Anthony Pollina
Encyclopedia
Anthony Pollina is a Progressive American politician, who has run several times for elected office in the state of Vermont
.
primary for Congress against Paul Forlenza and John Tatro. Pollina received 44% of the vote, Forlenza received 24% and Tatro received 27%. Pollina was defeated in the general election by incumbent Republican James Jeffords, winning 27% of the vote to Jeffords' 65%.
as a member of the Vermont Progressive Party
, receiving 9.5% of the vote in the general election. Pollina ran against incumbent Democrat Howard Dean
who received 50.4% of the vote and former Representative Ruth Dwyer who received 38% of the vote. Due to new campaign financing laws, Pollina became the first candidate in the US to qualify for full public funding of his campaign.
, receiving 25% of the vote against Republican Brian Dubie
and state Senator Peter Shumlin.
, who won with 53.4% of the vote, and Democrat Gaye Symington
who received 21.7% of the vote. The Pollina campaign received unusually strong labor support for an independent candidate, receiving the endorsements of the three largest unions in the state. On September 14 the 10,000 strong Vermont AFL-CIO voted to endorse Pollina, the endorsement came on the heals of the previous endorsements from the Vermont State Employees Association (10,000 members) Sept. 12th and the Abenaki Nation (1500 members) http://vtindymedia.org/newswire/display/355/index.php. On the 15th the Pollinia campaign received the endorsement of the Vermont-National Education Association http://vtindymedia.org/newswire/display/361/index.php and its 11,500 members http://www.vtnea.org/vtnea100.htm. The endorsement by the NEA was the first time the union has backed an independent gubernatorial candidate. NEA-Vermont President Angelo Dorta stated that the endorsement of Pollina was partly because Symington “still tends to talk about our schools in terms of cost containment as opposed to investment” http://www.vnews.com/election08/windsor.html. Pollina also garnered the support of the 3,000-member Gun Owners of Vermont http://www.vnews.com/election08/windsor.html. Along with the labor support Pollina also received the endorsements and support of many public officials in the state including US Senator Bernie Sanders
(I), former Governor Philip H. Hoff
(D) http://www.progressiveparty.org/blog/?p=341, Bob Kiss
(Progressive) the mayor of Burlington
(the state's largest city), Vermont House Agriculture Committee chair David Zuckerman
(Progressive), and the Vermont Progressive Party
. Several prominent democratic party activists formed Democrats for Pollina. Some of those involved were former state senators Harvey Carter, Janet Munt and grassroots organizer Rebecca Moore http://www.politicker.com/vermont/22442/democrats-pollina-outline-opening-efforts. Several Vermont Democratic party officials also endorsed Pollina such as Bristol chair Peter Grant http://www.greenmountaindaily.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=2375 http://www.vtdemocrats.org/index.php?id=528.
member to sit in the Vermont Senate
, the other State Senator being Tim Ashe
. Pollina ran under a Democrat and Progressive party electoral alliance
after he won the Democratic party
primary. This tactic is known as electoral fusion
.
from 1991-1996.
Pollina has worked as the Interim Director and as a Policy Director for the Vermont Public Interest Research Group.
During the 1997 and 1998 sessions of the Vermont Legislature, Pollina worked as advocate for campaign finance legislation that established public funding for statewide political campaigns. In 2002, when Pollina’s campaign for Lt. Governor failed to qualify for public funding, he filed suit in federal court to overturn the law.
In 2003, Pollina started a call in radio show on WDEV called Equal Time Radio. The program was a forum for Pollina to discuss local and national politics from a left-leaning perspective. He quit the radio program in 2007 in order to run for Governor.
Pollina served as a founding board member of the Vermont Milk Company, a farmer owned and operated dairy in Hardwick Vermont. The company was established in 2006 with a focus on paying farmers a higher than average price for milk and marketing the products locally. Pollina resigned from the board of the Vermont Milk company in 2008 to focus on his campaign for governor.
. He graduated from Johnson State College
in Johnson, Vermont. He is presently head of the Vermont Democracy Fund. He currently resides in Middlesex, Vermont
with his wife Deborah and their two daughters, Alessandra and Maya.
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
.
