Matt Dunne
| Matt Dunne | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Vermont Senate from the Windsor district | |
|
In office 2002–2006 | |
| Member of the Vermont House of Representatives | |
|
In office 1992–1998 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
November 20, 1969 New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Sarah Stewart Taylor |
| Residence | Hartland, Vermont, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Brown University (B.A.) |
| Profession | Businessman, politician |
Matt Dunne (born November 20, 1969) is an American politician and businessman from the U.S. state of Vermont. He served four terms in the Vermont House of Representatives, two terms in the Vermont State Senate, was the Democratic candidate in the 2006 Vermont Lt. Governor's race, and an unsuccessful candidate in the five-way primary during the Vermont gubernatorial election, 2010.
Dunne is a candidate for the 2016 Democratic nomination for Governor of Vermont.
Early life
Dunne was born in New Haven, Connecticut. He grew up in Hartland, Vermont, the son of lawyer and civil rights activist John Bailey Dunne and college professor Faith Weinstein Dunne.[1] Dunne attended Hanover High School in Hanover, New Hampshire, graduating in 1987. He then spent a year at Choate Rosemary Hall, a top boarding school in Wallingford, Connecticut, where his father had studied. After graduating from Choate in 1988, Dunne attended Brown University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in public policy in 1992.
Business career
Dunne was Director of Marketing for Logic Associates, a Vermont software company that during his tenure grew to over $18 million in sales. He also co-founded Cabin Fever Productions, which managed the Briggs Opera House and facilitated concerts in downtown White River Junction. Following the 2006 election, Dunne was hired by Google to run community affairs for the company from White River Junction, Vermont.[2]
Political career
At age 22, Dunne was elected to the Vermont House of Representatives representing Hartland and West Windsor. He served four terms in the Vermont House, during which he served as Vice-Chair of the Transportation Committee. In 1998 he became the youngest House majority whip in the country.[3] After serving in the legislature for 7 years, President Clinton asked Dunne to serve as Director of AmeriCorps VISTA, an organization that oversees over 6,000 full-time volunteers in the fight against poverty. As director, Dunne improved recruitment numbers and overhauled the organization's training programs. He served as director for two and a half years, under both President Clinton and President Bush.
After returning to Vermont in 2002, Dunne was elected to the Vermont State Senate. He served on the Appropriations, Economic Development, and Administrative Rules Committees. During this time he served as Assistant Director of the Nelson A. Rockefeller Center for Public Policy at Dartmouth College, where he oversaw programs to prepare young people for careers in public service and non-profit management, including the Policy Research Shop. He also served as Chair of the Vermont delegation to the New England Board of Higher Education.
2006 campaign for lieutenant governor
In 2006, Dunne ran for Lieutenant Governor of Vermont. In the Democratic primary held September 14, 2006, Dunne defeated State Rep. John Tracey of Burlington, winning 59% of the vote.[4]
Dunne faced off against incumbent Republican Brian Dubie. Dunne's campaign received attention for its service politics events, where campaign volunteers worked with Vermont communities on local service projects. Dunne lost to Dubie 45%-51%.[5]
2010 gubernatorial election
On November 3, 2009, Dunne announced that he would seek the Democratic nomination for Governor of Vermont in 2010. Dunne was one of five Democrats vying for the nomination.
During the final weeks of the campaign, Dunne's brother Josh suffered a life-threatening stroke that required surgery. Dunne missed three of the final debates, and removed himself from the campaign trail for nearly two weeks, finally returning on August 20.[6]
He was endorsed by many members of the Vermont State legislature, including Kesha Ram and Suzi Wizowaty.[7]
The primary was held on August 24, 2010. Dunne finished fourth with 20.8% of vote. He finished ahead of Susan Bartlett (5.1%), but behind Peter Shumlin (24.8%), Doug Racine (24.6%), and Deborah Markowitz (23.9%). Only 4 percentage points separated the top four candidates, making it one of the closest primaries in Vermont history.[8] Shumlin went on to win the general election, and all his primary opponents but Dunne subsequently joined the Shumlin administration.[9]
2016 election for governor
In June 2015 Shumlin announced that he would not be a candidate for reelection in 2016.[10] In August, Vermont House Speaker Shap Smith announced that he would be a candidate.[11]
In September Dunne announced that he would also be a candidate.[12] Also in September, former state legislator Sue Minter, then serving as Vermont's Secretary of Transportation, announced that she would be a candidate for the Democratic nomination.[13]
Smith ended his candidacy in November 2015, after his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer.[14]
In February 2016 Dunne left his position at Google, indicating to members of the media that he did so in order to focus on his campaign.[15]
References
- ↑ http://www2.lib.unc.edu/mss/inv/d/Dunne,John_B.html
- ↑ "Matt Dunne on Google and Information Access". Vermont Public Radio. March 23, 2009.
- ↑ "Matt Dunne for Lt. Governor". Addison County Independent. November 6, 2006.
- ↑ "Dunne Wins Lt. Governor Primary". Rutland Herald. September 14, 2006.
- ↑ "2006 Lt. Governor Results" (PDF). Vermont Secretary of State's Office. November 7, 2006.
- ↑ "Dunne Returns to the Trail" Burlington Free Press, August 20, 2010
- ↑ Bennington Banner Newspaper, August 25, 2010
- ↑ Roman, Jesse (August 26, 2010). "Shumlin Wins in a Cliff-Hanger". Stowe Reporter (Stowe, VT).
- ↑ Heintz, Paul (October 15, 2014). "The Emperor's New Bros: Can Shumlin Sell Single Payer to legislators?". Seven Days (Shelburne, VT).
- ↑ "Shumlin will not Seek Re-Election in 2016". Vermont Public radio (Burlington, VT). June 8, 2015.
- ↑ "Shap Smith wants to Succeed Peter Shumlin as next Vermont Governor". The Times Argus (Barre, VT). August 14, 2015.
- ↑ Gram, David (September 2, 2015). "Google Executive Matt Dunne Running for Vermont Governor". Portland Press Herald (Portland, ME). Associated Press.
- ↑ Hallenbeck, Terri (September 10, 2015). "Sue Minter to Run for Vermont Governor". Seven Days (Shelburne, VT).
- ↑ Burbank, April (November 17, 2015). "Shap Smith Suspends Campaign for Governor". Burlington Free Press (Burlington, VT).
- ↑ "Vermont's Matt Dunne is done at Google". Houston Chronicle (Houston, TX). Associated Press. February 3, 2016.