by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Incumbent Republican Governor Phil Scott beat challenger Democrat Christine Hallquist 54.4 to 39.7 percent, according to unofficial results posted by the Secretary of State.Hallquist congratulated Phil Scott in her speech Tuesday night and said they "sparred well" during the campaign. She said, "I think we showed what good Democracy looks like." For his part, Scott thanked Hallquist "for energizing and running an historic capaign. While we didn't agree on many issues, we did agree from the start that this race would be about things we felt mattered to most of the people of Vermont." While other races in other states turned negative, Scott said, "We rose above it."
Map of Voting for Governor. Red-Scott; Blue-Hallquist. Source: Secretary of State.
Scott swept most areas of Vermont with the exception of Burlington (Hallquist 63.5 Percent), Windham County, the Middlebury area, Montpelier (Hallquist60.6 percent), Bennington (Hallquist44.1 percent to Scott 43.7 percent), and a few Upper Valley towns including Thetford.
All the statewide incumbents won, as expected, with a tight race for lieutenant governor never materializing, as David Zuckerman easily outpaced Don Turner.
The governor, who vetoed both state budgets he received in his first term, might have a more difficult time doing so going forward. Democrats and Progressives in the House now number at least 100, with some races pending, according to VTDigger.org. This would give Speaker Mitzi Johnson a "veto-proof" majority.
The state Senate remains a stronghold for Democrats. US Senator Bernie Sanders and Congressman Peter Welch also won by wide margins, as did the rest of the statewide slate of incumbents: Secretary of State Jim Condos, Attorney General TJ Donovan, Auditor Doug Hoffer and Treasurer Beth Pearce. Scott is the only statewide Republican to win.
Stalwart Burlington Republican Kurt Wright lost his bid for re-election to the House and Democrats/Progressives swept again Chittenden County's Senate seats.
Governor Candidate | Party | Votes | Percent |
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PHIL SCOTT | REPUBLICAN | 151,176 | 54.48% |
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CHRISTINE HALLQUIST | DEMOCRATIC | 110,277 | 39.74% |
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TREVOR BARLOW | INDEPENDENT | 3,259 | 1.17% |
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CHARLES LARAMIE | INDEPENDENT | 2,284 | 0.82% |
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CRIS ERICSON | INDEPENDENT | 2,123 | 0.77% |
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STEPHEN MARX | EARTH RIGHTS | 1,850 | 0.67% |
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EMILY "EM" PEYTON | LIBERTY UNION | 1,837 | 0.66% |
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Total Write-ins | 1,165 | 0.42% | |
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Overvotes | 135 | 0.05% | |
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Blank Votes | 3,372 | 1.22% | |
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Incumbent Winner | Total votes cast | 277,478 |
Lieutenant Governor Candidate | Party | Votes | Percent |
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DAVID ZUCKERMAN | PROG/DEM | 158,454 | 57.18% |
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DON TURNER JR | REPUBLICAN | 108,383 | 39.11% |
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MURRAY NGOIMA | LIBERTY UNION | 4,091 | 1.48% |
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Total Write-ins | 262 | 0.09% | |
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Overvotes | 144 | 0.05% | |
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Blank Votes | 5,795 | 2.09% | |
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Incumbent Winner | Total votes cast | 277,129 |
Treasurer Candidate | Party | Votes | Percent |
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BETH PEARCE | DEMOCRATIC | 179,428 | 64.87% |
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RICHARD MORTON | REPUBLICAN | 85,707 | 30.99% |
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Total Write-ins | 197 | 0.07% | |
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Overvotes | 231 | 0.08% | |
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Blank Votes | 11,037 | 3.99% | |
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Incumbent Winner | Total votes cast | 276,601 |
Secretary of State Candidate | Party | Votes | Percent |
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JIM CONDOS | DEMOCRATIC | 178,812 | 64.58% |
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H. BROOKE PAIGE | REPUBLICAN | 79,019 | 28.54% |
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MARY ALICE HEBERT | LIBERTY UNION | 9,669 | 3.49% |
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Total Write-ins | 138 | 0.05% | |
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Overvotes | 208 | 0.08% | |
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Blank Votes | 9,046 | 3.27% | |
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Incumbent Winner | Total votes cast | 276,892 |
Auditor Candidate | Party | Votes | Percent |
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DOUG HOFFER | DEM/PROG | 160,244 | 58.07% |
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RICHARD KENYON | REPUBLICAN | 88,004 | 31.89% |
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MARINA BROWN | LIBERTY UNION | 10,909 | 3.95% |
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Total Write-ins | 143 | 0.05% | |
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Overvotes | 741 | 0.27% | |
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Blank Votes | 15,895 | 5.76% | |
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Incumbent Winner | Total votes cast | 275,936 |
Attorney General Candidate | Party | Votes | Percent |
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T.J. DONOVAN | DEMOCRATIC | 187,044 | 67.56% |
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JANSSEN WILLHOIT | REPUBLICAN | 70,213 | 25.36% |
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ROSEMARIE JACKOWSKI | LIBERTY UNION | 9,509 | 3.43% |
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Total Write-ins | 177 | 0.06% | |
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Overvotes | 243 | 0.09% | |
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Blank Votes | 9,659 | 3.49% | |
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Incumbent Winner | Total votes cast | 276,845 |
US Senate Candidate | Party | Votes | Percent |
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BERNIE SANDERS | INDEPENDENT | 183,422 | 66.11% |
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LAWRENCE ZUPAN | REPUBLICAN | 74,636 | 26.90% |
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BRAD J. PEACOCK | INDEPENDENT | 3,782 | 1.36% |
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RUSSELL BESTE | INDEPENDENT | 2,758 | 0.99% |
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EDWARD S. GILBERT JR | INDEPENDENT | 2,240 | 0.81% |
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FOLASADE ADELUOLA | INDEPENDENT | 1,977 | 0.71% |
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JON SVITAVSKY | INDEPENDENT | 1,286 | 0.46% |
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REID KANE | LIBERTY UNION | 1,165 | 0.42% |
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BRUCE BUSA | INDEPENDENT | 912 | 0.33% |
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Total Write-ins | 345 | 0.12% | |
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Overvotes | 314 | 0.11% | |
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Blank Votes | 4,588 | 1.65% | |
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Congress Candidate | Party | Votes | Percent |
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PETER WELCH | DEMOCRATIC | 188,487 | 67.94% |
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ANYA TYNIO | REPUBLICAN | 70,693 | 25.48% |
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CRIS ERICSON | INDEPENDENT | 9,088 | 3.28% |
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LAURA S. POTTER | LIBERTY UNION | 3,912 | 1.41% |
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Total Write-ins | 201 | 0.07% | |
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Overvotes | 283 | 0.10% | |
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Blank Votes | 4,764 | 1.72% | |
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Incumbent Winner | Total votes cast | 277,429 |