1984 US Congressional Election
In 1984, Pollina won a Democratic PartyDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
primary for Congress against Paul Forlenza and John Tatro. Pollina received 44% of the vote, Forlenza received 24% and Tatro received 27%. Pollina was defeated in the general election by incumbent Republican James Jeffords, winning 27% of the vote to Jeffords' 65%.
2000 State Governor
In 2000, Pollina ran for GovernorGovernor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
as a member of the Vermont Progressive Party
Vermont Progressive Party
The Vermont Progressive Party is an American political party. It was founded in 1999 and is active only in the U.S. state of Vermont. In terms of the dominant two parties in the United States, it enjoys support from "traditional liberal" Democrats and working class Republicans. The party is...
, receiving 9.5% of the vote in the general election. Pollina ran against incumbent Democrat Howard Dean
Howard Dean
Howard Brush Dean III is an American politician and physician from Vermont. He served six terms as the 79th Governor of Vermont and ran unsuccessfully for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination. He was chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2005 to 2009. Although his U.S...
who received 50.4% of the vote and former Representative Ruth Dwyer who received 38% of the vote. Due to new campaign financing laws, Pollina became the first candidate in the US to qualify for full public funding of his campaign.
2002 State Lieutenant Governor
In 2002, Pollina ran as the Progressive Party candidate for Lieutenant GovernorLieutenant governor
A lieutenant governor or lieutenant-governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction, but is often the deputy or lieutenant to or ranking under a governor — a "second-in-command"...
, receiving 25% of the vote against Republican Brian Dubie
Brian Dubie
Brian E. Dubie is an American politician and former 78th Lieutenant Governor of Vermont. He served four terms as Vermont’s lieutenant governor...
and state Senator Peter Shumlin.
2008 State Governor
In 2008, Pollina ran as an Independent candidate for Governor, finishing second with 21.8% of the vote against Republican incumbent Jim DouglasJim Douglas
James H. Douglas is an American politician from the U.S. state of Vermont. A Republican, he was elected the 80th Governor of Vermont in 2002 and was reelected three times with a majority of the vote...
, who won with 53.4% of the vote, and Democrat Gaye Symington
Gaye Symington
Gaye R. Symington is the former Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives, the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly...
who received 21.7% of the vote. The Pollina campaign received unusually strong labor support for an independent candidate, receiving the endorsements of the three largest unions in the state. On September 14 the 10,000 strong Vermont AFL-CIO voted to endorse Pollina, the endorsement came on the heals of the previous endorsements from the Vermont State Employees Association (10,000 members) Sept. 12th and the Abenaki Nation (1500 members) http://vtindymedia.org/newswire/display/355/index.php. On the 15th the Pollinia campaign received the endorsement of the Vermont-National Education Association http://vtindymedia.org/newswire/display/361/index.php and its 11,500 members http://www.vtnea.org/vtnea100.htm. The endorsement by the NEA was the first time the union has backed an independent gubernatorial candidate. NEA-Vermont President Angelo Dorta stated that the endorsement of Pollina was partly because Symington “still tends to talk about our schools in terms of cost containment as opposed to investment” http://www.vnews.com/election08/windsor.html. Pollina also garnered the support of the 3,000-member Gun Owners of Vermont http://www.vnews.com/election08/windsor.html. Along with the labor support Pollina also received the endorsements and support of many public officials in the state including US Senator Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders
Bernard "Bernie" Sanders is the junior United States Senator from Vermont. He previously represented Vermont's at-large district in the United States House of Representatives...
(I), former Governor Philip H. Hoff
Philip H. Hoff
Philip Henderson Hoff is an American politician from the U.S. state of Vermont where he served as the 73rd Governor of Vermont from 1963 to 1969. At the time of his election, he was the first Democrat elected Governor of Vermont in 108 years.-Life and career:Hoff was born in Turners Falls,...
(D) http://www.progressiveparty.org/blog/?p=341, Bob Kiss
Bob Kiss
Bob Kiss is a Vermont politician and Mayor of Burlington, Vermont. Kiss was a member of the Vermont House of Representatives from January 2001 until he stepped down to assume office as mayor of Burlington, following his election to that office on March 7, 2006...
(Progressive) the mayor of Burlington
Burlington, Vermont
Burlington is the largest city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the shire town of Chittenden County. Burlington lies south of the U.S.-Canadian border and some south of Montreal....
