Attorney General Charity Clark returns for an exclusive conversation on why prosecutors can't play favorites, and the backlash from fellow Democrats over the decision to prosecute ICE protestors. She also breaks down the historic $92.7M Meta settlement, 73 lawsuits against the Trump administration, and a new know-your-rights guide for protesting legally.

In our opener: sheep invade Burlington High, a garter snake terrorizes Andy's frogs, the "left has a purity test, right has a loyalty test" theory, and dueling polls in the governor's race. Plus, Last Licks serves up more gems from our candidate survey.

Show Notes: Vermont Attorney General's Office Know Your Rights Guide here.

Lieutenant Governor John Rogers joins us to talk about growing up on a dairy farm, his masonry business, and his journey from Democrat to Republican. We dig into affordability, net metering, Act 250, the trades workforce, supervisory unions, universal health care, and the secret behind his "maroon" blazer.

In the opener: a Creemee shortage (thanks, ICE), Andy finally gets his moose and goes to war with a squirrel, a one-year cap on superintendent contracts, Bernie's missing Janoo endorsement, and Dairygate.

In Last Licks, candidates share the best and weirdest food from the campaign trail, from turnip donuts to humble pie.

Season 3 is here! Andy and Joanna open with Andy's up-close bear encounter before digging into this election season’s big questions and why they're stepping back from a strictly partisan lens.

Then Franklin County Democratic Chair and House candidate Zach Scheffler joins to talk about the challenges of running in a district dominated by the opposing party, what's different from his 2024 run, and why housing costs are pushing his Saint Albans neighbors out, how county parties are picking up organizing work the state party can't.

Plus: We shared candidate haikus in a first taste of the results of the There’s No “A” in Creemee candidate survey in Last Licks.

Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help support There’s No “A” in Creemee here. And follow us on Substack here. Thank you!

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We are back next week with the best, and most fun, political coverage in Vermont. New guests, new takes, Andy & Joanna’s classic camaraderie — and this time we're going all in on the election. Here’s a fall preview of Vermont’s hit political podcast, There’s No “A” in Creemee. Don’t forget to like & subscribe here and on Substack at open.substack.com/pub/theresnoaincreemee.

Joanna and Andy drop in the booth fresh off the Vermont Democratic primary. She and Andy get into the strange grief of running for office: the sleepless nights, the dehumanization, the artificial turf question that wouldn't die, and the freedom of being a private citizen again.

They cover the results, Republican infiltration of the Democratic primary, the numbers and more.

Plus: a Free Press headline that called a race (wrong) before the polls opened, egrets on Bird Yelp, and our summer plans. Season 3 in September.

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It's hot in the Skate Shack, Joanna's glasses are fogging up, and we're running on fumes — welcome to our last episode before the primary.

Andy takes the agenda for once and Joanna delivers a much-needed PAC 101: what an IE PAC actually is, how coordinating PACs differ, and how independent expenditures can sometimes backfire on the very candidates they're boosting.

Plus: a campaign outing to Bolton Valley (fire tower, chairlift, and yes, an orange creamsicle Creemee), and a deep dive into Vermont's mysterious two-camel population.

Then we replay our conversation with Tim Ashe, candidate for State Auditor.

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Joanna and Andy are back in the Skate Shack for early voting stickers, a discouraged electorate, and an honest look at how the same propaganda tactics that fueled MAGA are now creeping into the left. Plus: AG Charity Clark's 50th birthday bash for Joanna (with mandatory singing), a full recap of the summer creemee tour and a rebroadcast of Joanna's original campaign launch episode.

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Joanna and Andy open with rescue stories, cross the 3,000-doors mark, and get real about the exhausting world of how special interests can monopolize candidate time.

Plus: fresh UNH poll numbers, journalism vs. content, and a look into the equity issues baked into lawn signs.

Then, as part of our pre-primary top races rebroadcast series, we revisit our conversation with Lieutenant Governor candidate Ryan McLaren — a longtime party fixture who worked for Peter Welch — on cynicism, community, affordability, and what it means to be "Made in Vermont."

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Andy and Joanna kick off giggly as ever, fresh off Andy hosting Lt. Gov. candidate Molly Gray for an islands tour — bagels, senior housing, a 1820s meeting house, and a proud town clerk's vault. Joanna opens up about the South Burlington forum blowup and reflects on the gap between voters fighting for basic needs and a loud minority fixated on issues far from the district. Then it's a field trip to Mount Philo, popsicles at Adam's Berry Farm, and an unplanned, deeply inspiring stop at Sisters of Anarchy ice cream. Plus: we rebroadcast our conversation with Molly Gray.

Description: Back in the Skate Shack, video and all! Andy and Joanna talk about their bucket-list campaign retreat hike up Mount Mansfield (bad birders, great views) and a few more key takeaways from the UNH poll. Joanna also shares a candid take on a forum that went off the rails and why librarians should moderate every debate. Plus, a visit to the Morning Drive studio. Then, as part of our primary rebroadcast series, we revisit our interview with gubernatorial candidate Aly Richards, recorded the morning after she announced.

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Andy and Joanna recap a Fourth of July full of Williston parade antics (ice-flinging Nordic skiers included), Andy's strong approval rating with dogs and children, and meeting campaign trail royalty in Richmond. They dig into the new UNH poll shaking up the Governor and Lt. Governor races — plus this week's best troll comeback. Since time is short on the trail, we're rebroadcasting our talk with Amanda Janoo.

