the Citizens Party only ran one candidate under its name and instead endorsed the Progressive Coalition candidates. Bouricius stated that the Citizens Party was the core of the coalition, but that the coalition was being built broader than the Citizens Party. The Progressive Coalition gained one seat from the Democratic Party during the 1984 city council elections bringing the composition of the city council to six Progressive members, five Republican members, and two Democratic members. The Citizens Party of Vermont disbanded in 1986.

The Progressive Coalition supported Jesse Jackson during the 1984 Democratic presidential primaries and later supported Walter Mondale in the presidential election.

Bouricius was selected to serve as president of the city council after thirty-one ballots and served until 1985. Bouricius was the only member of the Progressive Coalition to serve as president during Sanders' administration. After the 1985 elections William Skelton, a Republican member of the city council, was selected to serve as president of the city council against the Progressive-backed Zoe Breiner as Bouricius had dropped out.

Clavelle

The Vermont Progressive Alliance was formed by members of the Progressive Coalition and Rainbow Coalition on May 19, 1990, at Montpelier High School and inspired by the New Democratic Party. The organization endorsed ten independent candidates for seats in the state legislature in the 1990 election. Terry Bouricius and Tom Smith, who were endorsed by the organization, were elected to the Vermont House of Representatives in the 1990 election becoming the first member of the Progressive Coalition to do so. The Vermont Organizing Committee was formed by the organization in 1992.

The Franklin County Independent Coalition was also formed in 1990, to support Sanders' campaign for a seat in the United States House of Representatives during the 1990 election. The organization was founded by independent candidates for seats in the state house and Neil Bean, who was an independent member of the St. Albans city council and also grew out of Jeff Weaver's campaign for mayor of St. Albans and Jerry Colby's 1988 and 1990 campaigns for a seat in the Vermont Senate.

The Progressives regained control of the city council in 1994, with five of their members winning and three independents caucusing with them. The coalition expanded to Brattleboro, Vermont, with Shoshana Rihn's election to the town's select board in 1998. Rihn was sworn in, but was removed from office after a recount reported her losing by two votes.

Vermont Progressive Party

Clavelle

The coalition started holding caucuses in twenty-five towns in October 1999, to form a political party. The Vermont Progressive Party was formally created after organizing in sixteen communities and held its first convention on July 9, 2000.

Post-Kiss

Emma Mulvaney-Stanak was the only Progressive member of the fourteen-member city council following the resignation of Marisa Caldwell in 2010, which was the lowest amount for the party since 1981. The party ran and received its highest amount of candidates, votes, and share of seats in the state house in the 2016 election with seven out of twenty candidates winning with a combined total of 18,954 votes.

David Zuckerman was elected lieutenant governor after he used electoral fusion to receive both the Democratic and Progressive nominations.

Platform

The Progressive Party encompasses a progressive platform. The party's main focus has historically been advocacy for a single-payer health care system, which has recently made great strides with the implementation of Green Mountain Care, a health care program that was pushed by Democratic Governor Peter Shumlin due to pressure from the Progressive Party. Other major policy platforms are renewable energy programs and a phase-out of nuclear energy, public transportation proposals including one for a high-speed rail system, criminal justice reforms directed at reducing the state's prison population and better protecting convicts' rights, the creation of programs to end homelessness in the state, ending the War on Drugs and repealing No Child Left Behind and ending the focus on standardized testing in the school system. The party also has an anti-war stance, advocating for Vermont's national guard to be restricted from engaging in war zones outside the United States, an end to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and opposition to all preemptive wars, strikes, or other offensive or interventionist military actions. The party is very supportive of LGBT rights and members of the party were involved in the legalization of same-sex marriage in the state.

Economically, the party also calls for converting the minimum wage to a living wage and having it tied to inflation rates, having the economy focus on small and local businesses, empowerment of worker cooperatives and publicly owned companies as democratic alternatives to multi-national corporations and to decentralize the economy, for the strengthening of state law to protect the right to unionize, for implementing a progressive income tax and repealing the Capital Gains Tax Exemption and residential education property tax, and for all trade to be subject to international standards on human rights. The party is also critical of privatization.

Electoral history

Presidential

State legislature

Burlington city council

Elected officials

State

State-wide office

  • David Zuckerman (P/D), Lieutenant Governor of Vermont (2017–2021); (2023–present)
  • Doug Hoffer (D/P), Vermont Auditor of Accounts (2013–present)

Vermont Senate

  • President pro tempore Tim Ashe (D/P), Chittenden, with 5 others (3 D, 1 D/P, 1 P/D) (2009–2021)
  • Senator Philip Baruth (D/P) Chittenden with 5 others (3 D, 1 D/P, 1 P/D) (2011–present)
  • Senator Cheryl Hooker (D/P) Rutland with 2 others (2 R) (2019–present)
  • Senator Tanya Vyhovsky (P/D), Chittenden, with 5 others (3 D, 2 D/P) (2017–present)
  • Senator Andrew Perchlik (D/P), Washington, with 2 others (1 D, 1 P/D) (2019–present)
  • Senator Anthony Pollina (P/D), Washington, with 2 others (1 D, 1 D/P) (2011–2023)

