CONTACT: Amy Shollenberger – 802-793-1114
amy@dougracine.com

Dubie deception is unacceptable

RICHMOND, VT — I am challenging Brian Dubie today to fire his out-of-state consultants, who clearly have convinced hiim that he should use deceptive statements in an effort to boost his campaign. Vermonters deserve an honest campaign based on facts and policy disagreements. Brian Dubie’s false statements about me and my positions are misinformed at best and deceptive at worst. His “facts” are just plain wrong.

With regard to his challenge for debates, at this time Peter Shumlin is the apparent nominee, and so I will leave it to him to accept the challenge for now, but if I become the nominee, I would accept any debate invitation that my schedule allowed.

To clear up some of Brian Dubie’s “facts”:

1) I voted against the $26 million tax increase in 2009 because I believed it was the wrong package, and not because it was too small.
2) I have been advocating to use the rainy day fund to maintain critical services for vulnerable Vermonters. I have never advocated using rainy day funds for new programs.
3) I did not oppose the Challenges for Change process. What I opposed was the make-believe numbers that came back from the Douglas administration in the end. I did not believe that the “efficiencies” that were expected to achieve the $38 million in savings would indeed show those savings in FY11. I have consistently said that I support finding more efficiencies in state government, including efficiencies that were recommended by the commission chaired by David Coates and Mary Powell and rejected by the Douglas-Dubie administration.

Brian Dubie’s numbers do not add up in his economic development plan, just as Jim Douglas’ numbers didn’t add up in the budget this year. Brian Dubie’s policies will mean bigger deficits for the state of Vermont, while more Vermonters struggle to make ends meet.

It is important to Vermonters that this campaign be based on fair and honest debate.

CONTACT:

Alexandra MacLean
Shumlin Campaign Manager
1-802-272-0443

Amy Shollenberger
Racine Campaign Manager
1-802-793-1114

Paul Tencher
Markowitz Campaign Manager
1-802-552-0822

Kevin O’Halleran
Dunne Campaign Manager
1-802-478-0858

Burlington, Vt – The Democratic candidates for governor responded to Brian Dubie’s economic plan today. The candidates highlighted their own substantive economic development plans and called on Dubie to issue a plan with substance, not just tired soundbites and slogans.

“Brian Dubie’s plan continues the Douglas administration’s policy of decimating state government, which will not help us to revitalize our economy,” Racine said. “Brian Dubie will sacrifice all that makes Vermont a place where we are proud to live. Our environmental quality of life and our commitment to our neighbors in need are critical to us economically as well as socially. We need the right economic and social climate for our small businesses to grow and prosper.”

“Over the past 8 years we have been an extraordinary state with very ordinary leadership. Not enough has been done to spark the ingenuity and drive that Vermonters possess to make Vermont a center of innovation and job creation,” Markowitz said. While my four fellow Democrats and I were discussing issues of job creation, renewable energy, health care reform, saving our family farms, and improving our education system during this primary, Brian Dubie was spending his time and money advertising in the New York Times that Vermont is a bad place to do business. Brian has a very simple view of the very complex problems we face.”

“It’s not surprising after his recent dinner with the former President that the heart of Brian Dubie’s economic plan is a repeat of the failed policies of George W. Bush,” Shumlin said. “Getting Vermonters back to work will take bold leadership and new ideas. We must get the cost of health care off our employers backs, provide early childhood education so our young families can re enter the workforce, get broadband access to every last mile so that Vermont can compete, pass a tax policy that creates wealth and grows jobs and retrain our workforce. We need a governor who has built and ran a small business in Vermont and has the skills to get tough things done.”

“Under Brian Dubie’s leadership, the number of business starts have fallen like a rock,” said Dunne. “That is no place for Vermont to be if we want to be a part of the growing economy in this country, an economy built on Vermont’s entrepreneurial spirit. We can not afford to keep doing what we have been doing.”

CONTACT:
Alexandra MacLean
Shumlin Campaign Manager
1-802-272-0443

Amy Shollenberger
Racine Campaign Manager
1-802-793-1114

Paul Tencher
Markowitz Campaign Manager
1-401-965-3761

Democratic gubernatorial candidates Peter Shumlin, Doug Racine and Deb Markowitz will hold a press conference today at 2:30 to respond to Brian Dubie’s economic plan. The candidates will hold the press conference at Dealer.com in Burlington.

