On November 5, 2024, a majority of Vermonters voted in favor of either a progressive or socialist vision for Lieutenant Governor. The Progressive/Democratic candidate David Zuckerman received 47.0% of the vote, and our own Green Mountain Peace & Justice candidate, Ian Diamondstone received 3.9% of the vote. Together, our parties earned a clear majority with a combined 50.9%.[1]
Our state Constitution provides that should a candidate for Lieutenant Governor not receive majority support in a General Election, our state legislature shall elect the occupant of this office. This leads to the possibility our legislature could elect a candidate at odds with the vision of a majority of Vermonters.
The Green Mountain Peace & Justice Party (formerly Liberty Union Party) is a socialist political party. This means our party believes in democracy in every aspect of society – both in the workplace and in our elections. Even though our candidate lost this election, the will of a majority of Vermonters should be respected – and they opposed Mr. Rodgers’ vision for our state. Our legislature should respect that as well.
The Green Mountain Peace and Justice Party believes that workers themselves should own and manage their businesses. Our party believes that basic services – healthcare, housing, education, childcare, eldercare – should be provided as a right to all. We will not compromise with the billionaires and their interests. We therefore have profound political differences with capitalist political parties. We do not endorse their candidates, neither Mr. Zuckerman nor Mr. Rodgers. Ian Daimondstone received the votes of 13,657 Vermonters. Our Party owes a duty to those voters to represent their values.
However, we can also unite on issues when necessary. Due to the election of a radical Republican Party under the authoritarian Donald Trump, we call for the creation of a Popular Front committed to promoting peace, an equitable distribution of wealth, and to resist fascism and the anti-working class agenda of the Republican Party.
As part of this unified front, our Party calls for our legislature to elect Mr. Zuckerman as Lieutenant Governor. While we do not endorse Mr. Zuckerman, our voters’ views align enough with Mr. Zuckerman’s – and against Mr. Rodgers’ – that we feel compelled to encourage the legislature to vote for the candidate that best represents the views of a majority of Vermonters.
The Green Mountain Peace & Justice Party welcomes the creation of a Popular Front to resist the rise of fascism in the United States, and we hereby commit ourselves to coordinating such efforts with allied political parties, labor unions, and environmentalists in the days, weeks, months, and years to come.
In Solidarity For Democracy and In Resistance To Fascism,
Ian Diamondstone and The Green Mountain Peace & Justice Party
https://greenmountainpeaceandjusticeparty.org
libertyunionpress@gmail.com
[1] As identified by the New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/11/05/us/elections/results-vermont-lieutenant-governor.html
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