BRATTLEBORO — Incumbent state Sen. Jeanette White of Putney finished on top in Tuesday's Democratic Primary to secure a place on the ballot in the general election on Nov. 4.
The race for the second spot was much closer, but Brattleboro educator Becca Balint prevailed over former state Agriculture Secretary Roger Allbee of Townshend in a contest that was close all evening.
Health care navigator Joan Bowman of Putney was a distant fourth.
With 21 of the county's 24 voting precincts reporting to the Secretary of State's office at press time Tuesday night, White had 1,906 votes, Balint had 1,365, Allbee had 1,050, and Bowman had 398.
White and Balint now face Liberty Union candidates Aaron Diamondstone and Jerry Levy, as well as independent candidate Mary Hassan in November.
The only other contested race on the county ballot was for the two assistant judge positions.
Democratic incumbent Patricia Duff of Brattleboro won easily, but challenger Paul Kane of Westminster defeated incumbent Democrat Lamont Barnett of Rockingham. At press time, with about 90 percent of the vote in, Duff received 1,425 votes, Kane got 1,191, and Barnett was a distant third with 842.
Duff and Kane will face Liberty Union candidates Alice Landsman and Lynn Russell, both of Brattleboro, in the November election.
Voter turnout was sparse at best around Vermont on Tuesday, but slightly higher in Windham County than in the rest of the state, thanks to the sole contested Senate primary in Vermont, plus a strong write-in drive to get Progressive Lt. Governor candidate Dean Corren on the Democratic ballot.
There was also an effort in the Republican Primary to write-in Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Dan Feliciano.
Write-in results won't be known for several days, but early reports indicate Corren was successful in getting enough votes statewide to be nominated, while Feliciano did not.
A bundle of nerves
As the polls closed at 7 p.m., White was in Brattleboro, where she came out on top with 751 votes to Balint's 699. There, Allbee earned 268 votes, while Bowman trailed the field with 128.
“I've had a stomachache for 2½ weeks,” said White. “I kept thinking, 'What more can I do to get people's support?' You never know if it's enough. I'm just happy that the voters in Brattleboro had enough faith in me to send me back for another term.”
Balint had her victory party in the atrium of the soon-to-be completed Brooks House in downtown Brattleboro.
As a DJ spun music and kids danced on the freshly-tiled floor, Balint's campaign manager Lachlan Francis was on his cell phone and laptop trying to get results from the outlying towns.
Allbee and Balint were neck-and-neck for most of the night, but Balint started to pull away by the 10 o'clock hour. As expected, Allbee's strongest support was in the West River Valley towns, while White and Balint pulled most of their votes from the Connecticut River Valley area.
Shortly before 11 p.m., with more than 90 percent of the vote tallied, Balint declared victory via her Facebook page.
In an interview a few minutes later, Balint said, “This is very exciting. We're thrilled.”
She gave credit to all her supporters and campaign workers for getting out the vote. She said that as she hit the campaign trail for her first political run, she knew her message was resonating with people, but she never anticipated a win.
Balint says she sees a new era for Windham County, one of prosperity and potential.
“I'm grateful for all the help that I had,” said Balint. “I'm proud to be a voice for those who do not feel they have a voice.”
Allbee spoke with The Commons shortly after the Balint camp declared victory. He said Balint “ran a fantastic campaign that was well-organized.”
In his current role as CEO of Grace Cottage Hospital, Allbee said he anticipates health-care issues dominating the next session of the Legislature.
“I look forward to working with Rebecca and Jeanette on health care and other issues come January,” he said.
Town by town
At press time, these were the unofficial town-by-town breakdowns for the four Senate candidates, as reported to the Secretary of State's office.
• Brookline: Allbee 45, White 35, Balint 20, Bowman 3.
• Dover: White 27, Balint 22, Allbee 15, Bowman 5.
• Halifax: White 18, Allbee 14, Balint 8, Bowman 5.
• Jamaica: Allbee 43, White 35, Balint 13, Bowman 5.
• Marlboro: White 115, Balint 114, Allbee 30, Bowman 7.
• Newfane: Allbee 99, White 98, Balint 53, Bowman 28.
• Putney: White 221, Balint 130, Allbee 63, Bowman 53.
• Rockingham: White 258, Allbee 159, Balint 128, Bowman 68.
• Stratton: Allbee 6, White 6, Balint 1, Bowman 0.
• Townshend: Allbee 100, White 56, Balint 28, Bowman 12.
• Wardsboro: Allbee 24, White 17, Balint 10, Bowman 4.
• Westminster: White 237, Allbee 120, Balint 117, Bowman 60.
• Whitingham: Allbee 45, White 27, Balint 15, Bowman 8.
• Windham: Allbee 45, White 15, Bowman 15, Balint 7.
Londonderry and Wilmington are in the Windsor and Bennington County Senate districts respectively in this election.
New venue for voters
Inside the Selectboard meeting room at the Municipal Center, Brattleboro Town Clerk Annette Cappy and poll workers checked voters' names and handed out the four ballots - Democratic, Liberty Union, Progressive, and Republican - listing the party candidates running in this year's primary.
To save money, the Board of Civil Authority decided against holding the election at the Brattleboro Union High School, the town's polling place for more than two decades.
Cappy said holding voting at the Municipal Center has “a lot of pluses.” One benefit was the ability to open the polls two hours earlier.
The space, however, is more cramped than the high school, she added. If the November election also takes place at the Municipal Center, she said that the arrangement of the room will need “to be tweaked” to give people more space.
By 1 p.m., voters had cast almost 700 ballots. According to Cappy, more than 50 percent of those ballots, approximately 400, were cast through early voting.
Aside a brief flurry of activity when polls opened at 7 a.m., turnout was not great, said Cappy. When she spoke to The Commons earlier in the day, she expected voting to pick up around dinner time.
Voter turnout in party primaries can vary in Brattleboro, she said. Depending on the number of contested races and whether it's a Presidential election year, turnout can range from as few as 900 to as many as 2,000.
This year, 1,126 - or 13 percent of the 8,414 registered voters in town - cast their ballots.
Statewide races
Democratic Gov. Peter Shumlin easily won his primary, defeating challenger H. Brook Paige, as Shumlin garnered more than 80 percent of the vote. Paige also ran for attorney general in the Democratic primary and also lost big to incumbent William Sorrell.
In November, Shumlin will face Republican Scott Milne, who cruised to a big win over the other two candidates on the ballot, Steve Berry and Emily Peyton. Milne received about 85 percent of the vote, while Berry had 8 percent and Peyton, of Putney, had 7 percent.
The Republican primary for the U.S. House of Representatives was too close to call at press time, with Mark Donka narrowly in front of rivals Don Russell and Donald Nolte.
Fewer than 400 votes separated the three candidates.
There were no other contested races for statewide positions.