Republican Gov. Phil Scott wins a fifth term in heavily Democratic Vermont

Republican Gov. Phil Scott on Tuesday won reelection to a fifth term in the heavily Democratic state of Vermont.

The popular governor beat political newcomer Esther Charlestin, a Democrat-Progressive who is an educator, consultant, and co-chair of the Vermont Commission on Women. Also on the ballot were independents Kevin Hoyt and Eli “Poa” Mutino and minor party candidate June Goodband.

In his reelection campaign, Scott, 66, urged voters to pick what he calls commonsense legislators who he said will work with him to make Vermont more affordable and stop the increasing taxes and fees from the Democratic-controlled Legislature.

“This election was about one basic question: Can you, your aging parents, your grandparents, your kids, your grandkids, your neighbors, afford to live and thrive in Vermont if we don’t make a course correction on the path set by legislative leaders over the last two years?” Scott said in his victory speech. He said the answer, based on some of the election results, appears to be no.

“Vermonters voted and sent a clear message. They voted for balance. They voted for moderation. They told us they can’t afford the direction we’re going and they want lawmakers to set clear priorities, focus on the needs of all working families, small business owners, communities large and small,” he said.

Scott has clashed with the Democrat-controlled legislature over spending and initiatives, vetoing eight bills this past session. In response, the Legislature overrode six of those vetoes in June.

A former legislator and business owner, Scott has been a critic of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump — and on Tuesday said he voted for Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democrat. Scott said he was compelled to choose country over party, as he had done four years ago when he voted for Democratic President Joe Biden.

Vermont has grappled with two consecutive summers of severe flooding, a housing shortage and a rise in people experiencing homelessness, as well as increasing property taxes to pay for schools and concerns about public safety with an increase in gun violence and drug-related crimes.

Charlestin, 34, has said Vermont needs new leadership is needed and said the state is worse off than it was in 2017 when Scott took office. A former member of her town’s selectboard, Charlestin is a first generation Haitian American.

Charlestin has said Scott is wrong to blame the state’s current circumstances on legislators who are only in session part-time.

“Is Vermont in a better place than it was eight years ago? When I think of property taxes, health care, housing, affordability, the answer is clear and it’s no,” she said during the debate. “So after eight years it’s clear that Vermont needs a new direction and one that truly works for all of us, not just those at the top, but also the middle and low income, everybody.”

She was endorsed by former Gov. Howard Dean, current Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman and Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak.

Scott has faced pressure this fall from municipal leaders, advocates and lawmakers after new caps imposed by the legislature to scale down the pandemic-era motel voucher program for the most vulnerable people experiencing homelessness took effect. The households will be eligible for motel housing again in the winter starting on Dec. 1.

Scott said the caps came from the Legislature in its budget proposal and $10 million was allocated to provide more emergency shelters and the administration doesn’t think that’s enough. He said in October that the state was working to set up three family shelters in Waterbury, Williston and Montpelier but advocates say the response didn’t come soon enough.

Lisa Rathke, The Associated Press