We the undersigned citizens and voters of Vermont urge Senator Leahy to pledge support for his fellow statesman, Senator Bernie Sanders for the following reasons:

Whereas Senator Patrick Leahy verbally pledged in 2008 to support Hillary Clinton were she to run;

Whereas Senator Leahy reaffirmed his support for Clinton to Vermont Public Radio (VPR) on June 21, 2014;

Whereas Senator Leahy has not been publicly clear about his reasons for supporting Clinton;

Whereas Senator Bernie Sanders announced his presidential candidacy in May, 2015 a year after Leahy's last public statement of support for Clinton;

Whereas Senators Sanders and Leahy share views on and have worked together to ensure veterans are treated properly both during and after deployment, while Clinton's voting record for veterans is inconsistent;

Whereas Senators Sanders and Leahy voted against and continue to be against environmentally damaging enterprises like the Keystone Pipeline, while Clinton has yet to deliver her point of view on the subject;

Whereas Senator Sanders' platform is a sweeping reform of politics as usual and with the right support can change life for the better for all Americans, while Clinton is heavily funded and lauded by corporations and their lobbyists;

Whereas Senator Sanders' solutions for institutional racism, privatized prisons, and police violence are in line with the principles of the state of Vermont, the overall needs of the nation, and serve the purposes of Justice;

Whereas Senator Sanders' ideas for health care and education will benefit the citizens of Vermont and all Americans over the long-term, more so than solutions put forward by any other candidate running, while Clinton would continue the forced purchase of third-party insurance and has not pledged to eliminate college tuition.

Be it resolved that it is time for Senator Patrick Leahy to set aside 7-year old verbal promises and side with his Vermont co-senator. If not, we pledge to remove our support from Senator Patrick Leahy in terms of votes and donations, and further, we will actively campaign against his returning to Washington, D.C.