Voters choose Democrats in local House and Senate legislative races
November 5, 2024 | By Lisa Scagliotti and Cheryl Casey UPDATE: This post was updated with final election vote breakdowns and comments from candidates.
Voters cast ballots in the gym at Brookside Primary School on Tuesday. Photo by Gordon Miller
Voters in Waterbury, Duxbury and the Mad River Valley as well as across Washington County elected Democrats on Tuesday to seats in the Vermont House and Senate.
Waterbury incumbent state Reps. Tom Stevens and Theresa Wood won re-election, according to results from town clerks across the Washington-Chittenden district.
In the Washington-2 district covering Duxbury and the Mad River Valley, Rep. Dara Torre, D-Moretown, won re-election to a second term alongside fellow Democrat and first-time candidate Candice White of Waitsfield, over two independent challengers.
Stevens and Wood will return to Montpelier to represent Waterbury in Washington County and Bolton, Huntington and Buels Gore in Chittenden County. The veteran lawmakers were the top vote-getters in a four-way race that also included candidates Jonathan Griffin, a Waterbury Republican, and Independent James Haddad of Huntington.
According to the unofficial results reported by 10 p.m., Wood won 3,366 votes or 35%, Stevens won 2,822 or 29%. Griffin claimed 2,093 or just shy of 22%, and Haddad 1,348 which came to 14%.
Washington-Chittenden House candidates: Jonathan Griffin (R), James Haddad (I), and incumbents Tom Stevens (D) and Theresa Wood (D). Photos: Courtesy, Gordon Miller (Stevens), Glenn Russell (Wood)
The local Democratic wins, however, were tempered by losses in other House and Senate districts around the state and Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman, running on both Progressive and Democratic tickets, as of midnight was trailing Republican challenger John Rodgers in a tight race.
“We have a lot of work ahead of us,” Wood said. “Significant changes are happening across the state.”
Wood said she thanks all of her supporters for their trust and wants them to know: “I have heard their concerns.”
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Stevens likewise expressed gratitude to the district’s voters “for trusting me with their vote,” he said Wednesday morning. Looking ahead, however, he admitted that knows it won’t be business as usual at the State House when lawmakers convene in January.
“I’m surprised at the amount of seats that we [Democrats] lost,” Stevens said, expressing disappointment in the overall outcome of the House races across the state. “It will change the way that business gets done, and it will be up to the governor to lead much more rather than be a governor of ‘no.’”
Turnout was strong across Vermont on Tuesday given the U.S. presidential election, Congressional races and all of Vermont’s statewide offices on the ballot in addition to the entire Vermont General Assembly.
Waterbury and Bolton each saw 77% of registered voters cast ballots; in Huntington and Buels Gore, turnout was 79%, according to town clerk reports.
Stevens, who chairs the House General and Housing Committee, is looking to return to Montpelier for a ninth term in the House. This is Wood’s fifth election for a two-year term; she was initially appointed to a one-year vacancy before running for election. Wood chairs the House Human Services Committee.
A civil engineer who works for the state Agency of Transportation, Griffin was on the ballot for the first time as a candidate, campaigning on a theme of reining in the cost of living in Vermont. Haddad, a retired certified public accountant, also was a political newcomer this year and likewise called for making Vermont a more affordable place to live.
Justice of the Peace Marion Howes with Town Clerk Karen Petrovic. Howes has worked Waterbury elections for 39 years. Photo by Gordon Miller
Griffin took the results in stride. He said he was pleased that his vote total exceeded 2,000 votes, calling it “a little better than I expected, but not as good as I had hoped.” Nonetheless, the level of support makes him “optimistic the message was getting out there,” he said.
Griffin thanked voters for their support and added that he will be watching the legislature closely as the next biennium convenes. He said he doesn’t rule out another run for office “if we’re not making strides.” In general though, he gave credit to the winners saying he is “optimistic Tom and Theresa will do a great job” and he supports them in their work.
Haddad reflected on the results and considered his first run for office. “I probably could have run a better campaign if I had tried to attract money,” he concluded. Other candidates raised more funds and received contributions from more donors and organizations, he pointed out. He admitted that he “could have had more of an advertising presence” with more fundraising. “If I’m going to get in there again, I will have to do a better job,” he said.
