VIDEO: 7 Highlights/Lowlights From Last Night's Seven Days-Channel 17 Attorney General Debate

 

Oh, snap!

Democratic rivals for attorney general, incumbent Bill Sorrell and contender T.J. Donovan, threw down on their home turf last night in a feisty debate inside Burlington City Hall sponsored by Seven Days and Channel 17 Town Meeting Television.

With the August 28 primary less than two weeks away, Sorrell and Donovan are jockeying hard for pole position — or maybe pol position — in the most competitive campaign of the year.

The candidates sat close together (their elbows were practically touching) and the tension was palpable at times. Donovan, the Chittenden County State's Attorney, stayed on offense the whole night, hammering Sorrell for what he said was a lack of engagement and leadership during his 15 years as attorney general — and for accepting help from a Washington, D.C.-based super PAC. Sorrell vigorously defended his record and got in his own digs, demanding that Donovan stop "distorting" his record.

At times, both candidates shook their heads in disbelief while the other answered a question.

Here are seven highlights (and lowlights) from the evening. You decide which is which.

Shumlin Widens Fundraising Gap, While Brock Widens Fund-Spending Gap

The news coming out of Wednesday's monthly campaign finance filing deadline is hardly news at all: Democratic Gov. Peter Shumlin continues to raise money, while his challenger, Sen. Randy Brock (R-Franklin), continues to spend it.

In the 30 days since they last reported fundraising numbers, Shumlin took in $160,293 to Brock's $55,329. But in that same period, the incumbent Democrat spent just $16,041 to his Republican challenger's $65,516, widening the already yawning gap between the two candidates' campaign reserves.

With Shumlin now having outraised Brock $839,805 to $584,924 — and that includes a $300,000 loan Brock gave himself — the governor's cash-on-hand advantage moving into the last two-and-a-half months of the race is $769,027 to Brock's $237,139.

So how've they been raising and spending it?

In Irene Funding Dispute, Shumlin Makes Nice With FEMA

For nearly four weeks, Gov. Peter Shumlin's administration has blamed the Federal Emergency Management Agency for misleading — and even deceiving — the state into believing it was due more in Tropical Storm Irene recovery funding than it may eventually receive.

But on Tuesday, Shumlin sought to hit the reset button with the feds.

"I'm proud of the relationship we have developed with FEMA," the governor said, unprompted, at his weekly press conference. "I can tell you that in talking with other governors about recovery efforts like this, there is not a governor in the country who will tell you that there aren't good days with FEMA, there aren't bad days with FEMA, that there aren't happy days with FEMA, that there aren't sad days with FEMA. And we have to expect that we're going to have exactly the same experience here in the state of Vermont."

The governor's newly conciliatory tone toward FEMA comes as the agency continues to weigh the level at which it will reimburse Vermont for the replacement of the state psychiatric hospital and the Waterbury State Office Complex — both of which were badly damaged by Irene. Contrary to reports earlier this week, Shumlin said Tuesday that an announcement from FEMA outlining how much funding the state should expect is still three to four weeks away. Shumlin and the state's congressional delegation are continuing to lobby for the maximum amount of funding, the governor said.

Shumlin Opponents Mount Write-In Campaign

Concerned about wind turbines on ridgelines or chloramine in your water supply?

If so, chances are you’ve heard of Annette Smith, the no-nonsense director of the grassroots organization Vermonters for a Clean Environment. Smith has made a name for herself advocating on behalf of local communities fighting unwanted development, and now her supporters hope that Smith’s name recognition will come in handy in an upstart write-in campaign in the August 28 primaries. They’re urging Vermonters to vote for Annette Smith of Danby as the Progressive Party’s candidate for governor — not so much because they love Smith as because they hate the other guy.

“Too often we’re all in a position of holding our noses and voting for whoever we think might not be as bad as the other guy or girl,” says Stephanie Kaplan, a Calais environmental lawyer organizing the write-in campaign. She says it’s an attempt “to let people who are dissatisfied with Shumlin know that there’s something they can do in the primary election.”

7 Takeaways From Tuesday's Attorney General Debate in Shelburne

Neither candidate made any gaffes.

But Democrats T.J. Donovan and Bill Sorrell did face plenty of tough questions from a standing-room-only crowd in Shelburne last night at the third of nine debates before the August 28 primary for attorney general.

Seated on metal folding chairs on stage at Shelburne Town Hall, Sorrell defended his 15-year record as AG while Donovan, the Chittenden County State's Attorney, made the case for change.

What did the audience learn about the candidates in 90 minutes? Quite a bit actually.

Here are seven takeaways from the debate. Click here a list of upcoming AG debates — including the Seven Days/Channel 17 matchup at Burlington City Hall next Wednesday, August 15.

