The Direct Primary

There is frequent public discussion on the role of the primary in the candidate selection process. Do, for example, contested primaries exhaust candidate resources and diminish chances for success in the general election? Do primaries help build name recognition and momentum? At a more basic level, are primaries opportunities for the electorate, or the parties, to select the best-qualified, or most competitive, candidates for the general election?

These core questions were also asked during the extensive debates leading up to Vermont's adoption of the direct primary in 1915 (Act No. 4, 1915). The first primary was held in 1916.

Prior to the primary, candidates were selected through a party caucus system based on a hierarchy of town and state delegates.

The debate over whether to switch to a direct primary was closely contested through several sessions of the General Assembly and two statewide referenda.

In 1914, the Legislative Reference Bureau provided legislators with the principal arguments in favor of the caucus and primary systems. The Bureau's report is an excellent resource for understanding the debate in Vermont over the primary.

Primary and general election results are one measure of whether the expectations of primary supporters were achieved and provide some context for the subsequent debates over the impact of contested primaries.

For example, when reviewing historical election results, there are several cautions:

1. The reality of Republican dominance directly shaped Vermont ranging from early campaign finance restrictions (which were applied to the primary, not the general election) to the use of informal mechanisms to restrict the pool of candidates for any one election.
 
2. Chief among these informal mechanisms was the "Mountain Rule." Under this rule, a governor from east of the Green Mountains was always followed by a governor from the west and the lieutenant governor was from the opposite of the state than the governor.
 
3. There was also an informal expectation that governors serve only a single two-year term. This expectation shifted slightly after 1928 to two consecutive two-year terms and an informal apprenticeship ladder where qualified candidates were anticipated to move from Speaker of the House to Lieutenant Governor to Governor.
 
4. Until 1958, victory in the Republican primary assured victory in the general election. As a result, Democrats, without a hope in the general election, did not have contested primaries until after their first electoral success in 1958.
 
5. The use of informal mechanisms to restrict the pool of candidates changed with the emergence of a competitive Democratic Party in the 1950s and 1960s.
 
6. The presence of third parties starting in the 1970s also lengthening tenure of governors and other changing contexts all influenced the primary process.

The above cautions should be noted when viewing historical election results.