To his supporters, however, especially in Huntington, he said, “I can’t thank them enough.”
Washington-2 House race
Washington-2 House candidates: Gene Bifano (I), John Burns (I), incumbent Dara Torre (D), Candice White (D)
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In Washington-2 communities, Tuesday’s election turnout ranged from 75% in Warren and Fayston to nearly 82% in Waitsfield; Duxbury saw just shy of 79% and Moretown logged 80%.
Running in her first election, White was the top vote-getter with 3,164 votes or 28.7%; Torre received 2,644 votes or 24%; with 2,201 votes, Moretown Independent candidate John Burns claimed 20%; Eugene Bifano of Warren running on the Common Sense label won 1,039 votes or 9.4%.
White succeeds former state Rep. Kari Dolan, another Waitsfield Democrat, who opted not to run for re-election this year after serving three terms. White has worked in marketing, communications, nonprofits and spent a decade on the leadership team at Sugarbush Resort. She now is a communications consultant and freelance writer and co-chair of the Vermont Women’s Fund Council.
“I am thrilled to have been chosen to represent our district in the Vermont State House. I feel fortunate to live here, and to have raised my children here. And I am energized to go to Montpelier and work with the governor and the legislature to make our state an even better place to live,” White said in a statement on Wednesday.
White also thanked the other candidates in the race. “I am grateful for the civility, and even the friendship, that was displayed during our campaign,” she said. “While we have differing views, we engaged in respectful and productive dialogue regarding the issues we are facing. I have a lot of hope for the future of Vermont.”
Torre also thanked the community for supporting her re-election bid. “I deeply appreciate the support I received and the honest and galvanizing feedback and ideas shared with me by other candidates and community members,” she said in a letter thanking voters.
Torre said issues raised during the campaign such as housing, property taxes, flood resilience, education and healthcare “will require the full attention of the administration and our legislature, and our most productive work together to really address the cost-of-living crisis in our state.”
She acknowledged the losses at the ballot box that resulted in some 18 new House members and six senators being elected. “We lost some deeply experienced and committed legislators on Election Day, but I’m committed to tackling the difficult work ahead with new colleagues,” Torre said, specifically mentioning White. “I’m excited to be joined by Candice White and have her positivity and local insights working on our behalf.
Burns, who ran as an independent candidate in the race, reflected on the outcome as well, pointing to positives despite falling short of winning one of the district’s seats. “This campaign stayed factual and honest and made a point of holding elected leaders accountable for their voting records,” he said in a letter to voters. “I know there will be a heightened awareness of how our legislators perform in the next session. The change in the Lt. Governor’s office sends a resolute message that this next session will be different.”
Burns said his intention in running was “to give voters of this district more choice and some hope for this election cycle and that was achieved.” He added that he plans to follow developments as the new session unfolds. “I will stay engaged, along with many disaffected yet re-energized supporters that I have met, to do what we can to save our state.”
Below: At the polls in Duxbury (click to enlarge)
Washington Senate
Washington Senate candidates: Sen. Ann Cummings (D), Michael Deering II (R), Donald Koch (R), Michael “Mike” Doyle (R), Sen. Andrew Perchlik (D/P), Sen. Anne Watson (D/P)
In the three-seat Washington Senate district, the three incumbents won re-election on Tuesday.
The district covers all of Washington County’s 20 municipalities along with Orange and Braintree in Orange County and Stowe in Lamoille County. All election results were reported by Wednesday morning on the Secretary of State’s website.
Sen. Ann Cummings, a Montpelier Democrat, led the pack of six candidates with 21,814 or 18.4% of the vote. Montpelier Democrat/Progressive Sen. Anne Watson was in second place with 18,555 voters or 15.7%; Marshfield Democrat/Progressive Sen. Andrew Perchlik was in third place with 17,176 or 14.5% of the vote.
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Three Republican candidates rounded out the field: Donald Koch of Barre Town and Mike Doyle of Montpelier were within 13 votes of each other: Doyle with 13,700 votes and Koch with 13,368 claimed 11.6% and 11.5% respectively; Michael Deering of Barre City won 9.7% with 11,536 votes.
This story will be updated.