Off Message

The Scoreboard: This Week's Winners and Losers

by Paul Heintz Posted on August 31, 2012 at 4:00AM

Over the next few weeks, we'll be launching a few regular features here on Seven Days' brand-spanking-new politics blog, Off Message. Today, we're debuting The Scoreboard, a weekly reckoning of winners and losers in Vermont politics and news.We're aiming to avoid the completely obvious.

Vermont is the Most Liberal State in the Union — When It Comes to Reading

by Tyler Machado Posted on August 30, 2012 at 6:03PM

That Vermont is among the most liberal places in the United States is not exactly a revelation. But a fun little project from Amazon.com reveals a new slice of political leanings in the Green Mountains.

Super PAC Hits Super PAC for Super PAC-ing

by Paul Heintz Posted on August 30, 2012 at 5:53PM

Updated below with comment from Bob Stannard Demonstrating an apparent dearth of self-awareness, a Vermont-based "super-PAC" whose creation opened the door for super PACs to operate in Vermont released a statement Thursday decrying the influence of an out-of-state super PAC in Tuesday's primary election — and using the situation to justify its own existence. Got it?

20 Years After Clinton-Gore, a Burlington Artist Reflects On His Iconic T-Shirt Design

by Ken Picard Posted on August 30, 2012 at 1:23PM

While Republicans from around the country gather in Tampa this week, a Burlington designer is looking back on his small but significant contribution to a different presidential campaign. In the summer of 1992, Doug Dunbebin was a graphic artist living in Beltsville, Md. when he came up with a design and slogan for the Clinton-Gore ticket that would soon catch fire and become one of the iconic images of the 1992 and 1996 presidential campaigns.

After Primary Cliffhanger, Sorrell Pivots to Republican Opponent

by Paul Heintz Posted on August 29, 2012 at 4:28PM

After a late-night cliffhanger of a primary, Democratic Attorney General Bill Sorrell on Tuesday launched the next phase of his bid to keep his job: a general election fight against Republican businessman Jack McMullen. "I do have a tough race and it's going to be so great to not have it be a primary, because there are very real differences between myself and my Republican opponent," Sorrell told a rowdy crowd of Democrats at a party unity rally staged at Burlington's Main Street Landing.

Results from Vermont's Other Big Primary Match-Ups

by Tyler Machado Posted on August 29, 2012 at 2:23PM

The attorney general race is getting most of the attention on the morning after Vermont's 2012 primary, but as Paul Heintz wrote about in his Fair Game column on August 8, there were plenty of other interesting races dotting the state's voting landscape. Here's a roundup of some other notable results:Governor - ProgressiveFirst, the statewide races: Martha Abbott was the only announced candidate for governor in the Progressive Party primary, and it was expected that she would drop out of the race so as not to siphon away too many left-wing votes from Gov. Peter Shumlin.

T.J. Donovan Concedes Attorney General's Race to Sorrell

by 7D Staff Posted on August 29, 2012 at 11:25AM

Update: Donovan addressed reporters in Battery Park at 11:30. He said he had "absolutely no regrets" about the campaign and "left nothing on the table."

Donovan Tells Mark Johnson He's Likely to Concede AG Race to Sorrell

by Paul Heintz Posted on August 29, 2012 at 9:43AM

Appearing briefly on WDEV's Mark Johnson Show Wednesday morning, Chittenden County State's Attorney T.J. Donovan said that in his bid to depose Attorney General Bill Sorrell, "It looks like we'll fall a little short." "I think we owe it to the voters of Vermont to make sure we get it right, but it does look like we'll fall a a little short," Donovan said just after 9 a.m.

Sorrell Clings to Thin Lead in Attorney General Primary; Race Too Close to Call

by 7D Staff Posted on August 29, 2012 at 8:47AM

UPDATE, 8/29 at 10:00 a.m.: T.J. Donovan says he'll likely concede the race this morning. For the latest updates, stay tuned to our new politics blog, Off Message.

Welcome to the First Post of the Rest of Your Lives

by Andy Bromage Posted on August 29, 2012 at 8:42AM

Welcome to Off Message, a brand-new blog from your pals at Seven Days. To coincide with the start of the general election season — and to satisfy the politics junkies among you — we are launching this up-to-the-moment source for politics and news.