Recount for Mitzi Johnson House seat set for Friday, Nov. 20

By Guy Page

The recount for the Grand Isle – West Milton district in the Vermont House of Representatives will be held Friday, Nov. 20 at the North Hero Town Hall, sources say.

Last Tuesday the Republican uncle-nephew team of Leland and Michael Morgan won both seats in the two-seat district, unseating House Speaker and Democrat Mitzi Johnson. 20 votes separate Johnson from second place finisher Michael Morgan, according to this screenshot of voting totals posted today Vermont Secretary of State’s website:

Leland Morgan netted 2,776 votes, Michael Morgan 2,627 votes, Johnson 2,607 votes, and Andy Julow 2,404. Johnson requested the recount.

Local paid media campaigns may have played a role in Johnson’s defeat. Before the election, local Republicans ran full-page ads in the Islander newspaper decrying Johnson’s support for the Global Warming Solutions Act (H688) and the carbon pricing they said is likely to result. Also before the election, opponents of marijuana legalization ran advertising criticizing Johnson for her role in passing S54, this year’s bill legalizing the retail sale of marijuana.

If the recount finds Johnson a winner, she may face competition for election as House Speaker. Three, possibly four candidates have thrown their hats into the ring. Reps. Jill Krowinski (D-Burlington), Sarah Copeland-Hanzas (D-Bradford), and Charlie Kimbell (D-Woodstock) all have publicly declared their candidacy.

Jill Krowinski, the House Majority Leader, is a former vice-president of Planned Parenthood of New England. Copeland-Hanzas chairs the House Local Government Committee and is a former member of the Democratic House leadership. She co-chairs the Climate Caucus. She and Copeland-Hanzas represent two of the driving interests behind the Vermont Democratic Party: support of legal abortion and carbon emissions reduction. Additionally, Copeland-Hanzas is an outspoken legislative advocate of retail sale of marijuana.

Kimbell is less well-known both inside and outside the Legislature. He holds no chair or vice-chair position. He sits on the Commerce and Economic Development Committee. Raised in St. Albans (his mother was Vermont Mother of the Year) as the youngest of eight children, he attended Woodstock Union High School and graduated from the University of Vermont, majoring in political science and competing for the UVM alpine ski team. He has worked for 30 years in the private sector in diverse industries: retail and commercial banking, art licensing and publishing, software development and publishing with MISys, Inc, sales and marketing consulting, and as co-owner of Elevation Clothing in Woodstock.

Also mulling a run is Rep. Cynthia Browning (I-Arlington), who lost in the general election after the Democratic Party ran two candidates against her. Browning was an irritant to Johnson during the last session, publicly opposing Johnson on several policy and procedural issues. The Vermont Constitution does not forbid a non-representative from being elected Speaker of the House.

Read more of Guy Page’s reports. Vermont Daily is sponsored by True North Media.

Image courtesy of ORCA Media

4 thoughts on “Recount for Mitzi Johnson House seat set for Friday, Nov. 20

  1. Remember what the Socialist Dems did to Bob Freiner of Chelsea. The Townhend woman from Burlington wound up having 3 re-counts trying to get rid of him and cost the state $80K. Dems keep pushing for power. It’s a mental disorder. Now the shoe is on the other foot. Eventually they will wear out the paper ballots recounting XXXX times. How many are going to happen and at what cost?

    It’s like voting school budgets. If turned down, recount once a month until the good people are worn down and interferes in their work times and may miss a vote—wallah, the school admin wins, taxpayer loses. So much for your “friendly neighbor”. That’s the Vermont way.

    School budgets should only have one re-count every 6 months. Keep it simple and the American way.

    • That type of recount is done all across our state, for everything, one vote at town meeting with a fail safe of using last years budget. They do this for big municipal projects and taxing programs regularly, ther is no respect for the vote, none.

  2. All Mitzi needs is a dozen more ballots, I can’t believe she can’t find them just lying
    around, and dated Nov 3. 2020…… that’s the 2020 Democrat game plan they just
    show up …………………………Mitzi, Hey, hey Bye, bye !!

    It looks like Vermont is starting to wake…….Hallelujah !!!..

    • CHenry,

      It could be Mitzi is not quite so savvy as some others, when it comes to COUNTING the votes. Also she sometimes rubs people the wrong way, and does not smile enough.
      Plus she was a big pusher for the disastrous GWSA, as were Ashe, Zuckerman and Tagerman

      House Speaker Mitzi Johnson, a Democrat, lost her seat representing Grand Isle County by 18 votes Tuesday night. She has requested a recount.

      Sen. Tim Ashe, the Senate president pro tempore and Chittenden County Democrat, lost his bid for lieutenant governor.

      Progressive-Democrat Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman was defeated in his bid for governor.

      House Progressive Caucus leader and state Rep. Robin Chesnut-Tangerman of Middletown Springs was defeated.

Comments are closed.