Democrats lose the supermajority – and two committee chairs – in the Vermont House of Representatives

Updated November 6 at 2:12 am

The Democratic supermajority in the Vermont House of Representatives no longer exists.

Republicans gained 18 seats in the 150-member chamber on Tuesday, dramatically changing the balance of power in the House of Representatives. They are expected to hold 55 seats in the next biennium – enough to prevent Democrats and progressives, who will hold a combined 92 seats, from overriding Republican Gov. Phil Scott's vetoes. Three independents won races Tuesday, according to unofficial results from the Vermont Secretary of State's office.

The chairmen of two House committees were among several Democratic incumbents ousted Tuesday – as was a deputy majority leader for the party – setting up big changes in the chamber when lawmakers return to Montpelier in January.

The result mirrored that of the Vermont Senate, where Republicans unseated four incumbents and gained two additional seats on the 30-member body.

Vermont Republican Party Chairman Paul Dame said Republican successes in the general election will force Democrats to work with Republican Gov. Phil Scott, who is running for re-election on Tuesday.

“I don’t think we’ve had such a good night in ten years,” Dame said. “Tonight, voters considered how to resolve this standoff. They said, 'You should have listened to the governor for the last two years.'”

Speaking at a campaign party in South Burlington on Tuesday evening, House Speaker Jill Krowinski, D-Burlington, lamented the results of that day's election.

“We're sick to our stomachs tonight about what's happening with the national election and the election here at home,” Krowinski said, flanked by about a dozen House colleagues. “We are still waiting to receive final results from across the state. We won some seats. We lost some seats. It’s difficult, but I want Vermonters to know we still have your back.”

The loss of two committee chairs was a particularly devastating blow to Democrats.

Rep. Diane Lanpher, D-Vergennes, chairwoman of the House Budget Committee, placed third in a four-way race for two seats in the Addison-3 District, according to unofficial results from the Secretary of State's Office.

Republican Rob North came in first with 24.67% of the vote. Lanpher's counterpart, Rep. Matt Birong, D-Vergennes, came in second with 21.86%. Lanpher received 21.7%, finishing just 17 votes behind Birong. Republican Joseph Baker received 20.63%.

Lanpher's leadership position on the powerful Money Committee is one of the most coveted positions in the House of Representatives and helps guide government spending. First elected in 2008, she chaired the House Transportation Committee and took over as head of the Budget Panel in 2023.

Rep. Mike McCarthy of St. Albans, chairman of the House Government Operations and Military Affairs Committee, lost his re-election bid in the single-member Franklin 3 District to Republican Joe Luneau. Luneau won 52.53%, McCarthy's 44.43%.

In the Rutland 7 House of Representatives, Representative William Notte, one of the Democratic deputy majority leaders, also lost. Republican Chris Keyser won 55.9% of the vote, Notte won 40.43%.

Other House Democratic incumbents ousted Tuesday included:

• Rep. Josie Leavitt in Grand Isle-Chittenden County
• Rep. Dennis Labounty in Caledonia-3 District
• Rep. Robin Chestnut-Tangerman in Bennington-Rutland County
• Rep. Jim Carroll in Bennington-5th District

Jim Dandeneau, executive director of the Vermont Democratic Party, said in an interview around 11:15 p.m. at the party's election night meeting in South Burlington that the state Republicans' – and particularly Scott's – messages about property taxes have proven more effective for campaigning as what he called Democrats' “Herculean effort” in knocking on doors and engaging with voters on the ground.

Dandeneau said Scott and Republicans had “overwhelmed people's concerns about the future of our democracy with concerns about the future of their own wallets.”

“We fought this fight one at a time, one household at a time,” he added, holding several boxes of uneaten finger food from the party’s entrees that were spread out as workers began breaking up the event space. “He has flooded the airwaves with his messages about tax cuts. That wasn’t great for us in the end.”

Shaun Robinson and Sarah Mearhoff contributed to this story.