Elections – Secretary of State: A bizarre war of words has erupted in the Democratic Primary for Secretary of State between candidate Charles Merriman of Middlesex and non-candidate Jake Perkinson, Chittenden County Democratic Party Chair, and supporter of Merriman’s opponent, former Chittenden Senator Jim Condos.

It began with Merriman’s appearence on the Mark Johnson Show last week, where he made the following, almost inconceivable statement as a candidate in the Democratic Party primary, looking for Democratic Primary votes:

“I should have run as an independent. You know it was… um… I thought about

it and frankly I ran as a Democrat because I figured I had a better chance of

winning than if I ran as an independent. If I get in, I’ll run as an independent next time.”

What’s followed is a bit of a Democratic Party tempest. First came an email signed by Perkinson and Middlesex Town Dem Chair Taryn Moran, that included the quote, the audio clip, and the following:

As both a Middlesex (Charlie’s home) Town Democratic Chair and a Chittenden County Democratic Chair, we were shocked when we heard this, and find it extremely disappointing that he is only using the Democratic Party to satisfy his personal ambition. Then after the election, should he win; he would turn around and abandon the Democratic Party. He wants to use all of our hard work and our good name to win, but he won’t work to build the party.

We hope you know that you will not get that type of attitude out of Jim Condos.[snip] …it is incredibly expensive to run statewide, if you could make a donation of $25, $50, $100, or more to Jim’s campaign it would go a long way to show the voters that Jim Condos is the best candidate in this race.  

Merriman – and one other County Chair – immediately pushed back. More on the flip.

Next was this email that went out to Democratic circles from the Windham County Chair:

To whom it may concern,

I cannot speak to the content or context of Mr. Merriman’s interview. I am however, very surprised that a County Chair or even a Town Chair would publicly do a fundraising campaign for any Candidate in a Statewide Primary race. I am sure we all have our favorites in many races, but this is a very slippery slope in which you descend. One that I can assure you Windham County will not follow. I can only assume that your individual committee’s have approved this letter, as you have signed on their behalf.

Windham County Democratic Chairman

Lamont Barnett

Then came this clearly angry email to the media from Merriman:

Dear Newspaperpeople:

I am forwarding you an email which went out today from two Democratic Party Chairs.  The email criticizes me as a false Democrat, based on my unwavering belief that the office of the secretary of state must be — above all else — nonpartisan. The email seeks support for Jim Condos.

Unwittingly, the email authors have done me a service.  They have perfectly described a major difference between Jim and me. Jim is, first and foremost, a partisan Democrat. When the issue is close, and the choice is between reading and applying the law (something I, as an attorney, am competent to do and Jim is not), or siding with the policy goals of the Democratic majority in the Legislature, Jim will side with the policy goals of the Democratic majority in the Legislature.

That is not the way the office should be run.  To their credit, most members of the Democratic party with whom I have spoken eschew partisanship in the office, even if it is “their” partisan.  They understand that the office must be, above all else, nonpartisan.

Jim is a Democrat who favors first the party. I am a democrat who favors first the rule of law.  In light of this stark difference between the two of us, I am hopeful your paper will endorse my candidacy for Secretary of State.

Best regards,

Charlie

Charles L. Merriman

Candidate,

Vermont Secretary of State

Finally, there was an email from Condos to the media. Rather than distance himself from a burgeoning internal fracas, Condos invited the media to involve him more deeply, and again forwarded the same clip, which suggests a closed loop with Perkinson and Moran from the outset:

I would be more than happy to speak with you on this email from Mr Merriman if you would like to contact me…

Also, Mr Merriman conveniently deleted an audio of his comments on the Mark Johnson show – it is attached.

JIM

There is certainly a lot to consider here. The question of “what on Earth was Merriman thinking” during his Mark Johnson Show comments tends to get trumped by the question of “what on Earth was Merriman thinking” went he sent that email, which did him no favors. One also wonders why Condos and his supporters would let loose in such an aggressive – and to many, off-putting manner – in a primary that, by all current indications, has already likely become his to lose? And what were Moran and Perkinson thinking in signing their titles on such an aggressive primary advocacy letter, invoking their respective offices and bringing their full committees into the affair in the process?

Strange is the thinking in the political bubble, sometimes.