The Vermont Republican Party is the affiliate of the Republican Party in Vermont and has been active since its foundation in the 1860s. The party is the second largest in the state behind the Vermont Democratic Party, but ahead of the Vermont Progressive Party. The party historically dominated Vermont politics until the mid-20th century, but was replaced by the Vermont Democratic Party. The party currently has very weak federal electoral power in the state, controlling none of Vermont's federal elected offices. The two statewide offices that the party currently controls are the governorship, held by Phil Scott, and the lieutenant governorship, held by John S. Rodgers.

The Vermont Republican Party tends to hold more moderate views than other Republican Party state affiliates. This is because Vermont is widely regarded as one of the most liberal and progressive states in the nation. Vermont Republicans also tend to be more anti-Trumpist than Republicans in other states. Current Republican Governor Phil Scott voted for Democratic nominee Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election and Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election calling both "a vote against Donald Trump" and a move to "put country over party" and acknowledged Biden's victory, repudiating false claims of election interference.

In the 2024 primaries, the Vermont primary was one of only two races that Donald Trump did not carry (the other being the District of Columbia primary).

History

Newspaper editor Eliakim Persons Walton condemned the 1854 Whig Convention for not being against slavery strongly. The first convention of the Vermont Republican Party was held on July 13, 1854, in Montpelier, Vermont. The party was organized, nominated candidates for office, selected delegates to the Republican National Convention, and approved a platform. The convention was meant to be held on July 4, but was delayed to July 13 as to be on the anniversary of the Northwest Ordinance. Had the convention been held on July 4, it would have been the first Republican convention held instead of the one conducted by the Michigan Republican Party. Lawrence Brainerd was selected to serve as president of the convention.

Walton was initially selected to serve as the party's gubernatorial nominee in the 1854 election, but he withdrew and the party selected to give its nomination to Stephen Royce, who was a member of the Whig Party and had already been nominated to serve as their gubernatorial candidate. Royce accepted the party's nomination and won the 1854 gubernatorial election. The Whig Party of Vermont disbanded and merged with the Republicans in 1854, and Joyce won reelected in the 1855 gubernatorial election with the Republican nomination.

The party won every statewide election from 1854 to 1958, won every presidential election from 1856 to 1960, and held the governorship from 1854 to 1963.

William H. Meyer won election to the United States House of Representatives from Vermont's at-large congressional district in 1958, becoming the first Democrat to win statewide since 1853. Senator Barry Goldwater, the Republican presidential nominee for the 1964 presidential election, became the first Republican to not win Vermont in a presidential election as he lost the state to incumbent Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson. Philip H. Hoff's victory in the 1962 gubernatorial election made him the first member of the Democratic Party to hold Vermont's governorship since the 1853 gubernatorial election.

Vermont only elected Republicans to the United States Senate for 118 years. Patrick Leahy's victory in the 1974 Senate election made him the first member of the Democratic Party elected to the United States Senate from Vermont. Senator Jim Jeffords left the Republican Party on May 24, 2001, to become an independent and caucus with the Democratic Party which gave them the majority in the United States Senate.

The party controlled all of the seats in the Vermont Senate after the 1924 election. The Democrats gained control of the state senate for the first time after the 1986 election. The party received its lowest amount of seats in the state senate since its foundation in the 2018 election.

In the 2024 elections, the party won the lieutenant gubernatorial election with John S. Rodgers, and also made significant gains in the state Senate as well as the House, breaking Democratic supermajorities in both chambers. They won 13 of 30 Senate districts - their best total since the 2000s - with Democrats and Progressives combining for the other 17.

Current elected officials

The Vermont Republican Party controls two of the six statewide offices.

Members of Congress

• None

Statewide offices

Vermont LegislatureLegislative

Vermont Senate

• Minority Leader: Scott Beck

Vermont House of Representatives

• Minority Leader: Patricia McCoy

Electoral performance

State legislature

House

Senate

References

Works cited

External links

• Vermont Republican Party