Of the 48 credit union-friendly candidates that were supported with contributions for their 2006 Vermont campaigns, 38 were elected on Tuesday, November 7. Best of all, the three candidates that were exclusively endorsed by the Association of Vermont Credit Unions (NewsLines, October 2006) easily won their races. We are proud to have made bi-partisan endorsements of an Independent, Republican and Democrat ... Senator-elect Bernie Sanders, Governor Jim Douglas, and Congressman-elect Peter Welch ... and we wholeheartedly congratulate them on their victories.

The campaign contributions made by your Association and our state PAC (VT CUPAC) were also bi-partisan in nature and helped several successful legislators get their message out to voters. There were a few occasions where CU-supported candidates were unsuccessful, but in most cases they were Republicans that got caught up in the wave of GOP unpopularity that gripped Vermont and much of the country. Most notable among these incumbent Republican losses were three credit union supporters in Rutland County ... Senator Wendy Wilton and Reps. David Allaire and Thomas DePoy of Rutland City.

On the positive side, however, credit union supporters from both sides of the aisle were re-elected to the Senate and House. Senate Finance Committee Chair Ann Cummings (Washington Senate) and House Commerce Committee Chair Kathleen Keenan (St. Albans City) were both re-elected. Other supported senators elected include John Campbell (Windsor), Jim Condos (Chittenden), Sara Kittell (Franklin), Mark MacDonald (Orange), Kevin Mullin (Rutland) and Peter Shumlin (Windham). More than two dozen representatives whose campaigns we supported will also be in the Statehouse come January 2, including three credit union champions from the House Commerce Committee ... Jim Condon (Colchester), Warren Kitzmiller (Montpelier) and Ira Trombley (Grand Isle).
 

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