Now that federal, statewide and local results are in, there’s space to consider what they say about voter priorities and how these political preferences might impact the future of Vermont.
Newcomers stand a chance in governor race
Republican Phil Scott defeated Democrat Amanda Janoo by only seven percentage points in a heated race for Vermont Governor, his most narrow victory since first seeking office in 2016.
Janoo was first to enter the race in March when she launched a campaign in her hometown of Strafford before going on a 14-county tour. Despite a career characterized by political involvement, she has never held office aside from justice of the peace in Burlington.
Still, she gave Scott a run for his money.
AP called the race at 12:35 a.m. Wednesday, with Scott having secured about 53% of votes to Janoo’s 46%. But they didn’t make that determination until 99% of votes were counted.
According to an AP explainer for declaring winners, experts wait until it’s statistically impossible for an opponent to surpass before declaring a winner, specifically calling it “the moment the trailing candidates no longer have a path to victory.”
Opinions were mixed at polls, with some telling the Valley News it’s time for a change but others saying Scott’s track record is steady and consistent.
Janoo lost, but she came remarkably closer than Scott’s past few opponents. It’s unclear whether he’ll vie for a seventh term, and whether Janoo will try again.
Incumbents are tried and true, mostly
In the Vermont Senate race to represent Windsor, the two incumbent candidates, Becca White and Joe Major, both of Hartford, earned two of three seats again.
White has held the role since 2023, and Major has held it since 2025. The third incumbent, Alison Clarkson, of Woodstock, opted not to run for a sixth term.
In the House, Larry Satcowitz secured a fourth term to hold the Orange-Washington-Addison seat representing the towns of Randolph, Braintree, Brookfield, Granville and Roxbury.
Incumbent Democrat Kirk White defeated a fellow Bethel resident Republican Michael White for the Windsor-Addison House seat representing Bethel, Stockbridge, Rochester and Hancock.
Incumbent Democrat John O’Brien defeated Republican Bruce Post for the Windsor-Orange-1 seat representing Tunbridge and Royalton. O’Brien has held the role for the past eight years.
Still, there were a few incumbents who fell from the legislature in this election cycle.
Orange County Democrat/Progressive Monique Priestley, shifting over from the House, prevailed over Republican incumbent John Benson to represent Orange County. Scott tapped Benson to fill the position in January after former Sen. Larry Hart resigned.
Other incumbents lost in the primary despite a notable tenure.
Incumbent John Bartholomew, who served eight terms in the House representing Windsor-1, fell to Democrats Dylan Morse and John Tansey, of Hartland, in the primary. (Rep. Elizabeth Burrows did not seek reelection, moving up to the Vermont State Senate instead.)
Despite experience spanning nearly 30 years and 15 election cycles, incumbent Democrat Jim Masland — who had held the Windsor-Orange-2 seat since 1999 — fell to two newcomers in Republican Lauren Morando Rhim and Democrat Dee Gish in the primary. (Rep. Rebecca Holcombe, D-Norwich, did not seek reelection.)
Youth stepping up
Two candidates who sought to represent the Upper Valley in the legislature this year were significantly younger than their opponents, following an example set several years back by Sen. Becca White.
Voters elected White, a Democrat, to the House in 2018, and she joined at the age of 22 after a two-year term on the Hartford Selectboard.
After two terms in the House, White set her sights on the Senate, where she’s held down a Windsor County seat for two terms. In 2024 and Tuesday’s election, White came out on top of all her opponents — this year earning 22% of the votes.
Democrat Dylan Morse, 23, could follow a similar path, having just been elected to take over one of two Windsor-1 House seats. Morse earned 32.79% of votes, only 0.38 percentage points behind Democrat John Tansey, who secured the other seat.
The youngest Upper Valley candidate this year, 18-year-old Aiden Otterman, a senior at Thetford Academy, fell to his great uncle, Republican Tom Otterman, for the Orange-Caledonia House seat on Tuesday.
Aiden Otterman would have been the youngest person to be elected to the Vermont Legislature. Though running for office as a teenager is unusual, Otterman cited experience serving as chair of the Vermont Youth Council and addressing the legislature.
Still, Aiden Otterman came close. He earned 40% of the district votes, to his great uncle’s 45%. He still prevailed over Independent Susan Culp, the Newbury Selectboard chair, who earned 14% of votes.
Palmer out the door, officially
The current Windsor County Sheriff is suspended from serving in a law enforcement capacity following allegations of sexual misconduct that sparked criminal charges earlier this year.
Still, he has yet to resign from the position.
Chief Deputy Claude Weyant took over day-to-day operations upon Palmer’s arrest back in January, and county voters decided Tuesday that they’d like to keep him around.
Weyant, a Democrat earned 66% of the county votes, with his opponent Republican Richard King, also a member of the department, falling behind with 26% of the votes.
Palmer’s ability to continue in his duties is pending the conclusion of court proceedings, but he’ll technically hold office until the end of the year, when Weyant takes over in an official capacity after nearly one year of working in the role informally.
Voters willing to amend Constitution
Over the past 40 years, there have been eight proposed amendments to the Vermont Constitution, written back in 1777. Up until about 50 years ago amendments could only be ratified once a decade.
Vermonters voted on amendments in 1986, 1994, 2002, 2010, 2022 and this year. In this election cycle, voters considered the right to collectively bargain, Proposal 3, and equality of rights, Proposal 4.
Proposal 3 passed with 69% support.
This amendment to the Vermont Constitution prevents future legislation that “interferes with, negates or diminishes” the right of workers to bargain their wages, hours or other terms of employment, per the proposal. It further prevents the passing of a “right to work” law, which would prohibit a union membership requirement in unionized workplaces.
Proposal 4 passed with 74% support.
This amendment to the Vermont Constitution adds an equal treatment clause spanning “race, ethnicity, sex, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and national origin,” per the proposal. It also states that nothing shall prevent measures intended to provide equal opportunity and treatment for members of groups “historically subject to discrimination.”
If Proposal 4 looks familiar, that’s because it’s exact language was on the ballot in 1986 as Proposal 1, which failed with 52% of voters deciding against it.
The very amendment that passed this year was the only one to fail in the past 40 years, but four decades later, residents had a change of heart, pushing it forward by 26 more percentage points.
