Peter Galbraith
Peter W. Galbraith is a former Democratic member of the Vermont State Senate, representing the Windham District from 2010 to 2015. Galbraith announced on June 9, 2014, that he would not be seeking re-election in 2014.[1]
On March 22, 2016, Galbraith announced he would run for Governor of Vermont in the 2016 election.[2] He was defeated in the Democratic primary by Sue Minter.
Biography
Galbraith holds an A.B. from Harvard College, M.A. from Oxford University and J.D. from Georgetown University.
Galbraith worked for the U.S. government for 24 years before taking office in Vermont. He is a former United States Ambassador to Croatia and Senior Diplomatic Fellow at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation. He was a senior advisor to the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 1979 to 1993, the Director for Political, Constitutional and Electoral Affairs at the U.N. Transitional Administration in East Timor and taught National Security Strategy at the National War College.[3]
Committee assignments
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Galbraith served on the following committees:
| Vermont committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Finance |
| • Natural Resources and Energy, Vice chair |
| • Judicial Retention |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Galbraith served on these committees:
| Vermont committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs |
| • Government Operations |
| • Judicial Retention |
Elections
2016
- See also; Vermont gubernatorial election, 2016
On March 22, 2016, Galbraith announced he would run as a Democrat in the 2016 election for Governor of Vermont. Galbraith competed with former state Rep. Sue Minter, former state Sen. Matt Dunne, Cris Ericson, and H. Brooke Paige in the August 9 Democratic primary election.[2] Sue Minter won the Democratic primary.
Sue Minter defeated Matt Dunne, Peter Galbraith, Cris Ericson, and H. Brooke Paige in the Democratic primary for governor.
| Democratic primary for governor, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Sue Minter |
49.27% | 36,046 |
| Matt Dunne | 36.50% | 26,706 |
| Peter Galbraith | 9.04% | 6,611 |
| Cris Ericson | 0.73% | 537 |
| H. Brooke Paige | 0.49% | 361 |
| Write-in votes | 3.96% | 2,899 |
| Total Votes (275 of 275 Precincts Reporting) | 73,160 | |
| Source: Vermont Secretary of State | ||
Campaign finance
2012
- See also: Vermont State Senate elections, 2012
Galbraith won re-election in the 2012 election for Vermont State Senate Windham District. Galbraith advanced past the August 28 Democratic primary and won re-election in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[4]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Peter Galbraith Incumbent |
44.6% | 12,339 | |
| Democratic | Jeanette White Incumbent |
47.4% | 13,123 | |
| Liberty Union | Aaron Diamondstone | 8% | 2,214 | |
| Total Votes | 27,676 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Jeanette White Incumbent |
46% | 3,084 |
| Peter Galbraith Incumbent |
41.2% | 2,758 |
| Mary Cain | 12.8% | 858 |
| Total Votes | 6,700 | |
2010
- See also: Vermont State Senate elections, 2010
Galbraith ran for the Windham District seat in 2010. He ran against Jeanette White, and Toby Young in the primary. He defeated Hilary Cooke (R), Lynn Corum (R), and Aaron Diamondstone (I) in the general election on November 2, 2010.[4]
| Vermont State Senate, Windham District, General Election (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Peter Galbraith (D)
|
9,435 | |||
| Jeanette White (D)
|
8,915 | |||
| Hilary Cooke (R) | 4,838 | |||
| Lynn Corum (R) | 3,924 | |||
| Aaron Diamondstone (Socialist) | 620 | |||
Campaign themes
2016
Galbraith's website included the following positions:[5]
- Raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2021
- Universal healthcare funded entirely by the state via a two percent payroll tax
- Elimination of corporate subsidies and tax incentives
- Offering free tuition for Vermont's public universities via eliminating special interest taxes
- Prohibiting corporations from donating to state campaigns
- Maintaining the state's natural resources and smart growth of the green energy industry, including a ban on industrial wind turbines in Vermont's mountain ranges
- Lowering property taxes and funding education through income and sales taxes
2012
Galbraith's website highlighted the following campaign themes:[6]
- Expand health care to include an affordable Vermont Public Option for all.
- Attract investment and jobs to Windham County making use of his global experience.
- Retire Vermont Yankee as scheduled in 2012.
- Advance a Green Energy future through conservation, the use and local development of renewable energy, and marketing Vermont green technology.
- Keep Vermont special by protecting our open spaces and making farming economically viable.
- Extend cell coverage and broadband internet thoughout Windham county.
- Make Windham County a priority in Montpelier.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Vermont scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2014
In 2014, the Vermont General Assembly was in session from January 7 to May 10.
- National Federation of Independent Business in Vermont: 2013-2014 Legislative Voting Record
- Legislators are scored based on their votes on small business issues.
- Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility: 2013-2014 Legislative Scorecard
- Legislators are scored based on whether or not their votes aligned with VBSR’s stance on each policy.
- Vermont Conservation Voters: 2013-2014 Environmental Scorecard
- Legislators are scored based on their voting records on environmental issues.
- Vermont Public Interest Research Group: 2013-2014 Legislative Scorecard
- Legislators are scored by VPIRG on bills related to public interest issues.
2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
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In 2013, the Vermont General Assembly was in session from January 9 to May 14.
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2012
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show]. |
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In 2012, the Vermont General Assembly was in session from January 3 to May 5.
|
2011
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2011, click [show]. |
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In 2011, the Vermont General Assembly was in session from January 5 through mid May.
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Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Galbraith is the son of economist John Kenneth Galbraith. He and his wife, Tone Bringa, have two children.
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Peter + Galbraith + Vermont + Senate"
- All stories may not be relevant to this legislator due to the nature of the search engine.
See also
- Vermont State Legislature
- Vermont State Senate
- Vermont State Senate Committees
- Vermont Joint Committees
- Vermont state legislative districts
External links
- Profile from Open States
- Biography of Peter Galbraith on Project Vote Smart
- Vermont State Senate website
Footnotes
- ↑ VT Digger, "Galbraith Leaves Open Seat in Windham County," June 9, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Seven Days, "Peter Galbraith Joins Race for Governor, Pledging to Shake It Up," March 22, 2016
- ↑ The Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, "Ambassador Peter W. Galbraith," accessed June 8, 2011
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Vermont Secretary of State, "Election Results Search," accessed April 22, 2014
- ↑ Peter Galbraith for Governor, "Issues," accessed July 27, 2016
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Issue Position: On the Issues," accessed December 25, 2014
