| Elections in Vermont |
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The 2018 Vermont gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2018, to elect the Governor of Vermont, concurrently with the election of Vermont's Class I U.S. Senate seat, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Republican Governor Phil Scott, who was first elected in 2016, was re-elected to a second term in office.[1] Hallquist's 40.3% was also the worst performance for a Democratic Party candidate since 2008.
Despite initial expectations of a potentially close race due to national blue wave, Scott easily won reelection in what became a difficult year for Republicans, winning by 15 percentage points. As of 2022, this election marked the last time a Democratic candidate won a county in a gubernatorial election in Vermont.
Background
Along with New Hampshire, Vermont is one of only two states where governors are elected to two-year terms. Republican Phil Scott was elected in the 2016 election.[1]
Republican primary
Candidates
Declared
- Phil Scott, incumbent governor[1]
Eliminated in primary
- Keith Stern, businessman, Republican candidate for U.S. Representative in 2010, Independent candidate for U.S. Representative in 2006, Independent candidate for U.S. Senator in 2004[2]
Endorsements
Debates and forums
- CCTV Channel 17 Republican Primary Forum for Governor 7/25/2018
- WCAX Democratic+Republican forum 7/31/2018
Results
Scott—70–80%
Scott—60–70%
Scott—50–60%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Phil Scott (incumbent) | 24,042 | 66.67 | |
| Republican | Keith Stern | 11,617 | 32.22 | |
| Republican | Write-ins | 401 | 1.11 | |
| Total votes | 36,060 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican | Blank votes | 700 | ||
| Republican | Overvotes | 20 | ||
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominated
Eliminated in primary
- James Ehlers, executive director of Lake Champlain International and environmentalist[5]
- John S. Rodgers, current State Senator from Essex County, former State Representative, and construction business owner[6] (write-in candidate)
- Brenda Siegel, opioid epidemic and Brattleboro hurricane relief activist and worker, former community organizer for Bernie Sanders, southern Vermont nonprofit executive and founding director[7] (also ran in Progressive primary)
- Ethan Sonneborn, freshman in high school[8] who began his campaign when he was 13 years old.[9] The election was held a few weeks before he entered his freshman year of high school.[10] His campaign was focused on healthcare for all, the environment, economy, and education.[11] Had he won, he would have been the youngest governor in American history.[11] Vermont (as well as Kansas) does not have a minimum age requirement for governor.
Endorsements
James Ehlers
Brenda Siegel
- Statewide and local politicians
- Mike Mrowicki, state representative[12]
- Tommy Walz, state representative[13]
- Businesses
- Vermont Green Grow Wellness Center
- Organizations
- Emerge Vermont
- SolutionsToWork
- People
- Mark Hughes, executive director of Justice for All, organizer of Poor Peoples Campaign VT[14]
Debates and forums
- Brattleboro Community TV Democratic Gubernatorial Candidates Forum 6/6/2018
- CCTV Channel 17 Democratic Primary Forum for Governor hosted by VTDigger 8/2/2018
- WCAX Democratic+Republican forum 7/31/2018
Results
Hallquist—60–70%
Hallquist—50–60%
Hallquist—40–50%
Hallquist—30–40%
Siegel—40–50%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Christine Hallquist | 27,622 | 45.07 | |
| Democratic | James Ehlers | 12,668 | 20.67 | |
| Democratic | Brenda Siegel | 12,260 | 20.01 | |
| Democratic | Ethan Sonneborn | 4,696 | 7.66 | |
| Democratic | John S. Rodgers (write-in) | 950 | 1.55 | |
| Democratic | Write-ins (other) | 3,074 | 5.02 | |
| Total votes | 61,279 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic | Blank votes | 7,997 | ||
| Democratic | Overvotes | 68 | ||
With this result, Christine Hallquist became the first openly transgender candidate for governor nominated by a major political party in the United States.[16][17]
Progressive primary
Candidates
Eliminated in primary
Write-in
- Brenda Siegel (also ran in Democratic primary)
Endorsements
Brenda Siegel
- Statewide and local politicians
- Mike Mrowicki, State Representative
- Tommy Walz, State Representative
- Businesses
- Vermont Green Grow Wellness Center
- Organizations
- Emerge Vermont
- SolutionsToWork
- People
- Mark Hughes, executive director of Justice for All, organizer of Poor Peoples Campaign VT
Debates and forums
Results
[18]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Progressive | Brenda Siegel (write-in) | 35 | 8.75 | |
| Progressive | Write-ins (other) | 365 | 91.2 | |
| Total votes | 400 | 100.0 | ||
| Progressive | Blank votes | 199 | ||
Libertarian nomination
Candidates
Withdrawn
- Seth Cournoyer[19] (running for State Senate instead)
Liberty Union nomination
Candidates
Declared
Independents
Candidates
Declared
- Trevor Barlow, business and startup executive and founder, coach, as well as community and nonprofit board volunteer[20]
- Cris Ericson, activist and perennial candidate also ran for congress.
