All of Vermont’s constitutional offices were up for election Tuesday and all but one was won by a Democrat.
Vermont’s Lieutenant Governor, State Treasurer, Secretary of State, Attorney General and Auditor of Accounts races were won by Democrats David Zuckerman, Michael Pieciak, Sarah Copeland Hanzas, Charity Clark and Doug Hoffer, respectively. Zuckerman returns to the Lieutenant Governor’s office two years after leaving the position when he lost a race for governor. Hoffer is an incumbent and the remainder will be new to the positions.
The only Republican to win was Governor Phil Scott, who will return for a fourth two-year term.
“I’m very proud of the progress we’ve made, but there’s still a lot more work to do. I was reminded of that during our traditional 14-county tour. In that 14 hours we saw that far too much of Vermont has been left behind. So we need to be willing to do the hard work so we’re helping the communities that need us the most. This is something we’ve been focusing on over the last six years. And with the support of Vermonters from across the state tonight, my team and I will continue to make this a priority.”
Unofficial results show that Scott easily won the race with 68 percent of the vote over Democratic challenger Brenda Siegel’s 23 percent. In conceding Siegel said she won on the issues.
“It may not have been the outcome we wanted but we nailed down the things that mattered most to Vermonters. One thing that stuck out to me throughout this race was how important it was not only that someone ran but that that person be someone with the lived experience to make clear what we face and what work we all have to do to make it better. We 100 percent without fail won on the issues, and we did not just win, we knocked it out of the park beyond compare.”
All seats in the state legislature were up for election and Vermont House Speaker Democrat Jill Krowinski offered a preview of the upcoming session.
“I am so excited to share the news that we have a veto-proof majority. So we’re going to continue to do the work that Vermonters asked us to do. We’re going to continue to work on affordable housing and child care. We’re going to take up paid family leave. And we are going to do everything we can to make sure every Vermonter has a fair shot and no one is left behind. No one. So this is not the end. This is just the beginning of our journey as we head back to Montpelier and take up these critical issues.”
Senate Pro Tem Becca Balint, for her part, won the state’s sole U.S. House seat Tuesday.
Vermont voters approved a state constitutional amendment to prohibit slavery and indentured servitude in all forms with 81 percent of the vote. A second constitutional amendment guaranteeing reproductive autonomy passed 72 to 21 percent.
