Anne Donahue

Northfield businessman Nate Freeman: Campaign photoThe Democratic primary in the lieutenant governor's race is shaping up to be a tale of two very different candidates.

On one side is 62-year-old Thomas Costello, a Brattleboro attorney who has moved in and out of state politics for more than 30 years, serving two terms in the state House in the mid-1970s and three terms in the 1990s. He has chaired numerous committees while in the House and worked with gubernatorial candidate and House Speaker Gaye Symington during his latter years as a state representative. A decorated Vietnam veteran, Costello also worked with various community organizations in his town.

On the other side is Nate Freeman, a 39-year old single father and upholster from Northfield. His limited political experience includes serving as a school board member and a 2006 bid for the state house, when he fell about six points short of Republican Rep. Anne Donahue.

Born and raised in Vermont, Freeman has spent most of his life in the state. At the age of 21 and 19 credits shy of a Bachelor's degree in English from the University of Vermont, Freeman launched a life-altering journey around North America with nothing more than a Mobil gas card, $180, and a small motorcycle.