The 2024 Vermont Senate election took place on November 5, 2024, as part of the

biennial Biennial means (an event) lasting for two years or occurring every two years. The related term biennium is used in reference to a period of two years. In particular, it can refer to: * Biennial plant, a plant which blooms in its second year and t ...

United States elections. The election coincided with

elections An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated ...

for other offices including the

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

U.S. House The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

, and

State House State House or statehouse may refer to: Buildings *Aso Villa or State House, the official residence of the President of Nigeria *Government House, Dominica or The State House, the official residence of the President of Dominica * State House, Bar ...

. State senators serve two-year terms in the

Vermont Senate The Vermont Senate is the upper house of the Vermont General Assembly, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The senate consists of 30 members elected from multi-member districts. Each senator repre ...

. Primary elections were held on August 13, 2024.

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

voters elected all 30 state senators from 16 districts, with each district electing between one and three senators. Districts that elect more than one senator use

plurality block voting Plurality block voting is a type of block voting method for multi-winner elections. Each voter may cast as many votes as the number of seats to be filled. The candidates with the most votes are elected. The usual result when the candidates div ...

; in districts that elect two senators, each voter can select up to two candidates on their ballot, and in districts that elect three senators, voters can select up to three candidates. Under Vermont's

electoral fusion Electoral fusion in the United States is an arrangement where two or more United States political parties on a ballot list the same candidate, allowing that candidate to receive votes on multiple party lines in the same election. Electoral fus ...

system, candidates can receive the nomination of more than one party, with all their nominations being listed on the ballot. Prior to the election, the Democrat–Progressive coalition held a 23-seat

supermajority A supermajority is a requirement for a proposal to gain a specified level of support which is greater than the threshold of one-half used for a simple majority. Supermajority rules in a democracy can help to prevent a majority from eroding fun ...

in the senate. In order to gain control of the chamber, Republicans either needed to flip nine seats in the senate, or flip eight seats and the office of

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

, which presides over the senate and acts as the tiebreaking vote. However, they only needed to flip four seats to end their opponents' supermajority. Ultimately, Republicans, aided by popular GOP governor

Phil Scott Philip Brian Scott (born August 4, 1958) is an American politician, businessman, and Stock car racing, stock car racer who has been the List of governors of Vermont, 82nd governor of Vermont since 2017. A member of the Republican Party (United S ...

campaigning for downballot Republican candidates harder than he had in previous years, flipped six seats in the state senate, thus successfully breaking the Democrats' supermajority, and requiring Republican support to overturn Phil Scott’s vetoes. The decline in Democratic showing was notable as they received less votes collectively in 2024, than the 2022 midterms.

Members not seeing reelection

Four incumbents did not seek re-election.

Democrats

#Bennington: Brian Campion retired. #Caledonia: Jane Kitchel retired. #Orleans: Robert Starr retired to run for Justice of the Peace in

Troy Troy (/; ; ) or Ilion (; ) was an ancient city located in present-day Hisarlik, Turkey. It is best known as the setting for the Greek mythology, Greek myth of the Trojan War. The archaeological site is open to the public as a tourist destina ...

. #Windsor: Richard McCormack retired.

Predictions

Summary of results

Addison

*Elects two senators. The incumbents are Democrats Christopher Bray and Ruth Hardy, who won with 33.8% and 33.3% of the vote in 2022, respectively (67.1% combined).

Democratic primary

Declared

* Christopher Bray, incumbent senator * Caleb Elder, state representative * Ruth Hardy, incumbent senator

Campaign

Elder largely avoided criticizing the two incumbents directly, instead saying he decided to run for Senate due to his conflicts with House leadership; Elder alleged that they "made it clear the doors were shut for me to participate." The race was competitive, with all three candidates reporting roughly equal fundraising.

Results

Republican primary

Declared

*Lesley Bienvenue, secretary of the

Addison County Addison County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 37,363. Its shire town (county seat) is the town of Middlebury (town), Vermont, Middle ...

Republican Party *Landel Cochran, vice chair of the Huntington Selectboard * Steven Heffernan, bomb disposal technician

Results

General election

Results

Bennington

*Elects two senators. The incumbents are Democrats Brian Campion and Dick Sears, who won with only write-in opposition in 2022. Sears filed to run for re-election, while Campion announced he would retire. However, Sears died in June 2024, shortly after the filing deadline.

