BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – The Democratic candidates for governor of Vermont faced off in a debate on WCAX Thursday.
Esther Charlestin and Peter Duval are both seeking the Democratic nomination for governor.
Watch the debate:
Both candidates are relatively new to Vermont’s statewide political scene and have different priorities and approaches to how they would lead.
Originally from Essex, Peter Duval attended the University of Vermont and McGill University, where he studied computer science. He says protecting the environment is his top issue. Duval played a key role in blocking the Circumferential Highway from being built and served on the Underhill Selectboard before being recalled by the voters in 2021. He says if elected, he would work to cut the number of cars on the road and would close the McNeil and Ryegate biomass power plants. While he’s running in the Democratic primary, he is seeking write-in votes from all parties as a fusion candidate.
Esther Charlestin worked in higher education for a decade before moving to Vermont, where she served on the Middlebury Selectboard. She currently owns a small business. Charlestin says she would invest in climate change resiliency, removing regulatory barriers for housing, and bolstering education by pushing for a new tax on the state’s top earners. She says it’s a desire to leave a better world for her kids that inspired her run for the state’s top job.
Watch our Primary Preview coverage of the two candidates in the player below.
The debate between Duval and Charlestin is the third of the WCAX News primary debates this election season.
On Monday, the Republican candidates for lieutenant governor faced off. And on Tuesday the Democrats for lieutenant governor debated.