The Scoreboard: This Week's Winners and Losers
Each Friday here at Off Message HQ, we bring you a reckoning of who won and who lost in this week's news cycle. It's a complicated process, which involves applying as much campaign spin as possible to Seven Days editor Andy Bromage's desk chair. But we won't get into the details.
Without further ado, we bring you The Scoreboard, for the week of Sept. 21.
Winners:
- Incumbents' campaign coffers — In the last month, incumbent Gov. Peter Shumlin (D) out-raised his opponent two-and-a-half-to-one, Lt. Gov. Phil Scott (R) out-raised his three-to-one and Treasurer Beth Pearce (D) out-raised hers more than two-to-one. Sen. Vince Illuzzi (R-Essex/Orleans), who is running for the open state auditor's seat, but who has served in Montpelier for 32 years, also out-raised his opponent two-to-one. The only incumbent who didn't win the fundraising battle last month? Attorney General Bill Sorrell, per usual.
- Darcie Johnston — Republican gubernatorial candidate Randy Brock raised just $62,000 last month and, of that, a third came from the Vermont Republican Party. But the consulting company owned by Johnston, Brock's chief fundraiser (and jill-of-all-trades), still took home its $8000 monthly retainer (It was also reimbursed $6158 for expenses incurred.). Maybe Brock's donors should just make their checks out to Johnston. Runners-up: Brock's out-of-state consultants: San Francisco consultant Bob Wickers also contributed to Brock's cash drain with his $5000 monthly retainer.
- Third-rate celebs — Who knew a Dos Equis pitch-man could inspire such mass hysteria here in little ol' Burlap? Most Interesting Man Jonathan Goldsmith even managed to draw the ire of local reporters Tuesday at a Democratic fundraiser at Nectar's when he refused to answer their questions. At least the Budweiser frogs would've croaked.
- Lenore Broughton — Last week we hailed Vermonters First super PAC treasurer Tayt Brooks as the most popular Republican in Vermont (more on that later). But this week we know where his $100,000+ in super cash is coming from: Burlington's own Lenore Broughton. You can bet she'll be getting a lot more fundraising solicitations from here on in. Runner-up: Vermont's television stations, who will keep on raking in the dough as Vermonters First stays on-air.
Losers after the jump....
Losers:
- Tayt Brooks — Um, need we say more?
- Trooper Deeghan — Here's a maxim to live by: Don't ever get on the wrong side of a Mike Donoghue public records request. The Burlington Free Press transparency czar on Tuesday penned another zinger of a story about the Freeps' bete noire, former state police Sgt. Jim Deeghan, who allegedly wrote 973 fake traffic tickets in an effort to justify overtime pay. Don't expect Donoghue to let up until he uncovers every last scrap of paper on Deeghan: including that elementary school detention slip.
- Vermont veterans — More bad news this week for Bennington's Vermont Veterans Home, which faces possible federal de-certification and the loss of half its $19 million operating budget. As VTDigger.org and the Bennington Banner report, the stakes are high for the 137 veterans who live in the home and the 250 staff members who work there.
- Vermont — With the tragic death of former VTDigger.org reporter Alan Panebaker on Wednesday, Vermont lost a talented, thoughtful and funny dude. We're left guessing what Alan would've done with his remaining years, but we can be sure that Vermont would have been the better for having him around.
