Thank you very much for the political and financial support that you have provided me in my race for re-election as Vermont’s senator.

Today, I am asking for your support to help re-elect my friend Peter Shumlin as Vermont’s governor. Peter is, perhaps, the most progressive governor in the country and, because of his policies, is coming under fierce attack from his Republican opponent and the special interests that are opposed to his progressive agenda.

What happens in Vermont is of enormous importance to the rest of the country. If, under Governor Shumlin’s leadership, Vermont is successful in providing health care to all, protecting our environment, supporting family-based and organic agriculture, having one of the best educational systems in the country and promoting economic and social equality among all of our citizens, what we do here can become a model for other states and the entire nation.

Please help Governor Shumlin continue his bold work by making a contribution of $5, $50 or $100 right now.

https://services.myngp.com/ngponlineservices/contribution.aspx?X=C4RpN7Pe5bqP+1nvlUxnqIq6lI3R5yBGId2%2fhOJevz8%3d&b=780014

Let me give you just a few examples of what we’re trying to do in Vermont:

Today, the United States is the only country in the industrialized world that does not guarantee health care to all through a national health care program. The result is that 50 million Americans are uninsured and 45 thousand die each year because they don’t get to a doctor in time. Yet, despite all that, we spend almost twice as much per capita of what any other country spends on health care.

In Vermont, we intend to change all that. Governor Shumlin and the legislature are moving the state toward a single payer system that will provide quality health care to all of our people, lessen the financial burden on small businesses and be much more cost-effective than the current non-system. In Vermont, our health care dollars will be spent on keeping people healthy and well-treated, rather than on huge administrative and bureaucratic costs and excessive profits for insurance companies. If Vermont succeeds in developing a successful single payer health care system there is no question in my mind that other states will not be far behind and that, eventually, we will be able to move our nation toward a national health care program.

In Washington, despite all of the scientific evidence, the Republican Party rejects the reality of global warming and the devastating impact it is having now and will increasingly have on the United States and the entire planet. In Vermont, Governor Shumlin not only understands the reality of a warming planet, he is working aggressively to move Vermont toward energy efficiency and such sustainable energies as wind, solar, geo-thermal and bio-mass. Vermont already leads the country in terms of energy efficiency and the creation of green jobs but, if Peter is re-elected, we intend to do even more in the future.

Please help re-elect Governor Shumlin so that, in these difficult times, Vermont can be a bold example of what progressive leadership is all about. Please donate $5, $50 or $100 right now.

Thanks very much for continuing the fight for an America of social and economic justice. Let’s move forward together.

Sincerely,


Senator Bernie Sanders

On April 26, 2011, Governor Shumlin appeared on The Rachel Maddow Show via telephone where he discussed health care reform in his state. He said he believes in health care for all and stressed repeatedly "health care is a right, not a privilege".

On May 26, 2011, "Vermont became the first state to lay the groundwork for single-payer health care...when [Governor Shumlin] signed an ambitious bill aimed at establishing universal insurance coverage for all residents".[13]

On August 17, 2011, Governor Shumlin became the first sitting governor in the United States to preside over a same-sex wedding ceremony.[14]

On April 11, 2012, Shumlin was almost mauled by bears. Shumlin was chased by four bears that were raiding bird feeders on his property. Shumlin joked that Vermont "almost lost the governor," and added that he was within "three feet of getting 'arrrh.'"[15]

On May 16, 2012, Vermont became the first state to pass a gas fracking ban bill which was signed by Governor Shumlin. It's a hotly debated natural gas drilling technique that involves blasting chemical-laced water deep into the ground. He signed it at a ceremony in front of environmentalists and a group of high school students who pushed for it. [16]