2024 Burlington, Vermont, mayoral election
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 Results by ward Mulvaney-Stanak: 60–70% 70–80% Shannon: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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The 2024 Burlington mayoral election was held on March 5, 2024. It elected the mayor of Burlington, Vermont. Incumbent Democratic mayor Miro Weinberger declined to seek re-election.
City councilor Joan Shannon defeated CD Mattison and Karen Paul for the Democratic nomination. The Vermont Progressive Party nominated state representative Emma Mulvaney-Stanak.
In the general election, Mulvaney-Stanak prevailed, defeating Shannon and two independent candidates. Mulvaney-Stanak became Burlington's first female and first openly LGBT mayor, as well as being the first Progressive to serve as mayor of Burlington since Bob Kiss left office in 2012.[1]
Background
[edit]Miro Weinberger's victory in the 2012 mayoral election made him the first Democrat to serve as Burlington's mayor since Gordon Paquette lost re-election to Bernie Sanders in the 1981 election.[2] Weinberger was re-elected in 2015, 2018, and 2021. Weinberger is the longest serving consecutive mayor in Burlington history and second-longest serving overall after Peter Clavelle.[3]
The Democrats won a majority on the city council in the 2023 elections; previously, the Progressive Party held a plurality of seats on the council.[4]
This was the first Burlington mayoral election to use ranked-choice voting since the 2009 mayoral election. Voters approved a referendum to re-adopt the system for mayoral races in the 2023 election, despite opposition from Weinberger.[5] Kurt Wright, the last Republican to serve on the Burlington city council and a former mayoral candidate, argued that the use of ranked-choice voting would help Republicans, as it meant a Republican could run for mayor and not "drain votes away from another candidate."[6]
Democratic caucus
[edit]On September 28, 2023, Weinberger announced that he would not seek reelection.[3] The Democratic caucus was held on December 10.[7]
Nominee
[edit]- Joan Shannon, city councilor and former council president[8]
Eliminated at caucus
[edit]- CD Mattison, nonprofit executive and former vice chair of the Burlington Democratic Party[9]
- Karen Paul, city council president[10]
Declined
[edit]- Miro Weinberger, incumbent mayor[3]
Endorsements
[edit]Statewide officials
- Howard Dean, former Governor of Vermont and former chair of the Democratic National Committee[11]
State legislators
Local officials
- Sarah Carpenter, Burlington city councilor[11]
Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Joan Shannon | 1,689 | 50.68 | |
| Democratic | Karen Paul | 1,173 | 35.19 | |
| Democratic | CD Mattison | 471 | 14.13 | |
| Total votes | 3,333 | 100.00 | ||
Progressive caucus
[edit]The Progressive caucus was held on December 7, 2023.[7]
Nominee
[edit]- Emma Mulvaney-Stanak, leader of the Progressive caucus in the Vermont House of Representatives, former Burlington city councilor, and former chair of the Vermont Progressive Party[13]
Declined
[edit]- Zoraya Hightower, city councilor[7]
- Joe Magee, city councilor[7]
- Max Tracy, former city council president and nominee for mayor in 2021[6] (endorsed Mulvaney-Stanak)[14]
Endorsements
[edit]Republican caucus
[edit]The Republican caucus was held on December 19, 2023.[15] No candidate was nominated for the mayoral race.
Declined
[edit]- Kurt Wright, former state representative, former Burlington city council president, and nominee for mayor in 2009 and 2012[6]
Independents
[edit]Declared
[edit]- Will Emmons, former arbitration advocate for the American Postal Workers Union and candidate for mayor in 2021[16]
- Chris Haessly, former Burlington School Committee member[16]
General election
[edit]Endorsements
[edit]Endorsements in bold were made after the caucuses.
