Vermont Progressive Party facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Vermont Progressive Party
Chairperson	Anthony Pollina
Secretary	John Christopher Brimmer
Vice Chair	Marielle Blais
Treasurer	Will Anderson
House Leader	Kate Logan
Founded	1980 (1980) Independent Coalition 1983 (1983) Progressive Coalition 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	1 / 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 is a political party in the state of Vermont, United States. It used to be known as the Progressive Coalition and the Independent Coalition. This party is the third largest in Vermont, after 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. Some other lawmakers who are connected to the party also work with the Democratic Party.

The last time a third party had members elected to Vermont's state legislature was in 1917. That was when James Lawson from the Socialist Party of America was elected.

The Progressive Party's Journey

How the Party Started

William H. Meyer, a member of the Democratic Party, was elected to the United States House of Representatives from Vermont in 1958. This was a big deal because it was the first time since 1853 that Republicans lost a statewide election in Vermont. Meyer was known for his very left-wing views in Congress. He lost his reelection bid in 1960.

Later, in 1970, Meyer helped start the Liberty Union Party with Peter Diamondstone and others. Martha Abbott, who would later lead the Vermont Progressive Party, was at this first meeting. Bernie Sanders joined the Liberty Union Party in 1971. He ran for various offices, including U.S. Senate and Governor, while with the party. Sanders left the Liberty Union Party in 1977.

The Progressive Coalition Forms

Bernie Sanders' Role

The Vermont Progressive Party began as the Independent Coalition when Bernie Sanders ran for mayor in 1981. It then became the Progressive Coalition during his time as mayor.

In 1980, Bernie Sanders decided to run for mayor of Burlington, Vermont. He won the election in 1981 by just ten votes, defeating the current Democratic Mayor, Gordon Paquette. Sanders was reelected mayor three more times.

During his first mayoral campaign, Sanders created the Independent Coalition. This group aimed to bring together working people, students, and other independent citizens.

The Citizens Party supported Sanders in the 1981 mayoral election. Terry Bouricius, a Citizens Party member, was elected to the city council. He was the first member of that party to win an election in Vermont.

After winning in 1981, Sanders faced challenges because most of the city council members were against him. They often blocked his ideas and overturned his decisions. Only two council members, Terry Bouricius and Sadie White, supported Sanders.

In the 1982 elections, Sanders supported more candidates for the city council. Three of them won, bringing the number of pro-Sanders members to five. However, the Republican and Democratic council members worked together to keep Sanders' supporters from getting important positions.

Gary DeCarolis, one of Sanders' supporters on the council, asked the media to call their group the Progressive Coalition. This group was not a political party but an organization that supported candidates. In 1984, the Citizens Party mostly supported Progressive Coalition candidates instead of running their own. The Progressive Coalition gained more seats on the city council. The Citizens Party of Vermont eventually closed down in 1986.

Peter Clavelle's Leadership

In 1990, the Vermont Progressive Alliance was formed. It was a mix of the Progressive Coalition and another group called the Rainbow Coalition. This new group supported ten independent candidates for the state legislature. Terry Bouricius and Tom Smith were elected to the Vermont House of Representatives. They were the first members of the Progressive Coalition to serve in the state legislature.

Another group, the Franklin County Independent Coalition, also formed in 1990. It supported Sanders' campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives.

By 1994, the Progressives had more control of the Burlington city council. Five of their members won, and three independent members worked with them. The coalition also grew to other towns, like Brattleboro, Vermont.

The Vermont Progressive Party is Born

Becoming a Formal Party

In October 1999, the coalition began holding meetings in 25 towns to form a political party. The Vermont Progressive Party officially started after organizing in sixteen communities. Their first big meeting was on July 9, 2000. Anthony Pollina ran for governor in 2000 as the party's candidate. He received 9.6% of the vote, which was more than the 5% needed for the party to be recognized as a major party in Vermont.

Recent Years

In 2010, Emma Mulvaney-Stanak was the only Progressive member on the 14-member Burlington city council. This was the lowest number for the party since 1981. In the 2016 election, the party had its most successful year in the state house. Seven out of twenty candidates won, getting a total of 18,954 votes.

David Zuckerman was elected lieutenant governor. He ran with support from both the Democratic and Progressive parties.

In 2020, Robin Chesnut-Tangerman, who led the Progressive group in the state house, lost his reelection. In the 2022 state house elections, Mollie Burke and Heather Surprenant ran only as Democrats, not as Progressives. After the 2022 elections, the Progressive Party lost two state house seats and one state senate seat. For the first time since 2004, all Progressive lawmakers were from Chittenden County. David Zuckerman was reelected as lieutenant governor in the same year.

