“I think our message is being well received, and a lot of Vermonters are ready for change,” Rodgers said in an interview Tuesday night after results were announced. “And they feel like I'm the candidate to do it."
Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman and former state legislator John Rodgers won the Democratic and Republican primaries, respectively, for Vermont’s second-highest office on Tuesday, setting the stage for a general election clash between two Statehouse veterans who do not fall neatly along party lines.
Zuckerman, a Hinesburg produce farmer who is seeking his fourth stint in the lieutenant governor’s office, overcame a challenge by Winooski Deputy Mayor Thomas Renner. With every town reporting results just before midnight, Zuckerman defeated Renner 56% to 37%, according to unofficial results from the Secretary of State’s Office.
Rodgers, who runs a construction business in Glover and previously served nearly two decades in the state Legislature, prevailed over Rutland accountant and former local GOP committee chair Gregory Thayer. The unofficial results showed Rodgers with 56% of the vote and Thayer with 35%.