Vote count shows narrow victory for Shumlin in 5-way Democratic primary for governor

Shumlin claims victory in Vt. Democratic primary

MONTPELIER, Vt. — A high-ranking Vermont state senator had a narrow, 190-vote edge in the five-way contest for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination with all the votes counted, but his two closest rivals had not yet conceded.

With all precincts reporting, Senate President Pro Tem Peter Shumlin led Sen. Doug Racine and said he believed he had won. Secretary of State Deb Markowitz appeared to be headed to a close third-place finish, 684 votes behind Shumlin.

The AP has not called the winner because the race is still too close with nearly all the votes counted.

Racine did not rule out seeking a recount, saying there was room for error in votes being tabulated.

All of the Democrats gathered in Burlington at midday Wednesday for a unity rally.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — Peter Shumlin, the president pro tem of the Vermont Senate, claimed victory Wednesday in the five-way contest for the Democratic gubernatorial primary, but his two closest rivals had not yet conceded.

Shumlin told The Associated Press at midday, “It appears that we have won.”

His comment came just as Democrats were gathering for a unity rally and as vote totals showed Shumlin with a 206-vote margin over Sen. Doug Racine, with all but four of the state’s 260 precincts reporting. Shumlin said he based his victory on reports his campaign had received from all 260. Secretary of State Deb Markowitz appeared to be headed to a close third-place finish.

“This primary has been an embarrassment of riches for Democrats and we have so much to be proud of,” Shumlin said in a phone interview. “It appears that we have won and I’m going to focus on reaching out to Vermonters so that we can win in November and get Vermonters back to work.”

With 256 of the state’s 260 precincts reporting, Shumlin had had 18,057, or 25.11 percent; Racine had 17,851, or 24.82 percent; and Markowitz had 17,303, or 24.06 percent.

Google executive Matt Dunne, who conceded the race at midday Wednesday, had 14,966, or 20.81 percent. State Sen. Susan Bartlett trailed with 3,734, or 5.19 percent of the vote.

The closeness of the race raised the specter of a recount that could delay resolution of the primary into September, after the Legislature this year moved the vote from September to August to give more time between the primary and the general election.

Under state law, a candidate who trails the leader by less than 2 percent of total votes cast — both Racine and Markowitz appeared to fall into that category — can petition for a recount, a complicated procedure that would be carried out by special teams gathered at the Washington Superior Court in Montpelier.

A recount would be “bad for the Democrats,” said Garrison Nelson, a political science professor at the University of Vermont, because they need to gear up as quickly as possible for the fall campaign against Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie, who was unopposed for the Republican nomination.

The winner in November will replace Republican Gov. Jim Douglas, who is stepping down after four two-year terms.

Neither Markowitz’s campaign manager, Paul Tencher, nor Racine’s, Amy Shollenberger, would comment on whether their candidate might seek a recount.

“We want to wait until every single vote is counted and make sure the nominee is strong to take on Brian Dubie,” Tencher said.

Shumlin said he was not surprised the vote was close. “Any one of us would make a good governor,” he said. “We can understand why the choice is so tough.”