What the Progressive Party Believes In

The Progressive Party supports a set of ideas known as progressivism. Here are some of their main goals:

• Healthcare: They strongly support a healthcare system where everyone is covered, like a single-payer health care system. They helped push for Vermont's Green Mountain Care program.
• Environment: They want more renewable energy and to stop using nuclear energy.
• Transportation: They propose better public transportation, including ideas for high-speed rail.
• Justice: They aim to reduce the number of people in prison and protect the rights of those who are convicted. They also want to end homelessness and stop the War on Drugs.
• Education: They want to change education policies, including getting rid of the No Child Left Behind law and focusing less on standardized tests.
• Peace: They are against war. They want Vermont's National Guard to stay out of war zones outside the U.S. They oppose all wars that are started without being attacked first.
• Equality: They strongly support LGBT rights. Party members helped make same-sex marriage legal in Vermont.

Economically, the party also has clear goals:

• Wages: They want the minimum wage to become a living wage, meaning it should be enough for people to live on. They also want it to increase with inflation.
• Local Economy: They believe the economy should focus on small, local businesses.
• Worker Power: They support worker cooperatives and publicly owned companies. They see these as democratic ways to run businesses instead of large international corporations. They also want to make it easier for workers to form unions.
• Taxes: They want a progressive income tax, where people with higher incomes pay a larger percentage. They also want to get rid of certain tax breaks.
• Trade: They believe all trade should follow international human rights standards.
• Public Services: They are against selling off public services to private companies.

Election Results

Presidential Elections

President Election year Vote percentage +/– Votes Presidential candidate Vice presidential candidate Result Reference 1984 40.83 / 100 95,730 Walter Mondale Geraldine Ferraro Lost 2000 6.92 / 100 20,374 Ralph Nader Winona LaDuke Lost

State Legislature Elections

Vermont House of Representatives Election year Votes No. of candidates No. of overall seats won +/– Reference 1992 7,389 8 2 / 150 1994 3,337 6 2 / 150 1996 3,937 4 3 / 150 1 1998 2,565 5 4 / 150 1 2000 7,925 10 4 / 150 2002 4,287 10 4 / 150 2004 12,039 11 6 / 150 2 2006 14,135 17 6 / 150 2008 13,774 12 5 / 150 1 2010 7,563 11 5 / 150 2012 10,284 11 5 / 150 2014 8,321 13 6 / 150 1 2016 18,954 20 7 / 150 1 2018 21,420 17 7 / 150 2020 20,362 14 7 / 150 2022 9,740 10 6 / 150 1 2024 9,740 10 4 / 150 2

Burlington City Elections

People in Office

The Vermont Progressive Party has members serving in various government roles:

State Offices

• Lieutenant Governor: David Zuckerman (P/D) served from 2017–2021 and again from 2023–2025.
• State Auditor: Doug Hoffer (D/P) has been the Vermont Auditor of Accounts since 2013.

• Vermont Senate:

* Senator Philip Baruth (D/P) from Chittenden County (since 2011). * Senator Cheryl Hooker (D/P) from Rutland County (since 2019). * Senator Tanya Vyhovsky (P/D) from Chittenden County (since 2017). * Senator Andrew Perchlik (D/P) from Washington County (since 2019).

• Vermont House of Representatives:

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

County Offices

• Chittenden County: Daniel L. Gamelin (D/P/R) has been the High Bailiff since 2011.
• Essex County: Vincent Illuzzi (R/P/D/L) has been the State's Attorney since 1999. Trevor Colby (R/P) has been the Sheriff since 2011.
• Grand Isle County: Ray C. Allen (D/P/R) has been the Sheriff since 2015.
• Windham County: Alan Blood (P) and Edith Gould (P) are Justices of the Peace in Putney.
• Caledonia County: Christian Bradley Hubbs (P) is a Justice of the Peace in Burke.

City and Town Offices

City Officials

• Burlington:

* City Council members include Perri Freeman, Jack Hanson, Zoraya Hightower, Max Tracy, Joe Magee, Ali Dieng (D/P), and Jane Stromberg. * Ward Clerks and Inspectors also serve in various wards.

• Montpelier: Anne Watson has been the Mayor since 2018.

Town Officials

• Springfield: Stephanie Thompson is on the Selectboard.
• Fairlee: John Christopher Brimmer is the Zoning and Planning Administrator.
• Berlin: Jeremy Hansen is on the Selectboard.
• Richmond: Steve May is on the Selectboard.

Many other Progressive Party members hold local offices in towns. These local elections in Vermont are often non-partisan, meaning the party name doesn't appear on the ballot.

Party Leaders

The current leader of the Vermont Progressive Party's State Committee is State Senator Anthony Pollina. He has also run for Governor and Congress in the past. Marielle Blais is the current Vice-Chair, elected in 2019. John Christopher Brimmer has been the Secretary since 2009. Robert Millar is the current Treasurer, and Martha Abbott is the Assistant Treasurer.

The party also has an Executive Director, Joshua Wronski, who has held the position since 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)
• Member Organizer: Yvanita Nolan (2023–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)

Timeline of Party Chairs

See also

In Spanish: Partido Progresista de Vermont para niños

• Progressive Party (United States, 1912)
• Progressive Party (United States, 1924–1934)
• Progressive Party (United States, 1948–1955)
• California Progressive Party
• Oregon Progressive Party
• Washington Progressive Party
• Wisconsin Progressive Party
• Minnesota Progressive Party
• Green Party (United States)