Phil Scott Wins 6th Vermont Term as New England Moderates Defy Democratic Wave
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Nov 12
Phil Scott Wins 6th Vermont Term as New England Moderates Defy Democratic Wave
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Nov 12
Summary
Phil Scott secured a record sixth term in Vermont, and Kelly Ayotte also won re-election in neighboring New Hampshire despite a broader Democratic surge across New England.
Voters who otherwise backed Democrats said the Republican governors prevailed by stressing fiscal pragmatism, moderate positions on social issues and, in Scott’s case, clear distance from Donald Trump.
Vermont underscored that split-ticket pattern: Democrats flipped about two dozen Republican state legislative seats and regained supermajorities in both chambers while still returning Scott to office.
The twin victories offer Republicans a rare post-election bright spot and revive a longstanding New England model in which liberal electorates sometimes pair Democratic legislatures with moderate GOP governors.