Democrats expect to lose their supermajority in the Vermont House of Representatives

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Gov. Phil Scott is celebrating a big win in Vermont and will have a lot more support in the Legislature in the next biennium.

The numbers were still coming in Wednesday morning, but Republicans already had 52 seats. That's 15 more than in the last biennium and would deprive Democrats of the supermajority they've held for the past two years.

If these numbers hold true, things could look very different in the Statehouse.

Many of the decisions we see Democrats making in the supermajority Statehouse may not see the light of day in Governor Scott's secured fifth term.

This legislative session, the Democratic supermajority in the House and Senate overrode several Scott vetoes. These included bills that would increase property taxes, require state utilities to convert to renewable energy and reform state development.

Political analysts say bills like this may not become law without a Democratic supermajority.

“Many of the vetoes that Phil Scott could make would be upheld. “That means the legislature couldn’t override it,” said Bert Johnson of Middlebury College.

A potential shift to the supermajority is particularly important considering how many bills Gov. Scott vetoes — twice as many as any previous governor.

Vermont lawmakers made history this year by successfully overriding six vetoes in one day. After the election, we may not see such Democratic influence in the Statehouse.

While 64% of Vermonters voted blue in the presidential election, Scott's landslide victory was no surprise to Johnson, who expected Vermonters to split their votes at the state and local levels.

“When it comes to state politics, they're going to be thinking about issues like their property tax bills, and I think that's going to lead them in Phil Scott's direction more often,” Johnson said.

Even before Scott took office, it was common for Vermonters to vote across party lines. While the state has voted blue in the last eight elections, Vermonters have elected several Republican governors over the years.

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