State legislators
- Mark Larson, former state representative (Democratic)[17]
Local officials
Individuals
- CD Mattison, former vice chair of the Burlington Democratic Party and former 2023 mayoral candidate (Democratic)[18]
Labor unions
Organizations
Fundraising
[edit]Shannon raised $132,124 from 651 donors, spending around $60,000. Donors to her campaign include former Vermont Governor Howard Dean and former state Attorney General T.J. Donovan. Mulvaney-Stanak raised $67,052 from 514 donors, spending roughly $35,000. Donors included state Attorney General Charity Clark, city councilor Zoraya Hightower, and former city councilors Vince Brennan and Max Tracy.[23]
Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Progressive | Emma Mulvaney-Stanak | 7,612 | 51.4% | ||
| Democratic | Joan Shannon | 6,696 | 45.2% | ||
| Independent | Will Emmons | 273 | 1.8% | ||
| Independent | Chris Haessly | 205 | 1.4% | ||
| Total votes | 14,786 | 100.00% | |||
| Progressive gain from Democratic | |||||
Notes
[edit]- ^ City of Burlington Municipal Employees
- ^ Howard Center Union
References
[edit]- ^ "Mulvaney-Stanak wins Burlington mayor's race". WCAX-TV. March 5, 2024. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
- ^ Elletson, Grace (November 27, 2020). "Burlington Dems to 'play defense' in 2021 races, only one council seat is contested". VTDigger. Archived from the original on May 22, 2022.
- ^ a b c Lamdin, Courtney (September 28, 2023). "Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger Won't Seek Reelection". Seven Days. Archived from the original on January 16, 2024.
- ^ Lamdin, Courtney (March 7, 2023). "Burlington Dems Cruise to Victory on Town Meeting Day". Seven Days. Archived from the original on September 30, 2023.
- ^ Lamdin, Courtney (May 29, 2023). "Scott Vetoes Noncitizen Voting in Burlington, Allows Ranked-Choice Voting to Become Law". Seven Days. Archived from the original on October 1, 2023.
- ^ a b c Crowley, Patrick (September 29, 2023). "Burlington has never had a woman as mayor. Will that change in 2024?". VTDigger. Archived from the original on September 30, 2023.
- ^ a b c d Crowley, Patrick (November 9, 2023). "Election season begins for Burlington City Council with two Progressive incumbents opting out". VTDigger. Archived from the original on January 16, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f Crowley, Patrick (December 10, 2023). "Joan Shannon wins Democratic nomination for Burlington mayor". VTDigger. Archived from the original on January 16, 2024.
- ^ Crowley, Patrick (November 13, 2023). "CD Mattison latest to join Burlington mayor's race". VTDigger. Archived from the original on January 16, 2024.
- ^ Cusanelli, Michael (October 24, 2023). "Burlington City Council President Karen Paul announces run for mayor". WPTZ. Archived from the original on January 16, 2024. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
- ^ a b c Crowley, Patrick (October 26, 2023). "Karen Paul launches campaign for Burlington mayor". VTDigger. Archived from the original on January 16, 2024.
- ^ a b c d Crowley, Patrick (November 2, 2023). "Joan Shannon latest to join Burlington mayoral race". VTDigger. Archived from the original on January 16, 2024.
- ^ Lamdin, Courtney (December 4, 2023). "Emma Mulvaney-Stanak Is the Prog's Pick for Burlington Mayor". Seven Days. Archived from the original on January 16, 2024.
- ^ a b c Lamdin, Courtney (October 4, 2023). "There Are Plenty of Potential Successors to Outgoing Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger". Seven Days. Archived from the original on October 5, 2023.
- ^ Lamdin, Courtney (January 4, 2023). "Joan Shannon Wins Democratic Nomination in Burlington Mayor's Race". Seven Days. Archived from the original on January 16, 2024.
- ^ a b Lamdin, Courtney (February 1, 2024). "Two More Candidates Join the Race for Burlington Mayor". Seven Days. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
- ^ a b c d Boronski, Tyler (February 15, 2024). "'Dems for Emma' unity event highlights Democrats support for Progressive Burlington mayoral candidate Emma Mulvaney-Stanak". WPTZ. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
- ^ a b Crowley, Patrick (February 13, 2024). "In a race dominated by public safety, where do Burlington's mayoral candidates differ?". VTDigger. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
- ^ Robinson, Shaun (March 8, 2024). "How did Emma Mulvaney-Stanak win Burlington — and how will she govern?". VTDigger. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
- ^ Keith, Jarod. "LGBTQ+ Victory Fund Endorses 57 More Out Candidates for 2024 Races". LGBTQ+ Victory Fund. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
- ^ "LPAC December 2023 Endorsements". LPAC. January 4, 2023. Archived from the original on January 16, 2024.
- ^ "Vote Mama Candidates". Vote Mama. January 4, 2023. Archived from the original on January 16, 2024.
- ^ Lamdin, Courtney (February 5, 2024). "Shannon Raises Nearly Twice as Much as Mulvaney-Stanak in Burlington Mayor's Race". Seven Days. Retrieved February 19, 2024.