Vermont House Speaker Shap Smith entered the race for governor last August. But the Democrat withdrew in November after his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. Yesterday, Smith announced he will seek the Lieutenant Governor’s seat instead.
Smith, who has been Speaker for eight years, suspended his campaign for governor on November 17th after learning his wife had breast cancer and would undergo aggressive treatment.
Smith kept any future plans close to the chest and maintained that any political decision would be based on the effect on his family. On Wednesday, he announced a run for Lieutenant Governor. Smith says he had long conversations with his wife about what they would be able to do as a family if he sought office. “I think the responsibilities of the lieutenant governor are a little less than what the governor has and I think that played into the decision. There was also the reality of trying to get an operation up and running with the other candidates already having raised a significant amount of money. It just wasn't clear to me that I could run a competitive race for governor. And at the end of the day I think that my skill-set from being speaker really fits nicely with being lieutenant governor and presiding over the Senate and working with the legislature.”
Smith faces two opponents in the Democratic primary. State Senator David Zuckerman is a veteran in the statehouse, now serving his second term in the Senate after 14 years in the House. He says Smith’s entry into the campaign is not unexpected. While he respects Smith, Zuckerman says they have different views on some issues. “I plan to lead the way a lot on our rural economic situation and really work towards developing our rural economy. Affordable housing is critically important throughout this state. That's really the foundation of a healthy family situation. And you know I've led the way on a lot of social justice issues as well and cannabis reform is certainly an area where my position was different than my two opponents in this last session.”
Burlington House Representative Kesha Ram has served in the House for eight years. She says she’s not worried about a crowded field and believes her agenda appeals to the average Vermonter. “We are advocating for access to early childhood education. We are seeking more affordability of higher education in the state. We want to work on homeownership and affordable housing as well as high speed broadband Internet and removing our digital divide that we have in the state. So people are plugged into what we're doing and we'll just have a larger exchange of ideas.”
Middlebury College Professor Emeritus of Political Science Eric Davis expects a very competitive three-way primary race. “Each of these candidates bring certain strengths. Shap Smith is perhaps better known than the other two candidates having been in state politics longer. I think he perhaps is also particularly better known in areas of the state outside of Chittenden County: in central Vermont, the Connecticut Valley and the southern part of the state. Dave Zuckerman has a few constituencies that have supported him for a long time. Capital “P” progressives who vote in the Democratic primary, the organic farming community statewide, as well as advocates of marijuana legalization. Representative Kesha Ram is a well known figure in Burlington who has been involved in municipal affairs in Burlington as well as been a member of the legislature for eight years now. So she has her political base in Burlington. So I think we're looking at a very competitive primary among those candidates.”
Smith plans to hold a formal campaign kick off after Memorial Day. The primary is August 9th.
Randy Brock is the only Republican running for Lieutenant Governor. Current Lieutenant Governor Republican Phil Scott is running to replace retiring Gov. Peter Shumlin.
