Political campaigns halt in-person events

By Keith Whitcomb Jr. [email protected]
Several political campaigns have decided to suspend in-person events and work on ways to get their message out remotely, all to avoid spreading the novel coronavirus.

Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman, who is running for the Democratic nomination for governor, was among the first campaigns to announce the suspension of in-person events.

“I think it was a decision that was made yesterday throughout the course of the day and fueled by our wanting to ensure the safety of all Vermonters,” said Megan Polyte, campaign manager of Zuckerman for VT, on Thursday.

So far, there have been two presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 in Vermont. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as of Thursday there were 1,215 cases in the United States, with 36 reported deaths. The cases were across 42 states and the District of Columbia. There have been more worldwide, and the World Health Organization is calling the disease spread a pandemic.

Polyte said even before the outbreak, the campaign had been thinking about ways to reach people remotely.

“We had always been thinking about how we could be more accessible to people, and obviously in this moment in our history in terms of climate crisis we have been thinking about other things we can do to reduce our footprint during the campaign, but I was not prepared yesterday to say this was the only way that we’re going to be operating for a little while, so obviously our toolkit is expanding pretty rapidly,” she said.

The campaign is looking at web communication services such as Zoom to reach out to people, but is also exploring methods of letting people know about these efforts.

“We made the decision because it was the right decision to make, and I think it’s going to be challenging,” she said. “I believe that everybody, all of the campaigns and other organizations that do a lot of outreach, are all going to need to come to this decision quite rapidly as we look at what’s coming out of the news.”

The Brandon Town Hall was slated to host a forum featuring Rebecca Holcombe, who is running for the Democratic nomination for governor, and Molly Gray, who is seeking the Democratic party’s nomination for lieutenant governor.

Gray said Thursday the Brandon event has been called off, as did Cameron Russell, campaign manager for Holcombe.

Russell said Holcombe and Gray are not campaigning together; they were simply asked to attend the event together by locals.

“We want to be taking this seriously and making sure we’re on the side of science, and I think it’s pretty clear there’s going to be a lapse in time with our being able to fully know the extent to which the virus has spread and we’re not the professionals on that front, so we’re going to take any necessary precautions to make sure we’re putting people’s safety over campaigning,” said Russell.

Gray said her campaign would work to spread information about COVID-19 and how to limit its spread, looking to the state health department and federal CDC for guidance.

“The health and safety of Vermonters is our No. 1 priority,” she said.

Senator Bernie Sanders’ campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination reached a similar conclusion.

“In light of concerns about coronavirus and out of an abundance of caution for our staff, volunteers and supporters, the Sanders campaign has asked all staff to work from home and will no longer hold large events or door-to-door canvasses, instead moving to digital formats and outreach wherever possible,” said Mike Casca, Bernie 2020 communications director, in an email Thursday.

Senate President Pro Tempore Tim Ashe, D/P-Chittenden, said in an email Thursday his campaign for lieutenant governor is taking a backseat to his duties as a lawmaker.

“My first job right now is to work with the governor and the speaker to make sure we’re keeping people safe. Period. A statewide primary campaign has to take a backseat to that, even if it hurts my candidacy,” he said. “Under normal circumstances, I’d be feverishly trying to raise funds in advance of the first fundraising filing deadline, but I believe that would be inappropriate in this moment of deep anxiety throughout the state. I am urging everyone to continue to make individual and group decisions that prioritize public health.”

Not all campaigns have gone so far as to curtail events.

Meg Hansen, who’s running for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor, said in an interview Thursday she hasn’t cancelled any events but is taking other precautions.

“We had a meeting today in Montpelier and the Upper Valley, and it’s groups of under 25,” she said. “The thing we’re doing is not shaking hands. I’m not shaking hands and am encouraging people not to do that.”

She said she’d hopeful that more testing will become available and there will be a vaccine soon.

“I think that’s the main thing, we have to keep an eye on it,” she said.