2022 Vermont lieutenant gubernatorial election

2022 Vermont lieutenant gubernatorial election
	Zuckerman: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90%; Benning: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%; Tie: 40–50% 40–50% No votes
Lieutenant Governor before election; Molly Gray; Democratic	Elected Lieutenant Governor ; David Zuckerman; Progressive

The 2022 Vermont lieutenant gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 2022, to elect the lieutenant governor of the state of Vermont. The election coincided with various other federal and state elections, including for Governor of Vermont. Primary elections were held on August 9. Vermont is one of 21 states that elects its lieutenant governor separately from its governor.

Incumbent Democratic lieutenant governor Molly Gray retired to run for the U.S. House of Representatives. She was first elected in 2020, defeating Republican businessman Scott Milne with 51.3% of the vote. Former lieutenant governor David Zuckerman won the election as the Progressive candidate, defeating his Republican opponent Joe Benning. Benning was the second-best-performing Republican in Vermont during the 2022 cycle, only being outperformed by incumbent governor Phil Scott in the concurrent gubernatorial election.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

David Zuckerman, former lieutenant governor and nominee for Governor of Vermont in 2020^[a]^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]

Eliminated in primary

Charlie Kimbell, state representative^[5]^[6]
Patricia Preston, President and CEO of Vermont Council on World Affairs^[1]^[7]
Catherine "Kitty" Toll, University of Vermont trustee and former state representative^[3]^[8]

Declined

T.J. Donovan, former Vermont Attorney General^[5]^[9]
Steffen Gillom, president of the Windham County NAACP^[5]
Molly Gray, incumbent lieutenant governor (ran for U.S. House)^[5]^[10]
Debbie Ingram, former state senator and candidate for lieutenant governor in 2020^[5]
Doug Racine, former lieutenant governor, nominee for Governor of Vermont in 2002, and candidate in 2010^[2]
Kesha Ram, state senator and candidate for lieutenant governor in 2016 (running for U.S. House)^[5]^[11]^[12]
Brenda Siegel, nonprofit executive, candidate for Governor of Vermont in 2018, and candidate for lieutenant governor in 2020^[5]^[a] (running for governor)^[13]
Shap Smith, former Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives and candidate for lieutenant governor in 2016^[5]

Endorsements

Charlie Kimbell

State legislators

Patricia Preston

Local officials

Peter Clavelle, former Mayor of Burlington (Progressive)^[1]

Kitty Toll

Statewide officials

Beth Pearce, Vermont State Treasurer^[14]
Howard Dean, former Governor of Vermont^[14]

State legislators

Sara Coffey, state representative^[14]
Matthew Hill, former state representative^[14]

David Zuckerman

U.S. Senators

Bernie Sanders, U.S. Senator from Vermont^[15]

Organizations

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size^[b]	Margin of error	Charlie Kimbell	Patricia Preston	Kitty Toll	David Zuckerman	Other	Undecided
University of New Hampshire	July 21–25, 2022	352 (LV)	± 5.2%	4%	7%	23%	38%	0%	27%

Results

Democratic primary results^[18]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	David Zuckerman	42,562	43.71
	Democratic	Catherine Toll	37,868	38.89
	Democratic	Patricia Preston	9,326	9.58
	Democratic	Charles Kimbell	7,253	7.45
	Write-in		356	0.37
Total votes			97,365	100.00

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

Joe Benning, state senator and former minority leader of the Vermont Senate^[5]^[19]

Eliminated in primary

Gregory Thayer, accountant, former Rutland city councillor, and former chair of the Rutland Republican Party^[20]^[21]

Declined

Corey Parent, state senator^[5]

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size^[b]	Margin of error	Joe Benning	Gregory Thayer	Other	Undecided
University of New Hampshire	July 21–25, 2022	196 (LV)	± 7.0%	33%	20%	0%	47%

Results

Republican primary results^[18]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Joe Benning	14,678	53.51
	Republican	Gregory Thayer	12,188	44.44
	Write-in		562	2.05
Total votes			27,428	100.00

Progressive primary

Candidates

Declared

David Zuckerman, former lieutenant governor and nominee for Governor of Vermont in 2020^[a] (write-in, endorsed by state party)^[3]^[17]

Withdrew

Cindy Weed, former state representative (running for state house)^[22]^[23]

Results

Progressive primary results^[18]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Progressive	David Zuckerman (write-in)	118	55.14
	Write-in		96	44.86
Total votes			214	100.00

Other parties

Candidates

Declared

Ian G. Diamondstone (Green Mountain)^[24]

General election

Endorsements

David Zuckerman (P/D)

U.S. Senators

Bernie Sanders, U.S. Senator from Vermont^[15]