What: Peter Shumlin, Doug Racine and Deb Markowitz to hold press conference to respond to Brian Dubie’s economic plan
Where: Dealer.com, 431 Pine St. Burlington
When: Today, August 30 at 2:30

CONTACT: Amy Shollenberger – 802-793-1114
amy@dougracine.com

RICHMOND, VT – Doug Racine, candidate for governor, today announced that he will request a recount of the gubernatorial primary election results. The Vermont Secretary of State today released the unofficial certified results, which showed Racine behind fellow candidate Peter Shumlin by fewer than 200 votes. Racine held a press conference at the Richmond Town Center this afternoon to announce his decision.

“I’ve just spoken with Peter, and I told him I would be requesting a recount,” Racine announced. “Peter said he would support my decision.” Racine explained that the results of fewer than 200 votes separating him and Shumlin with well over 70,000 ballots counted amounted to a 1/4 of 1% difference. “That is less than 1 vote per town,” Racine commented.

He added that the he has spoken to and heard from hundreds of supporters in the past few days and the overwhelming sentiment was that a recount was necessary. “I owe it to them and to Vermonters to be sure this is the correct outcome.” Racine also noted that he has spoken to a few town clerks, who urged him to call for the recount.

Racine stressed that he would do everything he can to expedite the recount process, and in the meantime, he would urge his supporters to get involved in the Vermont Democratic Party’s coordinated campaign.

Racine noted that while he knows the odds are against a different outcome, we need to know for sure. “In the end, this is about our democratic process. Every Vermonter deserves to know that his or her vote was counted correctly.”

**LATE UPDATE**
You can download a copy of the petition for recount here.

Contact Person: Amy Shollenberger 802-793-1114 | amy@dougracine.com

Official results are in

WHAT: Press Conference to Announce Decision

WHEN: Friday, August 27, 2010 – 3:30 pm

WHERE: Richmond Town Center

See the results here.

August 25, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT: Amy Shollenberger – 802-793-1114
amy@dougracine.com

BURLINGTON, VT – The results of the gubernatorial race are too close to call, Doug Racine declared Wednesday morning. “We are seeing discrepancies in the online, unofficial results, and we want to wait for the official results before making a decision about next steps,” Racine explained. “I have not conceded and I have talked with Peter Shumlin, who has agreed that we should see the official results before announcing a winner.”

The Secretary of State indicated to Racine that the official results would be available sometime between Friday and Tuesday.

A five-way race for the Democratic nomination for governor was too close to call early today, matching all the speculation that nearly anything could happen in this extraordinary election.

With 89 percent of the polling places reporting by 1:15 a.m., Peter Shumlin led Doug Racine by 121 votes, 16,960 to 16,839. Deb Markowitz was running third with 16,039, with Matt Dunne a short distance behind at 14,165 votes. Susan Bartlett was a distant fifth with 3,507 votes.

Those totals reflected 232 of the state’s 260 voting precincts reporting to the Associated Press.

With the vote totals so close, no candidate was declaring victory Tuesday night for the opportunity to run against Republican Brian Dubie in November and the chance to succeed retiring Republican Gov. Jim Douglas.

“It’s still very much up in the air,” Racine said shortly before midnight, when he had just slipped from first to second place but with enough votes still to be counted that things could change, as they had all night long.

The other candidates were waiting too.

“It’s unbelievable,” Shumlin said. “We’re optimistic we’ll get through this. I think this reflects the embarrassment of riches for the Democratic Party.”

“Deb wants every vote to be counted,” said Paul Tencher, campaign manager for Markowitz.

Dunne, though he was trailing the other three, wasn’t conceding anything either.
“There’s still some precincts reporting,” said Eitan Bencuya, spokesman for Dunne. “We’re going to wait and see.”

Democratic Party Executive Director Robert Dempsey said the party would go ahead its planned “unity rally” at noon today, though he acknowledged the candidates might still not know then who will be the nominee for governor.

It also raised questions about whether the results will be so close that one or more candidates would seek a recount — allowable by law for vote counts within 2 percent of each other — but a process that would delay the eventual winner from starting the general election campaign by a couple weeks.

[....]

Read more: http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20100824/NEWS03/100824023/Too-close-to-call-Shumlin-Racine-vie-for-lead-Markowitz-in-3rd#ixzz0xcNRlAvK

Watch it at WCAX.com

[...]

Racine scored points with the audience on several occasions, once when Hager cited a recent survey in which Vermont was ranked 37th among the states for business friendliness.

Racine replied that the ones at the top of the list got there by having cheap labor and lax environmental standards, which he said were nothing to brag about. The crowd erupted into applause.

[...]

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