Democratic primary

Declared

* Seth Bongartz, state representative *Tina Cook, marketing professional ''(write-in)'' *Rob Plunkett, deputy state's attorney ''(write-in)'' *Kate Seaton, technical account manager ''(write-in)''

Deceased

* Dick Sears, incumbent senator ''(died June 2024, remained on ballot)''

Declined

* Brian Campion, incumbent senator ''(endorsed Bongartz and Sears, then Plunkett)''

Endorsements

Campaign

Despite his death, Sears remained on the ballot in the August Democratic primary; if he won, a convention of delegates from towns in the district would have met to choose a replacement nominee. Several write-in candidates entered the race. One candidate,

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

selectman Jonathan West, urged Democrats in the district to vote for Sears, hoping to clinch the nomination at a convention.

Results

Republican primary

Declared

*Joe Gervais, lumber business owner ''(also running for state house)''

Results

Independents

Declared

* Steve Berry, former Democratic state representative ''(also running for U.S. Senate)'' * Cynthia Browning,

Arlington Arlington most often refers to: *Arlington, Virginia **Arlington National Cemetery, a United States military cemetery *Arlington, Texas Arlington may also refer to: Places Australia *Arlington light rail station, on the Inner West Light Rail in S ...

selectwoman and former Democratic state representative *Lawrence Whitmire, construction contractor and conservative activist

Results

Caledonia

*Elects one senator. The incumbent is Democrat Jane Kitchel, who won with 63.4% of the vote in 2022. Kitchel is not running for re-election.

Democratic primary

Declared

*Amanda Cochrane, nonprofit executive *Shawn Hallisey, nursing home administrator

Declined

* Jane Kitchel, incumbent senator ''(endorsed Cochrane)''

Endorsements

Results

Republican primary

Declared

* Scott Beck, state representative *J.T. Dodge, systems engineer, nominee for this district in

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

and Libertarian nominee in

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

Endorsements

Results

General election

Results

Chittenden Central

*Elects three senators. The incumbents are Democrats

Philip Baruth Philip E. Baruth (born February 10, 1962) is an American politician, novelist, biographer, professor, and former radio commentator from Vermont. A Democrat and member of the Vermont Progressive Party, he represents the Chittenden-Central Vermo ...

and Martine Gulick and Progressive Tanya Vyhovsky, who won with 31.5%, 29.0%, and 25.7% of the vote in 2022, respectively (86.2% combined), against an independent candidate. All three incumbents are running for re-election.

Democratic primary

Declared

, incumbent senator * Martine Gulick, incumbent senator * Stewart Ledbetter, former

WPTZ WPTZ (channel 5) is a television station licensed to Plattsburgh, New York, United States, serving as the NBC affiliate for the Burlington, Vermont–Plattsburgh, New York market. It is owned by Hearst Television alongside Montpelier, Vermo ...

news anchor * Tanya Vyhovsky, incumbent senator

Endorsements

Campaign

Ledbetter outlined few policy differences between himself and the district's three incumbents, instead campaigning on his experience as a journalist. However,

VTDigger VTDigger is an investigative online newspaper that reports on the state of Vermont in the United States. Founded in September 2009 by Anne Galloway, the newspaper has grown to have an average monthly audience of 650,000 and won numerous awards ...

described Ledbetter as a more

centrist Centrism is the range of political ideologies that exist between left-wing politics and right-wing politics on the left–right political spectrum. It is associated with moderate politics, including people who strongly support moderate policie ...

alternative to the incumbents, and he criticized Vyhovsky for voting against a bill to increase penalties for retail theft. The three incumbents ran together as a slate. Vyhovsky and Gulick criticized Ledbetter for accepting large contributions from Republicans, landlords, and business interests, and for promising to compromise with Republican governor

, which Gulick argued could "mean that you have to make compromises on your values." Ledbetter had significant

name recognition In politics, name recognition is the ability a voter has to identify a candidate's name due to a certain amount of previous exposure through various campaigning methods. It can be described as the awareness voters have about specific candidates r ...

and outraised all three incumbents by a wide margin, creating a competitive race. VTDigger wrote that Gulick was "generally considered the most vulnerable of the three incumbents," owing to her narrow victory in the 2022 Democratic primary for this district.

