This is a screenshot from state Sen. Steven Heffernan’s latest campaign finance report. You may recognize the names; the first is actually Amy Tarrant of the Richard Tarrant Cinematic Universe; the other three are Burlington-area developer/real estate types.

The Addison County Republican, allegedly a champion of rural Vermont, is getting virtually all of his money from greater Burlington. In the month of July, Heffernan received a mere four donations of $100 or less and 54 donations of more than $100. NONE of the large gifts were from his own district. All but a handful came from Chittenden County. Grassroots? More like Astroturf.

Now I ask you, do the Barons of Burlington give a rat’s ass about the problems of rural Vermont? Of course they don’t. All they want is a reliable anti-tax vote in the state Senate. (They also have no qualms about supporting an extremist who holds deeply prejudiced views about gender-nonconforming folk.)

After the July 1 campaign finance deadline, I noted a distinct lack of activity from the Barons. In July 2024 they’d flooded the zone with four-figure gifts to the campaigns of several Republican Senate candidates plus John Rodgers, who went on to win the lieutenant governorship. So I wondered if this year’s August 1 reports would reveal another round of early-summer Baronial largesse.

The answer is yes, but in a much more limited and less impactful way.

Last month, a bunch of Barons wrote big checks to three first-term Senators who face significant Democratic opposition: Heffernan, Patrick Brennan of Grand Isle, and John Benson of Orange. (Rodgers got a few donations from the Barons as did Rep. Ashley Bartley, vying for the seat being vacated by Sen. Chris Mattos, but far fewer than the favored three.) Otherwise the Barons seem to be sitting out this cycle. There’s no effort to expand the Republican footprint in the Senate, which is curious because they’re so close. The VTGOP is only two votes short of an even partisan split in the senior chamber with, they’d hope, Rodgers casting the tie-breaking vote. Just imagine President Pro Tem Scott Beck.

You’d think the Barons would be emboldened by their 2024 success and trying to push the Republicans into a majority. I suspect they realize it’s a losing battle, and they’re not interested in throwing their money away.

I mean, take a look at the map. There aren’t any real prospects for Republicans to build their caucus. They’d have to win in deep-blue districts like Bennington, Chittenden Central, Chittenden Southeast, Washington, Windham, or Windsor, or they’d have to pull off another upset in the customarily Democratic Addison district.

So the Barons are retrenching. They’re not putting their weight behind any Republican challengers for Democratic seats. They’re not even supporting the two Republicans hoping to join Heffernan in representing Addison.

Heffernan had only raised about $600 as of July 1. But by August 1 he’d raised a tidy $49,000 while spending little. As noted above, the vast majority of his 49 G’s came from the Usual Suspects of Republican fundraising: familiar names like Lisman, Tarrant, Pizzagalli, Pomerleau, Boardman, and Bissonette. He hasn’t spent much, despite the fact that he’s one of three Republicans in a race for two nominations.

One of the other two Addison Republicans, Andrew Klein, has raised a total of $38,000, but none of it came from the Barons. Most came from other states: Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New jersey, Ohio, and Michigan. He did benefit from the largesse of two locals: himself ($3,017) and former Democrat turned “independent” Paul Ralston ($1,000). (The third Addison Republican, Andrea Treadway, has raised $4,800 but all but a few hundred came from her family’s accounts.)

The Addison Dems, meanwhile, are putting forward veteran incumbent Ruth Hardy and farmer/artist Hannah Sessions, who has done quite well on the fundraising front. She’s raised $46,000 and spent little. And unlike Heffernan, she’s not dependent on large checks from the big city. She’s taken in 19 donations over $100 and 44 of $100 or less.

Back to the fortunate few Republicans. Brennan raised nearly $35,000 in July, virtually all of it in gifts over $100. Nothing grassrootsy about that. His donor list is shorter than Heffernan’s, but the Barons of Burlington feature heavily. Four Tarrants, four Pizzagallis, Bruce Lisman, Scott Boardman, “Earni” (sic) Pomerleau, WIlliam Bissonette, people like that.

Likewise with Benson, who was appointed to the Senate by Gov. Phil Scott after the resignation of first-term senator Larry Hart Sr. As of July 1, Benson’s fundraising had largely consisted of dipping into his own pockets. But in July, the Barons stepped up. Boardmans, Tarrants, Bruce Lisman, William Bissonette, Hauke Building Supply, Steele Dubrul and more, all kicking in $1,000 or close to it. (A lot of people gave $960, which I assume is a $1,000 donation via WinRed minus that entity’s piece of the action.) Meanwhile, Benson did not receive a single donation of $100 or less. A real man of the people.

Again, the Barons care not one little bit about the concerns of rural Vermont. They just want a Republican caucus strong enough to sustain gubernatorial vetoes. As for Benson, Brennan and Heffernan, what’s their real constituency? District voters, or the outsiders who fuel their campaigns?

The rest of the Republican Senatorial ticket is being left to sink or swim on their own. Some, like Scott Beck, Russ Ingalls, John Morley, Richard Westman, and the Franklin and Rutland delegations, likely don’t need the Barons’ help. The candidates in solid blue districts in Bennington, Chittenden, Washington, Windham and Windsor are left hanging. Even former state representative Rob LaClair, now running for Senate in Washington, has failed to raise any money at all so far.

Finally, a note about Lieutenant Governor John Rodgers. He did a bit better in July; he raised $35,000, which brought his total takings to $89,000 for the cycle. Meanwhile the two Democratic hopefuls, Molly Gray and Ryan McLaren, have combined to raise nearly $750,000. They will have spent a lot of that by primary night, but they’ve each proven their ability to raise far more money than Rodgers. He’ll face an uphill battle against either Democrat this fall, and it doesn’t look like the Barons are fully committed. He’s got to run a statewide campaign, and the Barons gave a lot more money to their favored Senate candidates. Rodgers continues to look like a one-term fluke, not the Great Future Hope of the VTGOP.