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Vermont held an election for governor on November 6, 2018. The candidate filing deadline was May 31, 2018.
Under the state constitution, if no gubernatorial candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, the state legislature elects a governor directly from among the top three finishers. As of October 2018, the state legislature has decided the results of 25 gubernatorial elections. No second or third-place finisher has been elected governor by the legislature since 1789. The last gubernatorial election decided by the legislature was in 2014, when legislators voted in favor of another term for incumbent and first-place finisher Peter Shumlin (D).
| SETTING THE STAGE | |
Vermont was one of 36 states that held an election for governor in 2018. Democrats gained seven previously Republican-held seats, and Republicans gained one previously independent-held seat. Heading into the 2018 elections, there were 16 Democratic governors, 33 Republican governors, and one independent governor. In 2018, 26 of the 33 states with a Republican governor held a gubernatorial election, while nine out of the 16 states with a Democratic governor held a gubernatorial election. Seventeen of the 36 seats up for election were open seats (four Democratic, 12 Republican, and one independent), meaning that the sitting governor was not seeking re-election.
Vermont Governor 2018
| Poll | Poll sponsor | Phil Scott (R) | Christine Hallquist (D) | Trevor Barlow (I) | Cris Ericson (I) | Charles Laramie (I) | Emily Peyton (Liberty Union Party) | Stephen Marx (Earth Rights Party) | None/Write in/Other | Not sure/No opinion | Margin of error | Sample size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braun Research (October 5-14, 2018) | Vermont Public Radio and Vermont PBS | 42% | 28% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 0% | 3% | 22% | +/-4.4 | 495 |
Race ratings: Vermont gubernatorial election, 2018
| Race tracker | Race ratings | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 5, 2018 | October 30, 2018 | October 23, 2018 | October 16, 2018 | |
| The Cook Political Report | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican |
| Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican |
| Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball | Safe Republican | Safe Republican | Safe Republican | Safe Republican |
This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in Vermont from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the Vermont Secretary of State.
This chart shows the results of the presidential election in Vermont every year from 2000 to 2016.
Election results (President of the United States), Vermont 2000-2016
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 |  Hillary Clinton |
56.7% |  Donald Trump |
30.3% | 26.4% |
| 2012 | Barack Obama |
66.8% | Mitt Romney |
31.1% | 35.7% |
| 2008 | Barack Obama |
67.5% | John McCain |
30.4% | 37.1% |
| 2004 | John Kerry |
58.9% | George W. Bush |
38.8% | 20.1% |
| 2000 | Al Gore |
50.6% | George W. Bush |
40.7% | 9.9% |
This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in Vermont from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.
Election results (U.S. Senator), Vermont 2000-2016
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Patrick Leahy |
61.3% | Scott Milne |
33.0% | 28.3% |
| 2012 |  Bernie Sanders |
71.0% | John Macgovern |
24.9% | 46.1% |
| 2010 | Patrick Leahy |
64.3% | Len Britton |
30.9% | 33.4% |
| 2006 | Bernie Sanders |
65.4% | Rich Tarrant |
32.4% | 33.0% |
| 2004 | Patrick Leahy |
70.6% | Jack McMullen |
24.5% | 46.1% |
| 2000 | James M. Jeffords |
65.6% | Ed Flanagan |
25.4% | 40.2% |
This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every two years in Vermont.
Election results (Governor), Vermont 2000-2016
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Phil Scott |
52.9% | Sue Minter |
44.2% | 8.7% |
| 2014 | Peter Shumlin |
46.5% | Scott Milne |
45.2% | 1.3% |
| 2012 | Peter Shumlin |
58.0% | Randy Brock |
37.7% | 20.3% |
| 2010 | Peter Shumlin |
49.5% | Brian Dubie |
47.7% | 1.8% |
| 2008 | Jim Douglas |
53.4% | Anthony Pollina |
21.9% | 31.5% |
| 2006 | Jim Douglas |
56.4% | Scudder Parker |
41.2% | 15.2% |
| 2004 | Jim Douglas |
58.7% | Peter Clavelle |
37.9% | 20.8% |
| 2002 | Jim Douglas |
44.9% | Doug Racine |
42.4% | 2.5% |
| 2000 | Howard Dean |
50.5% | Ruth Dwyer |
37.9% | 12.6% |
See the list below for the members elected to represent Vermont in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Vermont has one at-large representative in the House. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.
Peter Welch (2007-Present) Bernie Sanders (1991-2007)“A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.”
Vermont Party Control: 1992-2019
10 years of Democratic trifectas • No Republican trifectas
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R |
| Senate | D | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| House | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
Demographic data for Vermont
| Vermont | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|
| Total population: | 626,088 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 9,217 | 3,531,905 |
| Gender | ||
| Female: | 50.8% | 50.8% |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 94.9% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 1.1% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 1.4% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.3% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 1.9% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 1.7% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 91.8% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 36% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $55,176 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 13.2% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Vermont. | ||
As of July 2016, Vermont's largest cities by population were Burlington (pop. est. 42,239), Essex (pop. est. 21,519), and South Burlington (pop. est. 19,141).