Results

General election

Results

Chittenden North

*Elects one senator. The incumbent is Democrat Irene Wrenner, who won with 51.3% of the vote in 2022.

Democratic primary

Declared

* Irene Wrenner, incumbent senator

Results

Republican primary

Declared

* Chris Mattos, state representative

Results

Chittenden Southeast

*Elects three senators. The incumbents are Democrats

Kesha Ram Hinsdale Kesha Ram Hinsdale (born August 2, 1986) is an American activist and politician who is the majority leader of the Vermont Senate. She served in the Vermont House of Representatives from 2009 to 2016, representing the Chittenden 6-4 District (numb ...

Thomas Chittenden Thomas Chittenden (January 6, 1730August 25, 1797) was an American politician from Vermont, who was a leader of the territory for nearly two decades. He was the state's first and third governor, serving from 1778 to 1789—when it was a largely ...

and Ginny Lyons, who won with 32.1%, 26.6%, and 25.1% of the vote in 2022, respectively (83.8% combined).

Democratic primary

Declared

, incumbent senator *

, incumbent senator * Ginny Lyons, incumbent senator *Louis Meyers, physician and perennial candidate

Results

Republican primary

Declared

*Bruce Roy, former

Essex Junction Essex Junction is a city in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the population was 10,590. It was municipal incorporation, incorporated as a List of municipalities in Vermont#Villages ...

school board member

Results

Independents

Declared

*Taylor Craven, former member of the

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in northeastern Essex, England. It is the second-largest settlement in the county, with a population of 130,245 at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 Census. The demonym is ''Colcestrian''. Colchester occupies the ...

Planning Commission

General election

Results

Essex

*Elects one senator. The incumbent is Republican Russ Ingalls, who won with only write-in opposition in 2022.

Republican primary

Declared

* Russ Ingalls, incumbent senator

Results

General election

Results

Franklin

*Elects two senators. The incumbents are Republicans

Randy Brock Randolph D. "Randy" Brock III (born September 28, 1943) is an American politician from the state of Vermont and a member of the Republican Party. He currently serves in the Vermont Senate and is the first African American caucus leader in Vermo ...

and Robert Norris, who won with 33.1% and 29.6% of the vote in 2022, respectively (62.7% combined).

Republican primary

Declared

, incumbent senator * Robert Norris, incumbent senator

Results

General election

Results

Grand Isle

*Elects one senator. The incumbent was Democrat Richard Mazza, who won with 73.0% of the vote in 2022. Mazza resigned on April 8, 2024, due to health issues; he later died on May 28. Governor

appointed Democrat Andy Julow, a nonprofit executive and former chair of the

Champlain Valley The Champlain Valley is a region of the United States around Lake Champlain in Vermont and New York extending north slightly into Quebec, Canada. It is part of the St. Lawrence River drainage basin, drained northward by the Richelieu River into ...

School District Board, to Mazza's vacant seat.

Democratic primary

Declared

*Julie Hulburd, member of the Vermont Cannabis Control Board and former

selectman * Andy Julow, incumbent senator

Declined

* Richard Mazza, former senator ''(deceased)''

Results

Republican primary

Declared

* Patrick Brennan, state representative

Results

General election

Results

Lamoille

*Elects one senator. The incumbent is Republican

Richard Westman Richard A. Westman (born 1959) is a Republican Party (United States), Republican politician who was elected and currently serves in the Vermont House of Representatives. He was a Representative of the Lamoille-4 Vermont Representative District, 2 ...

, who won against only write-in opposition in 2022.

Republican primary

Declared

, incumbent senator

Results

Independents

Declared

*Maureen Heck, construction company employee

General election

Results

Orange

*Elects one senator. The incumbent is Democrat Mark MacDonald, who won with 55.4% of the vote in 2022.

Democratic primary

Declared

* Mark MacDonald, incumbent senator

Results

Republican primary

Declared

*Larry Hart, former auto repair shop owner

Results

General election

Results

Orleans

*Elects one senator. The incumbent is Democrat Robert Starr, who won with 58.1% of the vote in 2022. Starr is not running for re-election.