1.Biography will not decide the race

Both were born and raised in Burlington. Both had a lot of sisters (Donovan has five, Sorrell has four) and no brothers. Their families are deeply connected. But Sorrell did drop one family anecdote during his opening statement that elicited a few "aah"s from the crowd and might endear him to some voters in Shelburne. His great-grandfather was apparently the head caretaker on Shelburne Farms — and has a signed note of appreciation from the estate's patriarch, William Seward Webb, that now hangs on Sorrell's wall.

Attorney General Candidates Scheduled for Nine Debates

Last week, the two Democratic candidates for attorney general debated for the first time in Strafford and on the set of WCAX's "You Can Quote Me." They also debated whether they're debating enough.

This week, Attorney General Bill Sorrell and Chittenden County State's Attorney T.J. Donovan are back to just plain debating — twice. Tonight they'll face off at a Shelburne Town Hall debate hosted by the Chittenden County Democratic Party. On Thursday, they'll go head-to-head on Vermont Public Television. Next Wednesday, August 15, Seven Days and Channel 17 are hosting an AG's primary debate at Burlington City Hall.

Below is a schedule of the debates scheduled thus far. Stay tuned for additions, as both campaigns have expressed a willingness to schedule a few more. Cuz nine debates clearly won't do the trick.

• Tuesday, July 31 — Vi Coffin Memorial Forum — Strafford Town House — 7 p.m. — See coverage from the Valley News, the Burlington Free Press and the BFP's vt.Buzz blog. Listen to the debate here.
• Wednesday Aug. 1 — Taping of WCAX's "You Can Quote Me" — Two-part debate to be broadcast Sunday, Aug. 5 and Sunday, Aug. 12 — See coverage from WCAX, the Associated Press and the Times Argus. Watch part 1 of the debate here.
  
• Tuesday, Aug. 7 — Chittenden County Democrats' Debate — Shelburne Town Hall — 7 p.m.
• Thursday, Aug. 9 — Vermont Public Television Debate — 8 p.m.
• Monday, Aug. 13 — Debate on WDEV's The Mark Johnson Show — 9 a.m.
• Wednesday, Aug. 15 — Seven Days & Channel 17 Debate — 5 p.m. — Burlington City Hall (and streamed live on 7dvt.com)
• Thursday, Aug. 16 — Burlington Free Press Debate, Pt. 1 — Noon — Streamed live on burlingtonfreepress.com
• Tuesday, Aug. 21 — Burlington Free Press Debate, Pt. 2 — Noon — Streamed live on burlingtonfreepress.com
• Thursday, Aug. 23 — VPR's Vermont Edition — Noon

Donovan Discloses Polling Questions — At Least to Reporters

Seeking to put behind him allegations that his campaign engaged in push polling, Chittenden County State's Attorney T.J. Donovan on Friday provided reporters with a fleeting glimpse of the poll in question.

Donovan's campaign set restrictions on how the press could report on the poll. Reporters were allowed to view the poll's questions during a half hour period Friday afternoon, but they were barred from reporting on the wording of all but a couple questions. (Pictured at right is campaign manager Ryan Emerson displaying the thing.)

The unusual move comes after two recipients of the poll who support Donovan's rival in the Democratic primary for attorney general — incumbent Bill Sorrell — told Seven Days they believed the poll intended to dissuade voters from voting for Sorrell, not gauge public opinion. Unlike a conventional public opinion survey used to hone a candidate's message and determine how a candidate is doing, push polls are generally deployed in the late stages of a campaign to spread negative — and sometimes false — information about a rival to a large number of voters.

Seven Days asked the Donovan campaign to provide copies of the poll early this week before the story went to press, but the Donovan campaign declined the request. After the Sorrell campaign pressed Donovan on the point Thursday in a letter from one campaign to the other, the challenger decided to allow limited access.

So, was Donovan's poll a push poll? We'd tell you, but we're not allowed to.

Just kidding!

In Email Exchange, AG Candidates Call on Each Other to Debate More, Stop Hatin' & Release Poll

There's really nothing more passive aggressive in politics than the old campaign-to-campaign email exchange — cc'ing the media, of course.

That tactic emerged in the Democratic race for attorney general Thursday as incumbent Bill Sorrell and challenger T.J. Donovan traded barbed requests through the press.

It started in the morning with an email from Donovan campaign manager Ryan Emerson to his counterpart on the Sorrell campaign, Mike Pieciak, calling for more debates before the Aug. 28 primary.The candidates have already taken part in two debates and are scheduled for seven more.

"What better way to inform the public than engaging in more debate?" Emerson wrote. "I know that both campaigns are very busy, but I'm sure we can work together to adjust our schedules accordingly. Will Bill Sorrell join T.J. Donovan by committing to three more debates?"

