Vermont Taps Republican for Top Post

Staff Report

Lt. Governor Phil Scott was elected as governor on Tuesday, getting 53 percent of the votes in unofficial results. “We’re going to make the economy and affordability Montpelier’s top priorities,” Scott said in an acceptance speech Tuesday night, according to the Associated Press.

The state’s last Republican governor was Gov. Jim Douglas, who served from 2003-2011.

Scott beat Democrat Sue Minter, who got 44 percent of the vote, and Liberty Union Party candidate Bill Lee, who received 3 percent in unofficial results.

Scott, 58, has served as lieutenant governor since 2011. Before that, he was a senator for Washington County from 2001-2011. Minter, 55, was the secretary at the Vermont Agency of Transportation until she resigned to run for governor.

“I think it was a tough night for Democrats in general, across the country. I don’t think Vermont was completely immune to that,” said Hartland resident Matt Dunne who was defeated by Minter in the August primary election. “There was a lot of pushback.”

Since his defeat, Dunne has campaigned for Minter. He said Scott had better name recognition and a better network than Minter going into the race, which could have contributed to the results.

“This was a changed year. We knew that going into the campaign that we ran,” he said. “I think much of the Democratic establishment didn’t want to believe that.”

This was the most expensive governor’s race in Vermont’s history, totaling around $12 million, most of it by outside groups. As of Nov. 4, Minter spent $1.96 million on the race, while Scott spent around $1.5 million.

Votes for Minter in Woodstock surpassed Scott’s votes, 1,048 to 792.

Sen. Alice Nitka, who won re-election Tuesday night, expected the race would be closer between the two candidates.

“I think they were both very good candidates,” she said.

While some Democratic seats were challenged in liberal Vermont on Tuesday night, some stayed in the party (all results are unofficial and according to the secretary of state’s website):

• Democrat/Progressive David Zuckerman beat Republican Randy Brock in the lieutenant governor’s race with 50 percent of the vote.

• Incumbent State Treasurer and Democrat Beth Pearce won 74.8 percent of the votes against Progressive Don Schramm.

• Jim Condos was again elected to the secretary of state.

• Democrat Doug Hoffer won the state auditor’s race against Republican Dan Feliciano.

• Republican Deb Bucknam conceded the attorney general race to Democrat T.J. Donovan, who received 63.2 percent of the vote.

• Scott Milne was defeated by Senator Pat Leahy.

This article first appeared in the November 10, 2016 edition of the Vermont Standard.