HARDWICK AREA – While the report of election results last week captured the candidates named on area primary ballots, candidates in three races garnered enough write-in votes to have names added to November ballots and another candidate was nominated by committee.
A GOP surge that Vermont GOP Chairman Paul Dame said had added 21 new House candidates seems to have affected only the Lamoille-Washington race in this area. In that contest, Morristown Republicans Charles Burnahm and Nick Lopez gathered enough write-in votes to face Morristown Democrats David Yacavone and incumbent Saudia Lamont in the two-seat district. The secretary of state’s website shows Progressive Jaiel Pulskamp winning that primary contest, but that name does not appear on a listing of qualified candidates and thet office has not responded to inquiries.
Incumbent Calais Democrat Mark Mihaly, in the Washington-6 House race, is now the only unopposed House candidate in the area.
In the three-seat Washington Senate race, write-in votes for Republicans Michael Deering from Barre City and Rob Roper from Stowe have put them on the November ballot alongside fellow Republican Donald T. Koch from Barre Town. Those three will face Democratic incumbents Ann Cummings of Montpelier, Anne Watson of Barre City and Marshfield’s Andrew Perchlik
In the Lamoille County Senate race, Cambridge Republican Richard Westman pulled in enough Democratic write-in votes to be listed on the November ballot as both a Republican and Democrat. Westman will now face Independent Maureen A. Heck of Hyde Park in November.
In coming weeks there will be interviews and videos of candidates from a joint project with Hardwick Community T.V.
Paul Fixx is editor of The Hardwick Gazette and lives in Hardwick.