(the state's largest city), Vermont House Agriculture Committee chair David Zuckerman
David Zuckerman
David Zuckerman is a farmer and a Progressive member of the Vermont House of Representatives, representing Chittenden-3-4 district. He grew up in Brookline, Massachusetts where he attended Brookline High School.-Career:...
(Progressive), and the Vermont Progressive Party
Vermont Progressive Party
The Vermont Progressive Party is an American political party. It was founded in 1999 and is active only in the U.S. state of Vermont. In terms of the dominant two parties in the United States, it enjoys support from "traditional liberal" Democrats and working class Republicans. The party is...
. Several prominent democratic party activists formed Democrats for Pollina. Some of those involved were former state senators Harvey Carter, Janet Munt and grassroots organizer Rebecca Moore http://www.politicker.com/vermont/22442/democrats-pollina-outline-opening-efforts. Several Vermont Democratic party officials also endorsed Pollina such as Bristol chair Peter Grant http://www.greenmountaindaily.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=2375 http://www.vtdemocrats.org/index.php?id=528.
2010 State Senator
In 2010, Anthony Pollina successfully ran for a state Senate seat in the three member Washington County district. He is the second Vermont Progressive PartyVermont Progressive Party
The Vermont Progressive Party is an American political party. It was founded in 1999 and is active only in the U.S. state of Vermont. In terms of the dominant two parties in the United States, it enjoys support from "traditional liberal" Democrats and working class Republicans. The party is...
member to sit in the Vermont Senate
Vermont Senate
The Vermont Senate is the upper house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The Senate consists of 30 members. Senate districting divides the 30 members into three single-member districts, six two-member districts, three three-member districts, and one...
, the other State Senator being Tim Ashe
Tim Ashe
Timothy Ashe is one of six current Vermont Senators from the Chittenden Vermont Senate District.-Personal life and early career:...
. Pollina ran under a Democrat and Progressive party electoral alliance
Electoral alliance
An electoral alliance may take the form of a bipartisan electoral agreement, electoral agreement, electoral coalition or electoral bloc. It is an association of political parties or individuals which exists solely to stand in elections...
after he won the Democratic party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
primary. This tactic is known as electoral fusion
Electoral fusion
Electoral fusion is an arrangement where two or more political parties on a ballot list the same candidate, pooling the votes for that candidate...
.
Political activism and platform
Pollina served as a Senior Policy Advisor for then Congressman Bernie SandersBernie Sanders
Bernard "Bernie" Sanders is the junior United States Senator from Vermont. He previously represented Vermont's at-large district in the United States House of Representatives...
from 1991-1996.
Pollina has worked as the Interim Director and as a Policy Director for the Vermont Public Interest Research Group.
During the 1997 and 1998 sessions of the Vermont Legislature, Pollina worked as advocate for campaign finance legislation that established public funding for statewide political campaigns. In 2002, when Pollina’s campaign for Lt. Governor failed to qualify for public funding, he filed suit in federal court to overturn the law.
In 2003, Pollina started a call in radio show on WDEV called Equal Time Radio. The program was a forum for Pollina to discuss local and national politics from a left-leaning perspective. He quit the radio program in 2007 in order to run for Governor.
Pollina served as a founding board member of the Vermont Milk Company, a farmer owned and operated dairy in Hardwick Vermont. The company was established in 2006 with a focus on paying farmers a higher than average price for milk and marketing the products locally. Pollina resigned from the board of the Vermont Milk company in 2008 to focus on his campaign for governor.
Personal life
Anthony Pollina was born in New JerseyNew Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. He graduated from Johnson State College
Johnson State College
Johnson State College is a small public liberal arts college, founded in 1828 by John Chesamore at Johnson in the U.S. state of Vermont. Johnson's president is Barbara E. Murphy and its board chair is Gary M. Moore.- History and governance :...
in Johnson, Vermont. He is presently head of the Vermont Democracy Fund. He currently resides in Middlesex, Vermont
Middlesex, Vermont
Middlesex is a town in Washington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,729 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 39.9 square miles , of which, 39.7 square miles of it is land and 0.2 square miles of...
with his wife Deborah and their two daughters, Alessandra and Maya.
External links
- Anthony Pollina for Governor Official Campaign Website
- VT Progressive Party website
- WCAX-44 Candidate Biographies, 2008 Election