Bruce Lisman
Bruce Lisman | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth year and age Burlington, Vermont, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Financier, politician |
| Years active | 1969–present |
| Known for | Former executive at Bear Stearns; 2016 Republican candidate for Governor of Vermont |
Bruce Lisman (born July 1947) is a former executive from Wall Street who ran as a Republican candidate for the governorship of Vermont in 2016.
Financial career
A native of Burlington, Vermont, Lisman completed his studies at the University of Vermont in 1969. Following graduation, he relocated to New York City to pursue a career in finance. Initially, he worked as an analyst focusing on banking institutions and eventually advanced to become Director of Global Research at Lehman Brothers. In 1984, he joined Bear Stearns Companies as Senior Research Managing Director and climbed the ranks to Co-Head of Global Equities by 2006. Throughout the 2000s, Lisman also held positions at JPMorgan, JPMorgan Chase, and National Life Group. He remains active in Vermont through participation on multiple executive boards.
Lisman has clarified that his responsibilities at Bear Stearns were not connected to the company's failure during the 2008 financial crisis.
Politics
In 2011, Lisman established Campaign for Vermont, an organization advocating for enhanced economic prosperity via controlled budget expansion and reforms in education funding. This group was critical of Governor Peter Shumlin's proposals for single-payer healthcare. Between 2010 and 2014, Lisman contributed more than $26,000 exclusively to the Vermont Republican Party, with no donations made to Democratic candidates. Despite accusations of political bias, Campaign for Vermont positioned itself as nonpartisan, supported by over $1 million of Lisman’s personal investment.
Lisman announced his candidacy for governor as a Republican in October 2015, presenting himself as an outsider. His platform proposed a two-year pause on new industrial-scale renewable energy initiatives, repeal of Act 46 concerning school district consolidation, replacement of Vermont Health Connect with a federal marketplace, and limiting state budget increases to 2% annually over three years. Unlike his opponent Lieutenant Governor Phil Scott, Lisman did not publicly distance himself from presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
His campaign targeted Scott for his perceived connections to outgoing Democratic Governor Shumlin and accused him of adopting Lisman’s policy ideas while associating Scott with problems related to Vermont Health Connect and Act 46. These aggressive campaign tactics were considered uncommon in Vermont’s political landscape. A Super PAC backed by former Bear Stearns associates supported Lisman with comparable advertisements.
Ultimately, Scott secured the Republican nomination by a margin exceeding 20 percentage points.