Rather than directly responding to the Donovan email, Sorrell's campaign issued its own requests by email later in the day. In a letter to Donovan, Sorrell called on his opponent to publicly release a script of the questions his campaign asked in a recent poll of 400 Vermonters. Two Sorrell supporters who participated in the poll characterized it to Seven Days as a "push poll" intended to influence voters, not gauge public opinion — though Donovan's campaign maintains it was a rigorous, scientific survey.

Citing Vermont's tradition of civility in politics, Sorrell also called on Donovan to sign a "positive campaign pledge," which he helpfully included as an attachment to the email. The four-part pledge would bar the candidates from engaging in or condoning "negative or defamatory attacks" on each other's character and issuing campaign materials that mislead or distort the other's record.

"Join me in signing the attached pledge to run a positive issue oriented campaign and to refrain from negative campaigning," Sorrell wrote. "Our party is made stronger by positive issue oriented debate, but can be torn apart by employing negative campaign tactics."

So, will each of the campaigns accede to their opponent's request?

Yes, yes and yes! (Well, kind of.)

Slamming Shumlin on FEMA Funding, Brock Makes Irene a Campaign Issue

If you thought Tropical Storm Irene wouldn't become a political football this campaign season, think again.

At a hastily-called press conference Wednesday morning on the flood-damaged campus of the Waterbury State Office Complex, Sen. Randy Brock (pictured) took a direct shot at the crowning achievement of Gov. Peter Shumlin's first term: his administration's response to last August's devastating storm.

Clutching a stack of emails he requested from the Shumlin administration, the Franklin County Republican said the correspondence proved the governor misled the legislature and the public into believing the Federal Emergency Management Agency had promised more recovery funding than it had.

"Governors and governments can't withhold facts and information from the public they serve. Vermont taxpayers are not going to be satisfied with vague statements and reassurances that we have from the governor. They demand facts. They demand and deserve answers," Brock said, listing warning signs he gleaned from FEMA's emails to the administration. "These warnings weren't told to the legislature. And the question is: Why weren't we told? Why weren't Vermonters told?"

Brock's charge comes nearly two weeks after the Shumlin administration revealed to legislators new worries about how much money FEMA would provide to help rebuild the Waterbury complex and the Vermont State Hospital. In recent meetings with legislative leaders, administration officials claimed that FEMA had backtracked from earlier guarantees, potentially leaving taxpayers liable for tens of millions of dollars.

Congressman Allen West, GOP Provocateur, to Hold Vermont Fundraiser

Vermont Republicans can't seem to get enough of national GOP figures with a propensity to drop — um, there's no other way to say this — Nazi references on a fairly regular basis.

First came Maine Gov. Paul LePage, who touched down in Vermont two weeks ago to bring in the dough for Republican gubernatorial candidate Randy Brock. During his time in the Green Mountain State, the Maine gov managed to reignite and escalate a national uproar over comments he made comparing the IRS to the Gestapo.

Next up? Florida Congressman Allen West, a rising star in the national Republican scene with a reputation for politically incorrect zingers. The Vermont Republican Party on Friday announced in an email that West will host a fundraiser for his campaign August 5 at Waterbury's Country Club of Vermont. Vermont GOP chairman Jack Lindley said that while his party is helping to spread the word about the event, it's being hosted by "a conglomeration of Tea Party activists and people who are concerned about the direction of the world."

Not familiar with Rep. West? Here's a quick highlight reel of some of his more controversial utterances:

• "Well, you know what, it is about time that we end this Gestapo-like intimidation tactics that we see coming from Nancy Pelosi and also from the president as well," West told Sirius/XM radio in August 2010.
• "If Joseph Goebbels was around, he'd be very proud of the Democrat Party, because they have an incredible propaganda machine," West told reporters in the U.S. Capitol in December 2011, according to Politico.
• "You have this 21st century plantation that has been out there where the Democrat Party has forever taken the black vote for granted. And you have established certain black leaders who are nothing more than the overseers of that plantation, and now the people on that plantation are upset because they've been disregarded, disrespected and their concerns are not cared about," he told Fox News in August 2011. "So I'm here as the modern-day Harriet Tubman to kinda lead people on the underground railroad away from that plantation and to a sense of sensibility."
• In an e-mail to Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who also chairs the Democratic National Committee, West wrote in July 2011, "You are the most vile, unprofessional and despicable member of the US House of Representatives. If you have something to say to me, stop being a coward and say it to my face, otherwise shut the heck up," according to the Palm Beach Post. "You have proven repeatedly that you are not a Lady, therefore, shall not be afforded due respect from me!"
• And, lastly, West said during an April town hall meeting that there are "78 to 81 [U.S. House] members of the Democrat party that are members of the communist party."

If you can't get enough of this stuff, be sure to check out "What West Said," a website set up by West's Democratic opponent, Patrick Murphy.