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Joanna and Andy continue their Chittenden County State's Attorney series with incumbent Sarah George, who makes the case for re-election after nine-plus years in the role. Sarah demystifies what a state's attorney actually does, then digs into the perception gap on public safety downtown, the local response to ICE, and the new accountability docket that finally cleared Burlington's COVID-era case backlog. She also explains why her office won't ask for cash bail—and what the research says about whether it works.

In the opener: a touch-a-truck adventure at the Champlain Parkway opening, a postcard party, and another stop on the Creemee tour.

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Chittenden County's race for State's Attorney is heating up. Bram Kranichfeld, current Franklin County State's Attorney, joins us to dig into what the job actually entails, his case for better criminal justice outcomes, cash bail, accountability court, and where prosecutors must draw the line on ICE and politicized charging decisions.

In the opener, Joanna opens up about a missed endorsement deadline, and the umbrella-toting voter who restored our faith in humanity.

Plus a Glossary of Shame on "policy governance."

Also, Bram takes a hard line on creemee purity. No sprinkles.

Next week: Sarah George.

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Joanna and Andy welcome Megan Metzler, chair of the Champlain Valley School District Board and vice president of the Vermont School Board Association, for a deep dive into Vermont's education funding crisis. Megan unpacks the foundation formula, why it doesn't work for Chittenden County, the $60 million that could be pulled from the county's schools, and why school boards have had to become loud advocates.

In the opener, Joanna and Andy talk creemee moments — structural integrity, pistachio regrets, and a hot debate over meltiness. Plus: a frank conversation about the "wait your turn" culture in Vermont politics.

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Joanna and Andy welcome Ryan Kriger — former Vermont and FTC privacy attorney, now Deputy Chief of Privacy at the Massachusetts AG's office — for a deep dive into one of the defining issues of our digital age. Ryan breaks down what data brokers actually are, why HIPAA doesn't protect as much of your health data as you think, how states like Vermont are stepping up where the federal government won't, and what makes Vermont's approach genuinely different.

In the opener: the U.S. Secretary of Education's surprise Essex school visit (and the walkout it inspired), the filing deadline fallout, last-minute legislative exits, and the education funding bill that's not quite the rollback it's being sold as and Ryan raids his sprinkle cabinet. You will want to watch the video.

Anika Heilweil from the Public Assets Institute stops by to break down Vermont's Fair Share campaign — a push to recapture a portion of the massive federal tax cuts headed to the wealthiest Vermonters under HR-1. Anika explains why 80% of Vermonters support increased taxes on the wealthy, why the bill stalled in the statehouse, and what the data actually show on tax flight.

In our opener, Joanna gives an update on her Democratic Party neutrality resolution — which the bylaws committee scheduled without telling her, naturally — and we officially unveil our new intro featuring the late, great Chuck the Rooster.Plus: Andy and Joanna play Robin Hood with $400 million in would-be state revenue — from property tax cuts to tiny homes to ACA subsidy restoration — and Anika reveals her go-to creemee order.

Joanna and Andy sit down with Maura Collins, Executive Director of the Vermont Housing Finance Agency, for a deep dive into Vermont's housing crisis. Maura explains how VHFA moves Wall Street money to Vermonters, why Vermont median home prices are nearly 5x median income, and why $450 million in tax-exempt bond money sits unused while 850 apartments could be built today. Plus: the post-2008 rule quietly killing condo development, what you can do locally at housingdata.org, and Maura's shocking Creemee confession.

In the opener: canvassing dispatches, a two-Creemee week, Mets win the Subway Series, Joanna's Democratic Party primary neutrality resolution, and Senator Heffernan's disturbing floor comments on trans identity.

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The mic takeover continues as Owen Foster and Charity Clark take the wheel and put Joanna and Andy through a delightfully rigorous Vermont quiz — dairy cows, state mottos, switchel, the Vermont wave, and a pronunciation segment that exposes who truly drops their T's.

Before the buzzer sounds, the group digs into Vermont's most stubborn challenges — education, housing, healthcare, and affordability — and why self-reliance may be the only answer as federal support melts down. Plus: Vermont's smallness as both superpower and social limiter, the Long Trail as spiritual home, and a Vermont history deep dive into the Young Turks and the Mountain Rule.

Also: dream podcast guests, Creemee orders all around, and some very old baseball grudges.

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It's our podiversary! For this special anniversary episode, we hand the mics to two fan favorites — Attorney General Charity Clark and Green Mountain Care Board Chair Owen Foster — who turn the tables and interview Joanna and Andy.

We cover the podcast's scrappy origin story (yes, the bike shop), the thinking behind the name, Vermont's shrinking media landscape, the cultural problem of incumbency, party neutrality, what people get wrong about politicians, and whether two-year terms are a feature or a bug. Plus: the couch tape line makes an on-air debut, and Charity shares her all-time favorite piece of social media hate mail.

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On this Double Scoop episode, Joanna and Andy catch up on all the political and policy news fit to podcast. We survived another week on the doors — rained on, recognized by a fan, and mourning two beloved pod mascots: Chester and Chuck.

Then it's statehouse time. We ponder if legislators can handle devices better than high school students. Also, the governor is threatening to shut down Vermont state government, we get the latest on the buydown, and forced school district consolidation. Meanwhile, the wealth tax is picking up steam.

Plus: Act 181 loses Tier 3 and the road rule, data privacy heats up in two competing bills, and Joanna asks why legislators keep vetoing bills before the governor even gets the chance.

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