Democratic primary

Declared

* Katherine Sims, state representative

Declined

* Robert Starr, incumbent senator ''(endorsed Sims)''

Endorsements

Results

Republican primary

Declared

*Conrad Bellavance, former Newport school board member *Sam Douglass, chair of the Orleans County Republican Party and nominee for this district in

Declined

* John Rodgers, former Democratic state senator ''( running for lieutenant governor)''

Endorsements

Results

General election

Results

Rutland

*Elects three senators. The incumbents are Republicans Brian Collamore, Terry Williams, and Dave Weeks, who won with 21.0%, 17.3%, and 16.3% of the vote in 2022, respectively (54.6% combined).

Republican primary

Declared

* Brian Collamore, incumbent senator * Dave Weeks, incumbent senator * Terry Williams, incumbent senator

Results

Democratic primary

Declared

*Marsha Cassel, retired teacher *Dana Peterson ''(write-in)'' *Robert Richards, chair of the Fair Haven Selectboard

Results

General election

Results

Washington

*Elects three senators. The incumbents are Democrats

Ann Cummings Ann Cummings (born July 20, 1946) is a Vermont businesswoman and Democratic politician. She has served as mayor of Montpelier and a State Senator. Biography Ann E. Cummings was born in Holliston, Massachusetts, on July 20, 1946. She was educ ...

Anne Watson Anne E. Watson (born 1981) is an American educator and politician who has served as a Democratic / Progressive member of the Vermont Senate since January 2023. She served as Mayor of Montpelier, Vermont, from March 2018 to March 2023. Watson i ...

, and

Andrew Perchlik Andrew John Perchlik (born June 3, 1968) is an American activist and politician from Vermont. A Democrat, in 2018 he was elected to the Vermont Senate from the three-member at-large Washington County Senate District. Early life and education P ...

, who won with 26.2%, 22.9%, and 21.1% of the vote in 2022, respectively (70.2% combined).

Democratic primary

Declared

, incumbent senator *

, incumbent senator

Results

Republican primary

Declared

*Michael Deering, Barre city councilor ''(write-in)'' *Donald Koch, chair of the Washington County Republican Party and son of former state representative

Tom Koch Thomas Freeman Koch (May 13, 1925 – March 22, 2015) was an American humorist and writer. He wrote for ''Mad Magazine'' for 42 years, and was also one of the primary writers for radio performers Bob and Ray. Early life Koch (pronounced "Cook" ...

*Rob Roper, former president of the Ethan Allen Institute ''(write-in)''

Results

Aftermath

Rob Roper received enough write-in votes to win the Republican nomination, but dropped out of the race after the primary. Republican Party officials in Washington County were then able to choose a replacement nominee.

=Replacement nominee

= *Mike Doyle, innkeeper and nominee for this district in

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

General election

Results

Windham

*Elects two senators. The incumbents are Democrats Wendy Harrison and Nader Hashim, who won with 34.2% and 31.2% of the vote in 2022, respectively (65.6% combined).

Democratic primary

Declared

* Wendy Harrison, incumbent senator * Nader Hashim, incumbent senator

Results

Republican primary

Declared

*Dale Gassett, chair of the Windham County Republican Party *Richard Morton, former chair of the Windham County Republican Party, perennial candidate, and nominee for this district in

Results

Independents

Declared

*Ken Fay, former

Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...

Town Manager

General election

Results

Windsor

*Elects three senators. The incumbents are Democrats Alison Clarkson,

Rebecca White Rebecca Peta White (born 4 February 1983) is an Australian politician. She was elected to the House of Representatives at the 2025 federal election, representing the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and the Tasmanian seat of Lyons. She was previo ...

, and Richard McCormack, who won with 23.4%, 22.9%, and 22.7% of the vote in 2022, respectively (69.0% combined). McCormack is not running for re-election.

Democratic primary

Declared

* Alison Clarkson, incumbent senator *Joe Major,

Hartford Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

Town Treasurer *Justin Tuthill, cook and Republican candidate for U.S. House in

, incumbent senator

Withdrawn

*Marc Nemeth, attorney ''(remained on ballot, running as an independent)''

Declined

* Richard McCormack, incumbent senator

Results

Republican primary

Declared

*Andrea Murray, member of the Weathersfield Zoning Board of Adjustments *Jonathan Gleason, ski instructor *Robert Ruhlin, construction company owner *Jack Williams, retired quality assurance professional and nominee for this district in

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

, and

Endorsements

Results

Independents

Declared

*Marc Nemeth, attorney

General election

Results

Notes

References

{{Vermont

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

Vermont Senate elections