- Charles Laramie, activist, roofing architect, school teacher, United States Navy veteran, and Vermont Air National Guard[21]
- Stephen Marx, environmentalist
Write-in
Withdrawn
- Joseph Barney, auto and agricultural mechanic, member of the Vermont Army National Guard, and school teacher[26]
General election
Debates
- Complete video of debate, October 17, 2018
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[27] | Safe R | October 26, 2018 |
| The Washington Post[28] | Lean R | November 5, 2018 |
| FiveThirtyEight[29] | Safe R | November 5, 2018 |
| Rothenberg Political Report[30] | Safe R | November 1, 2018 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[31] | Safe R | November 5, 2018 |
| RealClearPolitics[32] | Likely R | November 4, 2018 |
| Daily Kos[33] | Likely R | November 5, 2018 |
| Fox News[34][a] | Likely R | November 5, 2018 |
| Politico[35] | Lean R | November 5, 2018 |
| Governing[36] | Safe R | November 5, 2018 |
- Notes
- ^ The Fox News Midterm Power Rankings uniquely does not contain a category for Safe/Solid races
Endorsements
Christine Hallquist (D)
- US Cabinet members and Cabinet-level officials
- Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States[37][38]
- Joe Biden, 47th Vice President of the United States[39]
- US Senators
- Cory Booker, US Senator (D-NJ)[40]
- Elizabeth Warren, US Senator (D-MA)[40]
- Bernie Sanders, US Senator (I-VT)[40]
- Patrick Leahy, US Senator (D-VT)[40]
- US Representatives
- Joe Kennedy III, US Representative (D-MA-4)[40]
- Peter Welch, US Representative (D-VT)[40]
- Statewide and local politicians
- Martin O'Malley, former Governor of Maryland[41]
- Claire Ayer, state senator[42]
- Chris Bray, state senator[42]
- Joey Donovan, state representative[42]
- Alice Emmons, state representative[42]
- Helen Head, state representative[42]
- Matt Hill, state representative[42]
- Warren Kitzmiller, state representative[42]
- Gabe Lucke, state representative[42]
- Curt McCormack, state representative[42]
- Dick McCormack, state senator[42]
- Mary Sullivan, state representative[42]
- Individuals
- Misha Collins, actor and former White House intern[43]
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, educator and political activist; Democratic nominee for NY-14 in 2018[44]
- Labor unions
- Organizations
Phil Scott (R)
- Statewide and local politicians
- Rep. David Ainsworth
- Rep. Bob Bancroft
- Rep. Fred Baser
- Rep. Lynn Batchelor
- Rep. Scott Beck
- Senate Minority Leader Joe Benning[49]
- Sen. Carolyn Branagan
- Rep. Pat Brennan
- Sen. Randy Brock
- Rep. Tom Burditt
- Rep. Bill Canfield
- Sen. Brian Collamore
- Rep. Larry Cupoli
- Rep. Dennis Devereux
- Rep. Lynn Dickinson
- Rep. Anne Donahue
- Gov. Jim Douglas (former)[50]
- Lt gov. Brian Dubie (former)[50]
- Rep. Peter Fagan
- Rep. Marty Feltus
- Sen. Peg Flory
- Rep. Bob Frenier
- Rep. Marianna Gamache
- Rep. Rodney Graham
- Rep. Jim Harrison
- Rep. Bob Helm
- Rep. Mark Higley
- Rep. Bernie Juskiewicz
- Rep. Brian Keefe
- Rep. Rob LaClair
- Rep. Richard Lawrence
- Rep. Paul Lefebvre
- Rep. Patti Lewis
- Rep. Michael Marcotte
- Rep. Marcia Martel
- Rep. Chris Mattos
- Rep. Pattie McCoy
- Rep. Topper McFaun
- Rep. Mary Morrissey
- Rep. Linda Myers
- Rep. Gary Nolan
- Rep. Corey Parent
- Rep. Chuck Pearce
- Rep. Connie Quimby
- Rep. Carl Rosenquist
- Rep. Brian Savage
- Rep. Heidi Scheuermann
- Rep. Butch Shaw
- Rep. Brian Smith
- Rep. Harvey Smith
- Sen. David Soucy
- Rep. Vicki Strong
- Rep. Tom Terenzini
- House Minority Leader Don Turner
- Rep. Warren Van Wyck
- Rep. Gary Viens
- Sen. Richie Westman
- Rep. Janssen Willhoit
- Rep. Kurt Wright
- Organizations
Declined to endorse
- Planned Parenthood Vermont Action Fund[52]
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Phil Scott (R) |
Christine Hallquist (D) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gravis Marketing | October 30 – November 1, 2018 | 885 | ± 3.3% | 49% | 39% | – | 12% |
