The major-party candidates for Vermont governor spent the day before Election Day laying out their closing arguments and asking voters for support.
Gov. Phil Scott, a Republican, barnstormed Vermont, hitting each of the state’s 14 counties Monday, including a stop in Brattleboro, asking for another two years.
“We have so much to look forward to,” Scott said in an interview with necn and NBC 10 Boston. “We have a great state—a great quality of life. We just need it to be more affordable.”
Political novice Christine Hallquist, a former utility executive, has been on her own tour of the state over the past several days. One of Hallquist’s stops Monday saw her speaking to a standing-room-only crowd in Bellows Falls.
“It’s a choice about a compelling vision about a prosperous future, versus stagnation or decline,” Hallquist said of the race for governor.
The Democrat’s platform includes raising the minimum wage, getting much more aggressive on reversing climate change, and rural redevelopment.
“We’re going to connect every home and business with fiber optic cable so Vermonters can connect to the internet at the same speed as cities,” Hallquist told necn and NBC 10 Boston.
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If she wins, Hallquist would also make history: becoming the nation’s first governor who is transgender.
According to the secretary of state’s office, roughly 12 percent of eligible Vermont voters already cast ballots, through early or absentee voting.
The incumbent, who has long been critical of President Trump, said he hopes his message of frugality and living within a small state’s means, while also protecting the most vulnerable, connects with people from beyond his GOP base.
“I have been encouraged by the number of Independents and many Democrats who’ve come and said they’re going to support me again this year,” Scott said of people he has met on the campaign trail.
Along with the major-party candidates, the race also features five other names on the ballot for Vermont governor. They are Independents Trevor Barlow, Cris Ericson, and Charles Laramie, Liberty Union candidate Emily Peyton, and Earth Rights candidate Stephen Marx.
