MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – Esther Charlestin has been declared the winner of the Democratic primary for Vt. governor, according to the Associated Press.
With less than five percent of votes reported, Charlestin was leading her challenger, Peter Duval, by a margin of 71% to 28%.
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.
She 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.
Charlestin will go on to face incumbent Republican Gov. Phil Scott on November 5.