Following the completion of results from the state’s recent primary elections, the Vermont Republican Party registered 22 new candidates for the state House of Representatives, in addition to the 74 candidates already on the ballot for the 150-member chamber.
Although Vermont is considered a Democratic Party state nationally, Republican Party Chairman Paul Dame said Monday that the development was extraordinary given the state’s actual penchant for blurring partisan lines.
He attributed the Republican surge to a recent “double-digit” increase in the state’s property taxes, as well as voters’ renewed focus on the presidential election campaign.
“I think we are absolutely poised to make up seats. There seems to be a lot more energy and cohesion on the Republican side than there has been in a long time,” Dame said.
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Governor of Vermont, Phil Scott (Philscott.org)
Gov. Phil Scott, a moderate Republican who is the most popular such politician in the country at 81%, is also involved in party work, Dame said. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Scott.
Dame said he had spoken to several of the new candidates, including a man from Colchester who was undecided when the petitions began circulating in May.
“Summer is always when you’re getting your kids ready to go to school. And he said, ‘You know what — Vermont is going to be our home now. We’re going to commit to staying here. When that happens, I want to run and change the course we’re on,'” Dame recalled.
In Vermont, many of the latecomers to voting appear to be following a similar schedule.
After the final vote on the May primary election, voters will realize that there are empty spots on the final ballot and may then attempt to organize hand-vote campaigns.
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If 25 voters write the same name for a seat in the State House of Representatives or 50 voters write the same name for a seat in the State Senate, that name will appear on the November general election ballot.
While the 96 Republicans are still somewhat down on two decades ago, when Vermont had 130 Republicans on the ballot, what is significant is that Vermonters are willing to help.
“It’s the story of ordinary voters who saw the need for change and decided to take action and be part of that change,” he said.
“It’s definitely about inflation and affordability. I think that’s kind of the national problem … but then Vermont adds another layer on top of that.”
After Democrats recently gained a qualified majority in the House, Scott issued a record number of vetoes, and in return, Democratic lawmakers declared a record number of overrides of their vetoes.
This was also the case in the property tax debate: Scott called for “immediate tax relief,” while House Speaker Jill Krowinski (Democrat of Chittenden) refused to provide the governor with an adequate alternative plan.
As for Republicans’ electoral prospects in November, Vermont shows a penchant for ideologically divergent outcomes.
Scott is considered as clear a favorite as Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who describes himself as a “democratic socialist.”
“Vermonters vote for authenticity,” Dame added.
“And both Governor Phil Scott and Senator Bernie Sanders have a relationship with Vermonters, and Vermonters know that they believe what they say – they say very different things, but they know that they can trust what they say and that they are not pandering.”
Both Scott and Sanders are not afraid to criticize their own party.
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Peter Duval (left) and Esther Charlestin were two Democrats vying to run against Vermont’s Republican governor, Phil Scott.
Sanders occasionally criticized President Biden and members of the Democratic caucus in Congress, while Scott was the first Republican governor to support impeachment of former President Trump.
In the latest poll from the University of New Hampshire, Sanders leads his Republican challenger Gerald Malloy by 66% to 25%. Scott leads Democrat Esther Charlestin by 55% to 28%.
Former Sen. Jim Jeffords (R-Vt.), who ceded Republican control of the Senate when he switched to an independent Democratic congressman in 2001, was the last Republican member of Congress from the Green Mountain State.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Vermont Democratic Party for comment but did not receive a response by press time.
