By Kolby LaMarche

Incumbent Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George held off a strong primary challenge from Bram Kranichfeld late into last night, winning the Democratic nomination by a narrower margin than she had just four years earlier. 

As of this morning, George received 15,930 votes to Kranichfeld’s 14,922. The result left her with just over half the votes cast between the two candidates, a clear but reduced victory that reflected a more competitive race than the one she faced in 2022.

In a statement provided to BDN after the results, Kranichfeld thanked the volunteers and supporters who had knocked on doors, made calls, put up signs, donated, hosted events, and spoken with neighbors. 

He said the campaign had built a broad coalition and elevated concerns about public safety into a wider community discussion about accountability, compassion, and how the justice system can function better. He also expressed pride in having run a positive campaign and in running as a Democrat, congratulated George on her nomination, and urged residents to come together regardless of whom they had supported. 

“Whatever candidate we supported, we are neighbors, we are one community, and ultimately we all want Chittenden County to thrive,” he wrote.

Four years ago, George defeated Ted Kenney far more decisively, taking nearly 17,907 votes to his roughly 11,000 in a contest that saw 28,000 voters, compared to 32,000 this year.

That earlier contest produced a much wider gap and a higher share of support for the incumbent – including George capturing every town. But this year’s primary saw a sizable increase in the number of votes cast specifically for the state’s attorney candidates and that let to a bit of a different story. 

The closer outcome this year suggests that a once-dormant section of Democratic primary voters were open to an alternative approach and campaign, and moreover, that there may have certainly been cross-over in the Democratic primary amongst both Republicans and Independents, though no clear number will exist, only assumptions. 

Kranichfeld improved on the 2022 challenger’s performance in most of the county’s larger communities, arguably the vastly important ones: Burlington, the biggest source of votes, flipped from a solid George win to a narrow loss for the incumbent. 

Colchester and Milton also moved sharply against her, turning previous advantages into clear deficits for George that stung by 10PM by last night. Williston, already competitive last cycle as the home field of then-challanger Ted Kenney, tipped narrowly toward the Kranichfeld by just 12 votes. 

South Burlington, once a comfortable George stronghold, became almost evenly split. Essex Junction and Essex Town both saw the incumbent’s support drop too, enough to shrink those once-comfortable leads into much tighter margins.

The pattern, however, was not uniform. In Huntington and Richmond, George actually strengthened her position compared with 2022. 

Several smaller towns continued to favor her by solid margins, though those margins were generally slightly reduced from 2022: Charlotte, Jericho, Bolton, Hinesburg, Underhill, Westford, Shelburne, and Winooski all remained in her column but by less decisive shares than before. 

St. George stayed essentially unchanged. Overall, Kranichfeld’s gains were concentrated where the most votes were cast, while George held firmer ground in some of the county’s smaller communities, one that – one could argue – do not feel all the pressure of the drug, homelessness, and crime crisis in Burlington and other closely-neighboring cities. 

George has led the office since her appointment by Gov. Phil Scott in early 2017, following T.J. Donovan’s departure to become attorney general. 

She won a full term in 2018 with little opposition and turned back Kenney’s 2022 challenge, which had drawn support from several police unions and focused on claims that her policies left the county less safe. 

Kranichfeld, a former deputy in the Chittenden office, former Burlington City Council member, and the current Franklin County State’s Attorney, entered this year’s contest arguing for adjustments to policies on cash bail, charges stemming from traffic stops, greater transparency, and a recalibrated balance between reform and accountability. 

He raised and spent significantly more than the incumbent in the months before the primary. With no Republican on the ballot, the Democratic contest effectively decided the next four-year term.

George now moves forward as the Democratic nominee. 

The reduced margin and the shifts in key towns show that the debate over the right balance in local prosecution remains alive among primary voters. Official results will confirm the final numbers, but the unofficial returns already make clear that the incumbent survived a much stronger challenge than the one she faced in 2022 while falling short of the broader support she once commanded.

This primary will certainly be something for State’s Attorney Sarah George to think about.