# 2010 Vermont gubernatorial election

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vte :
The 2010 Vermont gubernatorial general election took place on November 2. Vermont and New Hampshire are the only two states where the governor serves a two-year term instead of four. Primary elections took place on August 24.
Incumbent Republican governor Jim Douglas was not a candidate for re-election. Brian Dubie, the incumbent Lieutenant Governor, was the Republican nominee. The Democratic nomination was won by Peter Shumlin, the President pro tempore of the Vermont Senate.
The result was a 119,543 (49.5 percent) to 115,212 (47.7 percent) plurality for Shumlin. Several minor candidates got between 600 and 2,000 votes each. In accordance with the Vermont Constitution, if no candidate receives a majority, the contest is decided by the Vermont General Assembly. In such races, the combined Vermont House and Senate almost always chooses the candidate who won a plurality. Dubie indicated on November 3 that he did not intend to ask for a recount or contest the election in the legislature, and conceded to Shumlin. On January 6, 2011, with 173 of 180 members voting, 87 votes were necessary for a choice. The General Assembly elected Shumlin on the first ballot, 145–28.

## Republican primary
### Candidate

* Brian Dubie, Lieutenant Governor

## Democratic primary
### Candidates

* Susan Bartlett, state senator
* Matt Dunne, Google executive and former state senator
* Deborah Markowitz, Secretary of State of Vermont
* Doug Racine, state senator, former lieutenant governor and nominee for governor in 2002
* Peter Shumlin, Senate President Pro Tempore
Peter Shumlin won the Democratic primary according to the uncertified tabulation of statewide votes released by the Office of the Secretary of State on August 27, 2010, by 197 votes over Doug Racine, who requested a recount. The recount began September 8. Racine conceded on September 10.

### Results

Democratic primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Peter Shumlin | 18,276 | 24.8 |
| | Democratic | Doug Racine | 18,079 | 24.6 |
| | Democratic | Deborah Markowitz | 17,579 | 23.9 |
| | Democratic | Matt Dunne | 15,323 | 20.8 |
| | Democratic | Susan Bartlett | 3,759 | 5.1 |
| | Democratic | Write-in | 560 | 0.8 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 73,576 | 100 |

## Progressive primary
### Candidates

* Martha Abbott, state party chair; Abbott won the primary, then withdrew from the election, so the party did not have a candidate on the ballot. The Party had promised not to play a "spoiler" role in the election if Shumlin supported single-payer health care, which he did.

### Results

Vermont Progressive primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Progressive | Martha Abbott | 257 | 69.6 |
| | Progressive | Write-in | 112 | 30.4 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 369 | 100 |

## Independent and third-party candidates

* Cris Ericson, United States Marijuana Party
* Dan Feliciano, Independent
* Ben Mitchell, Liberty Union Party
* Em Payton, Independent
* Dennis Steele, Independent

## General election
### Predictions

| Source | Ranking | As of |
| Cook Political Report | Tossup | October 14, 2010 |
| Rothenberg | Tilt D (flip) | October 28, 2010 |
| RealClearPolitics | Tossup | November 1, 2010 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball | Lean D (flip) | October 28, 2010 |
| CQ Politics | Tossup | October 28, 2010 |

### Polling

| Poll source | Dates administered | Brian Dubie (R) | Peter Shumlin (D) |
| Rasmussen Reports | October 28, 2010 | 45% | 50% |
| Vermont Public Radio | October 12, 2010 | 44% | 43% |
| Rasmussen Reports | September 13, 2010 | 46% | 49% |
| Rasmussen Reports | June 17, 2010 | 55% | 36% |
| Rasmussen Reports | March 18, 2010 | 51% | 33% |

### Results

2010 Vermont gubernatorial election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Democratic | Peter Shumlin | 119,543 | 49.48% | +27.8% |
| | Republican | Brian Dubie | 115,212 | 47.69% | −5.7% |
| | Independent | Dennis Steele | 1,917 | 0.79% | n/a |
| | Marijuana | Cris Ericson | 1,819 | 0.75% | n/a |
| | Independent | Dan Feliciano | 1,341 | 0.56% | n/a |
| | Independent | Emily Peyton | 684 | 0.28% | n/a |
| | Liberty Union | Ben Mitchell | 429 | 0.18% | −0.33% |
| | Write-in | Write-in | 660 | 0.27% | n/a |
| Plurality | Plurality | Plurality | 4,331 | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 241,605 | 100.00% | |
| | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican |

#### Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

* Addison (largest municipality: Middlebury)
* Bennington (largest municipality: Bennington)
* Chittenden (largest municipality: Burlington)
* Orange (Largest city: Randolph)
* Washington (largest municipality: Barre)
* Windham (largest municipality: Brattleboro)
* Windsor (largest municipality: Hartford)

## General Assembly results

Vermont's Constitution requires the Vermont General Assembly to select if no candidate obtains a majority. The combined Vermont House and Senate almost always chooses the candidate who won a plurality. The legislature officially elected Peter Shumlin on January 6, 2011.
2010 gubernatorial election results, Legislative Joint Assembly :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Democratic | Peter Shumlin | 145 | 80.6% | N/A |
| | Republican | Brian Dubie | 28 | 15.6% | N/A |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 173 of 180 | 96.2% | N/A |