Transgender Candidate Has Uphill Battle Against Vermont Incumbent
*By Christian Smith*
Christine Hallquist, the first transgender gubernatorial candidate to be nominated by a major party, faces an uphill battle in Vermont, where she is trying to unseat the popular Republican governor.
"It's possible, but not likely, that Vermont will have the first transgender governor because the incumbent there, Phil Scott, is very popular," said Jonathan Alter, a political reporter and the host of Sirius XM's Alter Family Politics.
Hallquist, the former CEO of Vermont Electric Cooperative, won 48.3 percent in Tuesday's Democratic [primary](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/08/14/us/elections/results-vermont-primary-elections.html). She beat out three other candidates, including a 14-year-old boy who was allowed to run because the Vermont Constitution does not have an age requirement for gubernatorial candidates.
"As far as I'm concerned, these are nice breakthroughs," Alter said Wednesday in an interview on Cheddar. "But they're not ultimately nearly as important as what happens between now and November. The big question is, whether Democrats ー progressives, in particular ー people who don't always vote very much, whether they get off their duffs, turn off their cable TV, go out there, and not actually vote, but work in flippable districts in their states."
Scott, who is popular even among Democrats in Vermont, is considered the favorite to win, though his poll numbers have taken a hit in recent months. His approval rating fell 18 points to 47 percent, and his disapproval rating doubled to 42 percent, according to Morning Consult's latest [quarterly governor approval rankings](https://morningconsult.com/2018/07/25/americas-most-and-least-popular-governors-2/).
The drop came after Scott [tightened](https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/09/us/florida-gov-scott-gun-bill/index.html) gun control laws in March. Despite Vermont's reputation as a liberal state, nearly a third of its residents own guns, according to [CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/gun-ownership-rates-by-state/20/).
For more on this story, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/do-democrats-have-what-it-takes-to-take-back-congress-in-november).
Today marks one year since the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol. The Country watched as supporters of then-President Trump stormed what was assumed to be the most secure building in the country in an attempt to stop the certification of the 2020 Election. Several lawmakers, including the Vice President, could be seen ducking down as they feared for their lives. Democratic Michigan Representative Dan Kildee, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Stocks closed lower on Friday as investors continue to worry over rate hikes. John Lynch, CIO of Comerica Wealth Management, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he says value is back in play with investors. Lynch also believes the market has overreacted to the latest Fed minutes, suggesting a bounce-back at some point.
Ben Armstrong, founder of Bitboy Crypto, joins Cheddar News to discuss Bitcoin's downward trend and what's next for crypto after protests in Kazakhstan cause crypto miners to shut down.
Washington, D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine joins Cheddar Politics to discuss his lawsuit against the extremist groups Proud Boys and Oath Keepers over their role in the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Josh Pasek, a professor at the University of Michigan and expert on political communication and misinformation, joins Cheddar News to discuss how political radicalization happens and how America got to this point.
Kyle Kondik, managing editor at Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics, joins Cheddar News to discuss what to expect at the 2022 midterm elections.
Katie Barlow, media editor at SCOTUSblog, joins Cheddar Politics to reflect on what happened at the Supreme Court in 2021 and what may be in store for 2022.
Gerren Keith Gaynor, managing editor of politics and Washington correspondent at The Grio, joins Cheddar Politics to discuss the progress President Biden made on his policy agenda in 2021, and what remains to be done in 2022.
Ayman Mohyeldin, host of MSNBC Original Podcast 'American Radical,' joins Cheddar News to discuss how the podcast chronicles a woman's path to the insurrection.
Following the attack on the Capitol last year, several major corporations promised to no longer pour funds into the campaigns of Republican lawmakers who supported the January 6 insurrection. But not all have stood firm on their word. Among those that did keep to their promise were Nike, American Express, and Walgreens.
