Too Close to Call

As of this morning, the race for Democratic nomination for governor was too close to call.

Here's the Times Argus Update at 8:41 a.m.

8:41 a.m. - With 234 of Vermont's 260 precincts reporting, Peter Shumlin's lead is just 87 votes in the Democratic governor's primary. (Of the major remaining precincts, St. Albans has not yet reported)

That's 87 votes out of about 64,000 cast. Shumlin, Racine and Markowitz each have around 17,000 votes apiece, while Dunne (14,000) and Bartlett (3,500) together have about as many as the front runners.

Update: While I was writing this, Racine pulled ahead by 60 votes. Too close to call, indeed! Follow the link for the latest.

Further Update: With all precincts counted, Shumlin is ahead by 178 votes.

Does It Matter? Maybe Not.

All three of the front runners (heck, all five of the Democratic candidates) are against relicensing Vermont Yankee. From a practical point of view, it may not matter which Democratic candidate wins. However, plant supporters generally put Peter Shumlin at the top of the list of candidates they don't like.

Shumlin rushed the Senate vote against the plant in order to score political points before Town Meeting. He went on public TV and explained that solar could make up the VY power because Germany gets 30% of its "juice" from solar. (Germany gets 1 % of its electricity from solar.) His understanding of the fundamentals of energy production is poor. Moreover, his remark shows a certain deep carelessness. Shumlin is not a man who checks his facts, which should worry people even if they don't support Vermont Yankee.

Well, I blogged a lot about Shumlin. No use repeating myself. Here are some of the postings:

Shumlin Overstates Himself

Shumlin Overstates Again

Destructive Lies

Some Good News: Scott for Lieutenant Governor

Phil Scott won his primary race on the Republican side, and will be the Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor. Phil was one of the four senators who voted in favor of Vermont Yankee. Here's a video of what he said at that time.

A Burlington Free Press article about the Lieutenant Governor races has this to say about Scott:

"I’m very happy and relieved," said Scott, businessman and race-car driver. "We brought together a different style of campaign, one where people had fun," he said.....Snelling appeared to tap his family’s long-time connections within the party for support, while Scott, who races cars at Thunder Road, scouted supporters outside the party’s inner circle....(Scott) had a reputation for working across party lines to achieve results.