2024 Burlington, Vermont, mayoral election
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.
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 Results by ward Mulvaney-Stanak: 60–70% 70–80% Shannon: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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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
editMiro 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
editOn 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
editThe 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
editRepublican caucus
editThe 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
editDeclared
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
editEndorsements
editEndorsements 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
editShannon 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.