The votes are (mostly) counted, and Vermont has spoken.
Yesterday, Vermonters turned out in extraordinary numbers, sent a powerful message about the direction of our state, and delivered some surprising victories and defeats. There is plenty to celebrate, even if we didn’t get everything we wanted.
So, without further ado, here’s VPIRG’s take on the Winners and Losers of the 2026 Election.
The Winners:
DEMOCRACY: More than 18,000 additional Vermonters cast ballots compared with the 2022 midterm election, an increase of roughly 6% and a new record. Congratulations to Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas, our town clerks, and election officials who successfully administered another election despite unprecedented pressure and threats from the Trump administration.
VERMONT DEMOCRATS & PROGRESSIVES: This was quite a comeback. After a tough 2024 election, Democrats and Progressives flipped the lieutenant governor’s office, expanded their Senate ranks from 17 to 21 (plus an Independent who was a Democratic senator in the ’90s), and captured 109 House seats (plus a VPIRG Votes endorsed Independent), restoring significant majorities in both chambers. And these weren’t just victories in Vermont’s urban centers: a new generation of more rural Democrats flipped legislative seats from Addison and Bennington to Caledonia, Franklin, Lamoille, Orange, Rutland, Windsor, and Windham counties.
AMANDA JANOO AND HER PEOPLE-POWERED CAMPAIGN: Yes, she came up short, but what an extraordinary campaign! Janoo outworked and outraised the man routinely described as “America’s most popular governor,” with an army of volunteers and small-dollar donations. She held town halls, creative gatherings, and made herself accessible to voters, all while putting big, bold ideas on the table.
She energized a new generation of voters and demonstrated what’s possible when a campaign puts people before powerful interests.
MOLLY GRAY: Taking on an incumbent is never easy, but Molly Gray didn’t just defeat Lt. Gov. John Rodgers. She earned nearly 190,000 votes and delivered one of the night’s most decisive victories. She will now return to the office of lieutenant governor.
EQUAL RIGHTS AND WORKER PROTECTIONS: Vermonters overwhelmingly approved Proposals 3 and 4, strengthening constitutional protections for collective bargaining and equal rights. In an era when fundamental freedoms are under attack nationally, Vermont voters chose to expand and protect them.
GOLDSHAW FARM: The influencers have landed! Vermont’s social media-famous farm proved that a little creativity, a lot of personality, and some very photogenic cows can help bring a new audience into our political conversations. Check them out.
PHIL SCOTT: He’s on both lists. The governor won another term, his sixth, on a very bad night for Republicans generally. But it took a massive outside-spending campaign, backed by Elon Musk, to help him across the finish line. A win is a win, though, so he will serve another term.
The Losers:
AI DATA CENTERS: The politicians who killed Vermont’s bipartisan AI data center protections had a very bad night. Of the three senators who opposed H.727, one lost, another retired and saw his seat flip, and the third survived without an opponent. Meanwhile, a dozen House Republicans who voted to sustain Gov. Scott’s veto lost their reelection bids, and another lost a Senate race. Even Gov. Scott had an October conversion, suddenly professing support for a moratorium on the very developments his veto protected.
AI SLOP: Apparently, voters still prefer actual human beings to synthetic political garbage. Some of the candidates (Mark Coseter) and online operatives (Flip Vermont Red) who leaned hardest into AI-generated images, misinformation, and digital trash discovered that flooding social media with slop is no substitute for earning voters’ trust.
MAGA: Vermont voters showed the door to some of the Legislature’s most Trump-aligned Republicans, including Sens. Pat Brennan and Steve Heffernan, and Reps. Michael Boutin and Brenda Steady. While the MAGA movement remains a threat nationally, Vermonters delivered a resounding rejection of its brand of politics here at home.
JOHN RODGERS: Vermonters gave him a test drive as lieutenant governor, and they didn’t like the ride. Rodgers lost ground compared with his results in 2024 in 282 of Vermont’s 283 voting districts. His biggest drop in support came in his hometown of Glover. Special mention goes to Rep. Matt Birong, who capped his unremarkable State House career by switching parties and managing this train wreck of a campaign.
PHIL SCOTT (AGAIN): Gov. Scott pleaded with Vermonters to send him more Republicans to work with in Montpelier. Instead, they delivered Democratic and Progressive super-majorities in both chambers. The Legislature should call his bluff on his October conversions: put bills on his desk to get corporate money out of politics and protect Vermonters from massive AI data centers. And they should press for real collaboration on structural reforms that will make life in our state more affordable.
What’s Next?
Elections are not just about who wins office. They’re about what they do with the power voters give them.
Yesterday’s results gave Vermont lawmakers a remarkable opportunity to stand up to corporate power, defend our democracy, and build a more affordable, sustainable future.
VPIRG will be there in January to help make sure our elected leaders seize that opportunity.