WRValley Election Results
Mirror Rest of Vermont
By M. D. Drysdale

Running Mates-While his mother Marnie votes in Tuesday's election, two-year-old Lucas Wikel plays with Max , or "Mr. Rochester," as the little bicon frise is known. He's the pet of Town Clerk Joanne McDonnell and is a popular fixture around the Rochester Town offices. (Herald / Tim Calabro)

Independents and Democrats to Washington.

Republicans to Montpelier.

Progressives to Montpelier, too.

Oh yes, and Democrats to Montpelier as well.

Turning out in large numbers for an off-year election, voters in the White River Valley pretty much mirrored the votes that were cast statewide in sending Bernie Sanders to the U. S. Senate, Peter Welch to the U. S. House, and the Republican team of Gov. Jim Douglas and Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie to the Vermont statehouse.

Or maybe it was the case that Vermont mirrored the White River Valley towns. One television newscast spent five minutes reporting on the view from Bethel which, reporters said, was a "bellwether town." And Vermont Public Radio tracked Randolph as one of its five bellwether communities.

Whatever. The fact was that White River Valley towns gave enormous majorities to Independent Bernie Sanders, whose transformation from fringe radical to political powerhouse began with a 10-vote victory in the race for mayor of Burlington.

Not a single town in the Herald's area gave a majority to Sanders' hapless opponent, Republican Richard Tarrant, who had spent nearly $7 million of his own money to end up with just 33% of the statewide vote.

Democrat Peter Welch was successful in the Valley as well as the state, beating Gen. Martha Rainville in all but four of the Valley towns.

In the top statewide races, Valley residents voted Republican, as did the state as a whole.

Gov. Jim Douglas, who won reëlection by about 16 percentage points over Democrat Scudder Parker, was victorious as well in most Herald area towns. The exceptions were Granville, Strafford, and Vershire, all of whom voted for Parker.

The closest race was for lieutenant governor, where Republican incumbent Brian Dubie defeated Democrat Matt Dunne by only about five percentage points statewide. In the Valley, Dunne and Dubie each captured pluralities in eight towns. Dubie was a comfortable winner in Randolph, the biggest town in the district, but Strafford voted three to one for the Democrat.

Democrats were returned to the state senate in both Orange and Windsor Counties: Mark MacDonald in Orange County and John Campbell, Dick McCormack and Alice Nitka in Windsor County.

The surprises came in elections to the Vermont House of Representatives, and favored Democrats and Progressives. P/D Susan Hatch Davis ousted three-term Republican Rep. Sylvia Kennedy in the Orange 1 District (see story), and Democrat Mark Mitchell defeated better-known Scott Milne in Windsor 6-1 (see story).

In Orange County elections, Bill Bohnyak of Randolph turned back an Independent run by Emile Fredette for election as sheriff.

Assistant Judge Prudence Pease easily won reëlection and will be joined as assistant judge by Joseph Anthony of Chelsea.

Turnout was strong for an off-year election. In Randolph, Town Clerk Joyce Mazzucco said that almost 61% of registered voters came to the polls, compared to about 58% in the last off-year election.