November 11, 2024
The election delivered a fifth term in office for Republican Governor Phil Scott, who received more than 70% of the vote. In the race for Lt. Governor, Republican John Rodgers defeated the incumbent, Progressive/Democrat David Zuckerman. The election returns the Democrats to power in Montpelier in both the House and the Senate, but without the supermajority they have had for the past four years. Here are some of the headlines:
— Steven Heffernan defeated incumbent Senator Chris Bray in Addison County
— Larry Hart defeated incumbent Senator Mark MacDonald in Orange County
— Pat Brennan defeated incumbent Senator Andy Julow in Grand Isle County
— Chris Mattos defeated incumbent Senator Irene Wrenner in Chittenden County
— Scott Beck won the seat formerly held by Senator Jane Kitchell in Caledonia County
— Sam Douglas defeated former Rep. Katherine Sims in Orleans County
The split in the Senate is now 17 Democrats/13 Republicans, which is enough votes to sustain a veto from Governor Scott. There were also some notable races in the House where the incumbents lost to Republican challengers, including:
— St. Albans, where Joe Luneau defeated Rep. Mike McCarthy, the influential Chair of the Government — Operations Committee
— Rutland, where Chris Keyser defeated Rep. Bill Notte, who was the Assistant Democratic Majority Leader in charge of strategy
— Vergennes, where Rob North defeated Rep. Diane Lanpher, the influential Chair of the Appropriations Committee
— Corinth, where Michael Tagliavia defeated Rep Carl Demrow, the ranking member on the House Ways and Means Committee
— Brandon, where Todd Nielsen defeated Rep. Stephanie Jerome, the Vice-Chair of the House Commerce Committee
— Middletown Springs/Pawlet, where Chris Pritchard defeated Rep. Chesnut-Tangerman
— Barre, where Michael Boutin defeated Rep. Jonathan Williams
— Chester, where Thomas Charlton defeated Rep. Heather Chase
— Dorset, where Sandy Pinsonault defeated Rep Mike Rice
— Barnet, where Debra Lynn Powers defeated Rep. Bobby Farlice-Rubio
— Grand Isle, where Leland Morgan defeated Rep. Josie Levitt
There are now 56 Republicans; only 51 are needed to sustain a veto. This shake-up will impact several key leadership positions in the House and Senate. Already, there is a contested race to be the next Speaker of the House, and this is likely to intensify over the next few weeks. Click here to watch a three-minute breakdown of the election results from Matt Cota at Meadow Hill Media.
__________________
Car Corner
Several programs that offer Vermonters incentives to buy or lease new or used electric vehicles are now closed. The New Plug-In Electric Vehicle (PEV), Replace Your Ride, and MileageSmart programs are out of money and no longer accepting applications. The “carrot and stick” approach to getting Vermonters to drive electric hasn’t changed, even if the carrots are gone. The stick comes next year when car and truck manufacturers will be required to deliver an increasingly higher number of zero-emission vehicles to Vermont or else pay fines or fees. Learn more about Vermont’s Advanced Clean Car and Clean Truck Regulations here. Meanwhile, thousands of EV owners in Vermont have been notified that their registration fees will soon increase. The new fees are for electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), which will go into effect on January 1, 2025. EV owners will pay an extra $89 annually, and PHEVs will pay $44.50. Given the number of electric cars on the road, this is expected to raise $1.7 million in 2026. Money from the fees on EVs will be set aside to fund more electric vehicle chargers. None would go to fix Vermont’s roads. At least not until the state creates a Mileage-Based User Fee (MBUF), which won’t happen until at least 2026. Check out the Meadow Hill Vermont Vehicle Index and see what’s driving Vermont.
Time to Split
The Split the Ticket Fund has delivered over 100,000 gallons of free heating fuel in Vermont since it was founded in 2007. Check out ticketsplit.org and find out how you can donate dollars or gallons this winter. Thanks to Senator Peter Welch for showcasing how Vermont energy companies are helping their Neighbors in need. Watch the MeadowHill Media report here.