Newspapers

Addison County Independent^[25]

Organizations

Joe Benning (R)

Statewide officials

Jim Douglas, former Governor of Vermont^[26]
Phil Scott, Governor of Vermont and former Lieutenant Governor of Vermont^[27]

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size^[b]	Margin of error	David Zuckerman (P/D)	Joe Benning (R)	Other	Undecided
University of New Hampshire	September 29 – October 3, 2022	865 (LV)	± 3.5%	51%	35%	2%^[c]	12%

Results

2022 Vermont lieutenant gubernatorial election^[28]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Progressive	David Zuckerman^[d]	150,102	53.85%	+0.09
	Republican	Joe Benning	118,724	42.60%	–3.42
	Green Mountain	Ian Diamondstone	8,159	2.93%	N/A
	Write-in		1,738	0.62%	+0.21
Total votes			278,823	100.00%
	Progressive gain from Democratic

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c This individual is a member of the Vermont Progressive Party, but runs in Democratic primaries through Vermont's electoral fusion system.
^ ^a ^b ^c Key:
A – all adults
RV – registered voters
LV – likely voters
V – unclear
^ Diamondstone with 2%; "Other" with 0%
^ Candidate received the nominations of both the Progressive and Democratic parties and will be listed on the ballot as "Progressive/Democratic" (candidate is primarily a Progressive).

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Patricia Preston launches campaign for lieutenant governor | Vermont Business Magazine". vermontbiz.com.
^ ^a ^b Duffort, Lola (January 21, 2022). "Former LGs Zuckerman and Racine say they're mulling a run for their old job". VTDigger.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Former Vermont Lieutenant Governor David Zuckerman announces campaign to return to the seat". WAMC. February 8, 2022.
^ Duffort, Lola (February 7, 2022). "David Zuckerman seeks to reclaim lieutenant governor's office". VTDigger.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Duffort, Lola (December 15, 2021). "Vermont's lieutenant governor is running for Congress. So who's running for lieutenant governor?". VTDigger.
^ Mearhoff, Sarah (January 3, 2022). "Woodstock Democrat Charlie Kimbell to run for lieutenant governor". VTDigger.
^ McCallum, Kevin. "Political Newcomer Patricia Preston Announces Run for Lieutenant Governor". Seven Days.
^ Duffort, Lola (February 4, 2022). "Kitty Toll, former House Appropriations chair, is running for lieutenant governor". VTDigger.
^ Huntley, Katharine (May 5, 2022). "Donovan won't seek reelection as Vermont attorney general". WCAX-TV. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
^ "Vermont Lt. Gov. Molly Gray to seek US House seat". www.wcax.com. December 6, 2021.
^ Duffort, Lola; Mearhoff, Sarah (January 12, 2022). "Kesha Ram Hinsdale to join Vermont congressional race". VTDigger.
^ Goldstein, Sasha (January 13, 2022). "Vermont Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale Joins Race for U.S. House". sevendaysvt.com. Seven Days. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
^ "Brenda Siegel Announces She'll Run for Governor of Vermont".
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Big Money in the Democratic LG Race (And Other Campaign Finance Notes)". The Vermont Political Observer. March 16, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
^ ^a ^b Mearhoff, Sarah (August 1, 2022). "Bernie Sanders endorses David Zuckerman's bid for lieutenant governor".
^ ^a ^b Mearhoff, Sarah; Duffort, Lola; Robinson, Riley (March 9, 2022). "Final Reading: Like Uber, for everyone". VTDigger.
^ ^a ^b ^c @progparty (March 24, 2022). "Our Progressive State Committee has voted to endorse @DaveZuckermanVT for the office of Lt. Governor. He won over 95% of the vote. David has fought for the issues we care about for his entire career and we are excited to get to work. Please join us. #vtpoli #vt" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Vermont Election Night Results". Secretary of State of Vermont. August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
^ McCallum, Kevin. "Benning Launches LG Bid by Promising to Be a 'Cheerleader' for Vermont". Seven Days.
^ Mearhoff, Sarah (January 27, 2022). "Former Rutland GOP chair launches bid for lieutenant governor". VTDigger.
^ Lyons, Olivia. "Thayer to run for Vermont lieutenant governor". www.wcax.com.
^ "Buckle up: Vermont's Robust August Primary Contests Take Shape".
^ "Cindy Weed".
^ "General Election Candidates". sos.vermont.gov. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
^ "Editorial: Endorsements". November 3, 2022.
^ "Former Gov. Jim Douglas endorses Joe Benning for lieutenant governor". VTDigger. May 31, 2022. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
^ Mearhoff, Sarah (August 2, 2022). "In the Republican lieutenant governor primary, one candidate sees an existential crisis. The other doesn't 'buy into that.'". VTDigger. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
^ "Vermont Lieutenant Governor Election Results 2022". NBC News. November 8, 2022. Retrieved November 10, 2022.

