Font ResizeBRATTLEBORO -- Windham County state Sens. Peter Galbraith and Jeanette White easily brushed aside a challenger Tuesday to grab two available Democratic nominations.
With vote tallies available from 14 of the Senate district's 20 towns, White led the pack with 2,625 followed by Galbraith's 2,334.
Challenger Mary Cain was running a distant third with 741 votes.
White said she "had not been taking anything for granted" in her bid for a sixth term.
"I am excited to be chosen to represent the Democratic Party," she said.
Galbraith could not immediately be reached for comment.
By late Tuesday night, Cain had changed her voice mail to say she was "taking a few days off" and would not be answering phone calls.
"Windham County, I am so proud of you," the message said.
Cain's candidacy created a three-way primary race for two available Democratic nominations.
But her candidacy also proved controversial, as Cain -- a Brattleboro justice of the peace -- acknowledged in July that she had signed a marriage certificate though she had not presided over the wedding as required by state law.
It is not clear whether the 2010 wedding, which allegedly involved a man who was fatally shot last year at Brattleboro Food Co-op, actually occurred. Authorities are investigating, and Cain last week said she could not address the matter.
But she did say she had visited nearly every Windham County community,
Health care and the economy also were main campaign themes for White and Galbraith.
White has served five two-year terms in the Senate.
The Putney resident and former Putney Selectboard member said she takes pride in crafting public policy after listening to multiple viewpoints.
Issues she wants to tackle in the coming session include a revised open-meeting law and a campaign-finance bill.
Galbraith is serving his first Senate term but previously had been active in international affairs as President Bill Clinton's ambassador to Croatia and as a United Nations representative in East Timor and Afghanistan.
He touted his role as a freshman legislator in the state's ban on hydraulic fracturing, a practice used in natural-gas drilling.
His priorities include continuing to move the state toward a single-payer health-care system and continuing to expand broadband access.
No other candidates had entered the Senate race.
Mike Faher can be reached at mfaher@reformer.com or 802-254-2311, ext. 275.
