So more than a week ago, the Progressive State Committee voted to promote a slate of write-in candidates in the September primary election and who tops the list? Anthony
Pollina.
Yes, the guy who in July decided he would
fore go running for governor as a Progressive Party candidate so he could appeal across party lines without the burden of a party label now will end up with his name hand-written onto Progressive Party ballots for that same political position.
And then, assuming he wins the write-in election, he said Monday he would decline the Progressive
nomination.
Why write in a guy's name when he's going to turn down the nomination? Because the Progressive Party wants to block random candidates from borrowing their political banner. The goal is to "protect the ballot."
Without the write-in campaign, the only Progressive Party candidate on the November ballot would be Thomas Hermann, who is running for Congress.
"It is important to all Progressives that we are represented by candidates who are committed to advancing the issues that matter most to Vermonters," said Morgan
Daybell, the party's executive director.
Anthony
Pollina won't be the party's only write-in candidate. The state committee has approved a full slate of statewide candidates that it will promote -- all with long histories of activism in the party.
- Richard Kemp for lieutenant governor
- Marjorie Power for secretary of state
- Charlotte Dennett for attorney general
- Don Schramm for treasurer
- Martha Abbott for auditor of accounts
It's not clear how much any of these candidates will campaign -- but besides keeping non-Progressives off the ballot, the goal is to collect at least 5 percent of the votes on Election Day. If none of the Progressives win at least 5 percent of the votes in the statewide races, the party's major party status is in jeopardy.
OK, filling in all those blank spaces on the ballot makes sense, I guess. But Pollina's on-again, off-again status as a Progressive candidate for governor has got to confuse voters and leave them muttering, "Make up your mind."
-- Nancy Remsen