| Braun Research | October 5–14, 2018 | 495 | ± 4.4% | 42% | 28% | 7%[53] | 22% |
| Tulchin Research (D-Vermont Democratic Party) Archived 2018-10-02 at the Wayback Machine | September 23–26, 2018 | 406 | ± 4.9% | 50% | 42% | – | – |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Phil Scott (incumbent) | 151,261 | 55.19% | +2.28% | |
| Democratic | Christine Hallquist | 110,335 | 40.25% | -3.91% | |
| Independent | Trevor Barlow | 3,266 | 1.19% | N/A | |
| Independent | Charles Laramie | 2,287 | 0.83% | N/A | |
| Marijuana | Cris Ericson | 2,129 | 0.78% | N/A | |
| Earth Rights | Stephen Marx | 1,855 | 0.68% | N/A | |
| Liberty Union | Emily Peyton | 1,839 | 0.66% | -2.17% | |
| Write-in | 1,115 | 0.41% | -0.31% | ||
| Total votes | 274,087 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
| Republican hold | |||||
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
- Chittenden (largest municipality: Burlington)
- Windsor (largest municipality: Hartford)
References
- ^ a b c Hallenbeck, Terri; Heintz, Paul (November 9, 2016). "Republican Phil Scott Elected Governor of Vermont". Seven Days. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
- ^ Bradley, Pat. "Vermont Gubernatorial Candidate Keith Stern Discusses His Campaign". Archived from the original on April 10, 2018. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
- ^ Evans, Brad (February 19, 2018). "Transgender woman to run for governor of Vermont". WPTZ.
- ^ Trotta, Daniel (August 15, 2018). "In first, transgender woman wins Democratic nomination for Vermont..." reuters.com.
- ^ Hirschfeld, Peter. "Water Quality Advocate James Ehlers To Run For Governor, As Democrat". Retrieved August 3, 2017.
- ^ "YCN Vermont Wrap with Keith Hanson 6/16/18". YCN Now. June 16, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
- ^ Walters, John (May 8, 2018). "Walters: Anti-Poverty Advocate Launches Bid for Vermont Governor". Seven Days.
- ^ "Thirteen-year-old runs for Governor of Vermont". Burlington Free Press. August 24, 2017. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
- ^ McCullum, April (August 8, 2018). "Meet the 14-year-old running for Vermont governor". Burlington Free Press. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
- ^ Robinson, Adia (August 14, 2018). "14-year-old is running to be Vermont's next governor". ABC News. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
- ^ a b Luz Henning Santiago, Amanda (August 14, 2018). "The website for Vermont's 14-year-old gubernatorial candidate has convinced me he's fit for the job". Mashable. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
- ^ "Letter: Mrowicki supports Siegel". reformer.com.
- ^ "Brenda Siegel for Vermont". www.facebook.com.
- ^ "Mark A. Hughes". www.facebook.com.
- ^ ":: Vermont Election Night Results ::". vtelectionresults.sec.state.vt.us. Archived from the original on August 11, 2017. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
- ^ "Transgender candidate makes history with win in Vermont governor primary". ABC News. August 15, 2018.
- ^ Bidgood, Jess (August 14, 2018). "Christine Hallquist, a Transgender Woman, Wins Vermont Governor's Primary". The New York Times.
- ^ ":: Vermont Election Night Results ::". vtelectionresults.sec.state.vt.us. Archived from the original on August 11, 2017. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
- ^ "2018 Vermont Libertarian Party Convention Summary". May 3, 2018. Archived from the original on July 24, 2018. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
- ^ a b "Archived copy". Archived from the original on August 14, 2018. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Candidates - Elections - Vermont Secretary of State". www.sec.state.vt.us. Archived from the original on June 1, 2016. Retrieved August 12, 2018.