[prog-1] This individual is a member of the Vermont Progressive Party, but runs in Democratic primaries through Vermont's electoral fusion system.

[Key-19] Key:
A – all adults
RV – registered voters
LV – likely voters
V – unclear

[30] Diamondstone with 2%; "Other" with 0%

[ProgDem-32] Candidate received the nominations of both the Progressive and Democratic parties and will be listed on the ballot as "Progressive/Democratic" (candidate is primarily a Progressive).

[preston_launches-2] "Patricia Preston launches campaign for lieutenant governor | Vermont Business Magazine". vermontbiz.com.

[former_lgs-3] Duffort, Lola (January 21, 2022). "Former LGs Zuckerman and Racine say they're mulling a run for their old job". VTDigger.

[zuck_in-4] "Former Vermont Lieutenant Governor David Zuckerman announces campaign to return to the seat". WAMC. February 8, 2022.

[zuck_still_in-5] Duffort, Lola (February 7, 2022). "David Zuckerman seeks to reclaim lieutenant governor's office". VTDigger.

[who's_running-6] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Duffort, Lola (December 15, 2021). "Vermont's lieutenant governor is running for Congress. So who's running for lieutenant governor?". VTDigger.

[7] Mearhoff, Sarah (January 3, 2022). "Woodstock Democrat Charlie Kimbell to run for lieutenant governor". VTDigger.

[8] McCallum, Kevin. "Political Newcomer Patricia Preston Announces Run for Lieutenant Governor". Seven Days.

[9] Duffort, Lola (February 4, 2022). "Kitty Toll, former House Appropriations chair, is running for lieutenant governor". VTDigger.

[10] Huntley, Katharine (May 5, 2022). "Donovan won't seek reelection as Vermont attorney general". WCAX-TV. Retrieved May 7, 2022.

[wcax-11] "Vermont Lt. Gov. Molly Gray to seek US House seat". www.wcax.com. December 6, 2021.

[12] Duffort, Lola; Mearhoff, Sarah (January 12, 2022). "Kesha Ram Hinsdale to join Vermont congressional race". VTDigger.

[13] Goldstein, Sasha (January 13, 2022). "Vermont Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale Joins Race for U.S. House". sevendaysvt.com. Seven Days. Retrieved January 13, 2022.

[14] "Brenda Siegel Announces She'll Run for Governor of Vermont".

[VPO-15] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Big Money in the Democratic LG Race (And Other Campaign Finance Notes)". The Vermont Political Observer. March 16, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2022.

[ZuckermanSanders-16] Mearhoff, Sarah (August 1, 2022). "Bernie Sanders endorses David Zuckerman's bid for lieutenant governor".

[ZuckermanAFLCIO-17] Mearhoff, Sarah; Duffort, Lola; Robinson, Riley (March 9, 2022). "Final Reading: Like Uber, for everyone". VTDigger.

[zuck_prog-18] @progparty (March 24, 2022). "Our Progressive State Committee has voted to endorse @DaveZuckermanVT for the office of Lt. Governor. He won over 95% of the vote. David has fought for the issues we care about for his entire career and we are excited to get to work. Please join us. #vtpoli #vt" (Tweet) – via Twitter.

[primaryresults-20] "Vermont Election Night Results". Secretary of State of Vermont. August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.

[21] McCallum, Kevin. "Benning Launches LG Bid by Promising to Be a 'Cheerleader' for Vermont". Seven Days.

[22] Mearhoff, Sarah (January 27, 2022). "Former Rutland GOP chair launches bid for lieutenant governor". VTDigger.

[23] Lyons, Olivia. "Thayer to run for Vermont lieutenant governor". www.wcax.com.

[24] "Buckle up: Vermont's Robust August Primary Contests Take Shape".

[25] "Cindy Weed".

[:1-26] "General Election Candidates". sos.vermont.gov. Retrieved August 30, 2022.

[27] "Editorial: Endorsements". November 3, 2022.

[28] "Former Gov. Jim Douglas endorses Joe Benning for lieutenant governor". VTDigger. May 31, 2022. Retrieved September 21, 2022.

[29] Mearhoff, Sarah (August 2, 2022). "In the Republican lieutenant governor primary, one candidate sees an existential crisis. The other doesn't 'buy into that.'". VTDigger. Retrieved September 21, 2022.

[NBCresults-31] "Vermont Lieutenant Governor Election Results 2022". NBC News. November 8, 2022. Retrieved November 10, 2022.

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