weekly political column. Tim Newcomb
Kevin Burgess, the Vermont Democratic Party s director of outreach, quit earlier this month, citing a toxic work environment and a complete and utter failure of party leadership. Days later,
Scott McNeil, the party s executive director, announced he s leaving, too. The Vermont GOP is also in disarray, split between fealty to and disdain for former president
Donald Trump. Burlington s 19-year-old GOP chair,
Kolby LaMarche, recently called on state party chair and Trump supporter
Deb Billado to resign. When that didn t happen, he stepped down himself. Meanwhile, groups such as Emerge Vermont, an affiliate of a national group that recruits and trains Democratic women to run for office, and the newly formed Bright Leadership Institute, a stand-alone, nonpartisan group supporting candidates of color, have taken up some of the functions former
Republican Don Coram estimated he got more than 100 phone calls leading up to the day Congress was scheduled to reaffirm Democrat Joe Bidenâs victory in the presidential election.
A few urged the Montrose lawmaker to ratify the results of the Electoral College, which in December affirmed Biden had defeated Republican Donald Trump. Most callers argued the election had been stolen from President Trump and Coram had a responsibility to reject the results from Arizona, Pennsylvania and other states
A few callers, Coram said, used his wifeâs Dianaâs âfavorite term of endearment.âÂ
 âThey called me a @#!$ @ idiot,â he said.
Republican Don Coram estimated he got more than 100 phone calls leading up to the day Congress was scheduled to reaffirm Democrat Joe Biden’s victory in the presidential election.