Vermont House of Representatives

  • Rep. Mollie Burke (P), Windham-3-2, single member district (2009–present)
  • Rep. Robin Chesnut-Tangerman (P), Rutland-Bennington, single member district (2015–present)
  • Rep. Brian Cina (P), Chittenden-6-4, with 1 (P) (2017–present)
  • Rep. Selene Colburn (P), Chittenden-6-4, with 1 (P) (2017–present)
  • Rep. Mari Cordes (D/P), Addison-4, with 1 (D) (2019–present)
  • Rep. Diana Gonzalez (P), Chittenden-6-7, with 1 (D) (2015–present)
  • Rep. Sandy Haas (P), Windsor-Rutland-2, single member district (2005–present)
  • Rep. Troy Headrick (P), Chittenden-15 (2023–present)
  • Rep. Zachariah Ralph (P), Windsor-1, with 1 (D) (2019–present)

County

Municipal

City

  • Burlington
    • City Council
      • Perri Freeman (Central District-Ward 2 & 3) (2019–present)
      • Jack Hanson (East District-Ward 1 & 8) (2019–present)
      • Zoraya Hightower (Ward 1) (2020–present)
      • Max Tracy (Ward 2) (2012–present)
      • Joe Magee (Ward 3) (2021–present)
      • Ali Dieng (D/P) (Ward 7) (2017–present)
      • Jane Stromberg (Ward 8) (2020–present)
    • Ward Clerk
      • Wendy Coe (Ward 2) (2010–present)
    • Ward Inspector
      • Jane Stromberg (Ward 1) (2019–present)
      • Alex Rose (Ward 2) (2019–present)
      • Kit Andrews (Ward 3) (2013–present)
      • Bonnie Filker (Ward 3) (2019–present)
  • Montpelier
    • Mayor
      • Anne Watson (2018–present)

Town

  • Springfield
    • Selectboard
      • Stephanie Thompson (2010–present)
  • Fairlee
    • Zoning and Planning Administrator
      • John Christopher Brimmer (2012–present)
  • Berlin
    • Selectboard
      • Jeremy Hansen (2013–present)
  • Richmond
    • Selectboard
      • Steve May (2016–present)
  • The party also has a significant number of its members elected to other local offices in town governments and appointed to serve as town officials. However, in Vermont these elections are non-partisan and no party name appears before their names on election ballots or during an appointment process.

Party leaders

The current chair of the party's State Committee is State Senator and former Gubernatorial nominee and Congressional candidate Anthony Pollina, and the current vice-chair, Marielle Blais, was first elected in 2019. Secretary Chris Brimmer, also the Chair of the Caledonia County Committee, has served since 2009. The current Treasurer is Robert Millar, who briefly served as Acting Chair in 2001, and Assistant Treasurer Martha Abbott previously served as Treasurer and twice as chair. After being in the position of Acting Chair while the State Committee was not formalized, Heather Riemer served as the party's first chair at its formation as a statewide party in 1999. The position of executive director was added in 2011, and since 2015 has been the party's only paid staff, and has been occupied by Joshua Wronski. Current Treasurer Robert Millar previously served as executive director from 2011 to 2015.

  • Chair: Anthony Pollina (2007–2009, 2017–present)
  • Vice Chair: Marielle Blais (2019–present)
  • Secretary: John Christopher Brimmer (2009–present)
  • Treasurer: Robert Millar (2019–present)
  • Assistant Treasurer: Martha Abbott (2019–present)
  • Executive Director: Joshua Wronski (2015–present)
  • Senate Caucus Leader: Anthony Pollina (2013–present)
  • Senate Caucus Whip: Christopher Pearson (2017–present)
  • House Caucus Leader: Robin Chesnut-Tangerman (2017–present)
  • House Caucus Whip: Diana Gonzalez (2017–present)
  • Youth/Student Caucus Leader: Carter Neubieser (2015–present)
  • Coordinating Committee:
    • Nick Clark
    • Carter Neubieser
    • Adam Norton
    • Zachariah Ralph
    • Tanya Vyhovsky
    • Cindy Weed
    • Regional Advisers (Non-voting):
      • West-Central: Finnian Boardman Abbey
      • East-Central: Traven Leyshon
      • Northern: Jackie Stanton
      • Southeast: Pamela Whitefield
      • Southwest: Tim Guiles

Timeline of party Chairs

# Name Term
- Heather Riemer
Acting		 1995–1999
1 Heather Riemer 1999–2001
- Robert Millar
Acting		 2001
2 Martha Abbott 2001–2005
3 Marrisa S. Caldwell 2005–2007
4 Anthony Pollina 2007–2009
5 Martha Abbott 2009–2013
6 Emma Mulvaney-Stanak 2013–2017
7 Anthony Pollina 2017–present

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Partido Progresista de Vermont para niños

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