Apparent election ploy to oust Chittenden County state’s attorney fails

An incumbent won reelection over an opponent who said he didn’t even want the job.

In Chittenden County — the state’s most populous — Sarah George, the incumbent state’s attorney who ran in the general election with the nomination of the Democratic and Progressive parties, prevailed for a third, four-year term. 

George won 50,635 votes, besting Republican challenger Jace Laquerre, who collected 27,591 votes, according to unofficial results from the Vermont Secretary of State’s Office.

“This campaign was about what justice should look like: fair, smart, and free from fear,” George wrote in a social media post Wednesday. “That means standing up for victims, holding people accountable, and pursuing solutions that make our community safer.”

Laquerre, a software engineer who isn’t an attorney, pledged that, if elected, he would resign, creating a vacancy that would be filled by a governor’s appointment and who would serve out the remaining term in office.

The unconventional move sought to get George out of office by Laquerre and others critical of George’s criminal justice reform efforts. 

George faced a stronger challenge in the Democratic primary in August from Bram Kranichfeld, who currently serves as the Franklin County state’s attorney. Kranichfeld decided against running for the Franklin County post this year, opting instead to compete for the state attorney  position in Chittenden County where he resides.

In Franklin County, Zach Weight, a Washington County deputy state’s attorney who earned the Democratic and Republican party nominations in the August primary, finished Tuesday with 11,615 votes, winning over John Lavoie, an independent, who had 7,843 votes, according to the unofficial results. 

Lavoie had previously served as the county’s state attorney following his election in 2022 to the post. However, he resigned in the face of a legislative impeachment investigation a year later, prompted by a report detailing harassment and discrimination by him against his employees.

In Grand Isle County, incumbent State’s Attorney Douglas DiSabito, who won the Democratic and Republican primaries in August, was challenged by independent Joshua Martin. 

DiSabito had faced a drunken driving charge this spring that was eventually deferred to a court diversion program, ending prosecution for the charge.

In voting Tuesday, DiSabito easily won reelection to a fourth term with 2,981 votes compared to 1,019 votes for Martin, according to the unofficial results. 

Those were among the voting results Tuesday night from the contested elections for the 14 county state’s attorneys and 14 county sheriffs in Vermont.

In contested sheriff races, Claude Weyant, a Democrat, with 18,976 votes, finished ahead of Richard King, a Republican and lieutenant in the Windsor County Sheriff’s Department, who had 7,436 votes, according to unofficial results.

Weyant, the chief deputy of the Windsor County Sheriff’s Department, has been running the day-to-day operations of the office for the past several months. 

Sheriff Ryan Palmer stepped back from overseeing the day-to-day operations of the department earlier this year after his arrest on charges, including lewd and lascivious conduct. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and did not seek reelection. 

In Franklin County, Chad Miles, a Republican and a captain in the department, won election to his first term as sheriff with 10,397 votes. Andre LaBier, who ran in the general election as a Democrat after failing to gain the Republican nomination in the August primary, had 9,929 votes, according to the unofficial results.

John Grismore, the incumbent Franklin County sheriff, did not seek reelection. He had his law enforcement certification revoked in 2023 over a use-of-force policy violation. 

Grismore had also been criminally charged in connection with that incident for allegedly kicking a person in custody. After two mistrials with jurors were unable to reach unanimous verdicts, the prosecutor dropped the case.

In the only other contested county sheriff race, Sean McRae, a Democrat, prevailed with 8,609 votes in Orange County, finishing ahead of Jacob Held, a Republican, with 5,316 votes, according to unofficial results.

Incumbent Orange County Sheriff George Contois did not seek reelection.

Read the story on VTDigger here: Apparent election ploy to oust Chittenden County state’s attorney fails.