- ^ Kaiser, Jonas (December 23, 2020). "How YouTube helps form homogeneous online communities". Brookings.edu. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
- ^ Daro, Ishmael; Lytvyneko, Jane. "Right-Wing YouTubers Think It's Only A Matter Of Time Before They Get Kicked Off The Site". Buzzfeed News. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
- ^ Thompson, Stuart (March 11, 2022). "The far right complains after the search engine DuckDuckGo vows to limit Russian propaganda". The New York Times. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
- ^ "YouTube Star Styxhexenhammer - aka Tarl Warwick - Running for Vermont Governor". thegoldwater.com. Archived from the original on August 15, 2018. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
- ^ "Barney joins Vermont governor's race as independent". burlingtonfreepress.com.
- ^ "2018 Governor Race Ratings for October 26, 2018". The Cook Political Report. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
- ^ "The Washington Post's gubernatorial race ratings". The Washington Post. October 16, 2018.
- ^ "2018 Governor Forecast | FiveThirtyEight". FiveThirtyEight. October 17, 2018. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
- ^ "2018 Gubernatorial Ratings | Inside Elections". insideelections.com. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
- ^ "Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball » 2018 Governor". www.centerforpolitics.org. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
- ^ "2018 Governor Races". RealClearPolitics. October 9, 2018.
- ^ "2018 Governor Race Ratings". Daily Kos. June 5, 2018.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "2018 Midterm Power Ranking". Fox News. October 10, 2021.
- ^ "Politico Race Ratings". Politico.
- ^ "2018 Governor Elections: As November Nears, More Governors' Races Become Tossups". www.governing.com. Archived from the original on October 21, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
- ^ Barack Obama. "Today, I'm proud to endorse even more Democratic candidates who aren't just running against something, but for something—to expand opportunity for all of us and to restore dignity, honor, and compassion to public service. They deserve your vote". Twitter.
- ^ "VT Insights: Hallquist rakes in endorsements from Obama, Biden, Warren and Sanders".
- ^ "Biden endorses Hallquist for governor". wcax.com. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f "Supporters".
- ^ Martin O'Malley. "Proud to support @christineforvt, a leader in green energy and health care for the state of Vermont". Twitter.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Christine Hallquist - Posts". Facebook. July 23, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
- ^ Battipaglia, Helena (September 12, 2018). "'Supernatural' actor supports Democratic gubernatorial candidate". www.mynbc5.com. WPTZ.
- ^ Ocasio-Cortez, Alexandria [@Ocasio2018] (August 15, 2018). "Incredible and groundbreaking victory. Congratulations @christineforvt & shout out to Vermont voters for continuing VT's legacy of courageous inclusion & advocacy for all people" (Tweet). Retrieved October 16, 2018 – via Twitter.
- ^ Tinney, Don (August 28, 2018). "Vermont-NEA Recommends Hallquist for Governor". www.vtnea.org. Vermont-NEA Board.
- ^ Peters, Stephen (August 29, 2018). "HRC Endorses Christine Hallquist for Governor of Vermont | Human Rights Campaign". Human Rights Campaign.
- ^ Byrne, Robert (May 22, 2018). "Victory Fund Endorses 24 More LGBTQ Candidates for 2018, Spotlights Five New Historic Races". LGBTQ Victory Fund. LGBTQ Victory Fund.
- ^ Sandberg, Stephanie (July 26, 2018). "LPAC Announces 5 New Endorsements for Local Office as Primaries Approach - LPAC". LPAC. Archived from the original on September 1, 2018. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
- ^ "Republican Leaders Endorse Governor Phil Scott". Phil Scott for Vermont. August 6, 2018.
- ^ a b "Governor Jim Douglas and Lt. Governor Brian Dubie Endorse Governor Phil Scott for Reelection". Phil Scott for Vermont. August 3, 2018.
- ^ "Phil Scott Receives Small-Business Endorsement in the Race for Governor". NFIB. October 9, 2018.
- ^ Landen, Xander (October 7, 2018). "Planned Parenthood declines to endorse in governor's race". VTDigger.
- ^ Trevor Barlow (I), Cris Ericson (I), Charles Laramie (I), and Emily Peyton (LU) with 1%; none/write in/other with 3%
External links
- Official campaign websites