Shumlin, Racine and Markowitz Pledge to Work Together During Recount 

Heeding calls for Democratic unity, the top three finishers in the Democratic gubernatorial primary are pledging to campaign together against Republican candidate Brian Dubie while town clerks across Vermont recount 70,000-plus ballots.

Peter Shumlin, Doug Racine and Deb Markowitz sent a joint email to their supporters on Sunday saying that Shumlin, who finished 197 votes ahead of Racine in the official tally, should campaign and fundraise as the presumptive Democratic nominee.

On Friday, Racine announced he would seek a recount, noting the margin of victory was "less than one vote per town in Vermont." Racine admitted the odds are against him, but said he owes it to his supporters, and to all Vermonters, to be sure the result is correct.

Meanwhile, Shumlin, Racine and Markowitz have pledged to campaign together until the recount settles who won the super-close election. Secretary of State Deb Markowitz said Monday the recount won't begin until this Friday, or next Tuesday, at the earliest, and could take until September 16 to complete.

As we prepare for the recount process we wanted to share with you our united plan to ensure that no matter what the results of the recount are, we will beat Brian Dubie in November.

With the unofficial results showing Peter winning by 197 votes, we all agree that he should continue to campaign as the presumptive nominee. We've also agreed to campaign together while the recount takes place. Our vision for Vermont is dramatically different than Brian Dubie's and as this process unfolds, it is critical that Vermonters understand the contrast between Brian's vision and our own.

We will all be working together over the coming days to ensure that the recount process happens as quickly and effectively as possible so the nominee has as much time as possible to beat Brian. In addition, the three of us will continue to work together to ensure that fundraising, staffing and other efforts essential to the campaign continue.

In many ways, this may have been the most extraordinary primary in the history of Vermont. All five opponents articulated their vision for Vermont without disparaging each other. The reason that roughly 75,000 Vermonters turned out to vote is because they were energized by these positive visions. Whatever the results of the recount, the Democratic nominee will have this energy, passion, and excitement behind them as they take on Brian Dubie.

Thank you for all of your support.

Best,
Doug, Peter and Deb