MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – Republican gains extended to the Legislature Tuesday night, chipping away at the Democratic supermajority in the Statehouse.

Republicans believe the message from Vermont voters is clear.

“Things will change. I think the people have spoken loud and clear,” said Sen.-elect Scott Beck, R-Caledonia County.

“Every door I knocked on was the number one problem — Vermonters can’t take it anymore,” said Sen.-elect Samuel Douglass, R-Orleans County.

For months, Gov. Phil Scott flooded the airwaves with his message of affordability and sounded the alarm about rising property taxes and other fees passed by the Legislature. And voters appeared to heed the call Tuesday.

“There will be greater representation on committees and there will be a greater need for the Legislature to work with the governor,” said Jason Maulucci, campaign manager for Gov. Phil Scott.

Vermont Democrats have enjoyed veto-proof majorities in both the House and Senate in recent years. But in January the numbers will be much closer. In the 30-member Senate, Democrats and progressives control 17 seats, while Republicans control 13 seats. In the 150-member House, Democrats and progressives will control 91 seats, while the GOP will control 56 seats. And it wasn't just gains in the legislature. The governor received the most votes in state history, while other statewide Democrats' victory margins shrank by about 10 percentage points from 2022.

Democrats still have the majority and will continue to set the agenda, but there could be new leadership and new committee chairs who decide which bills pass. “We hear the message from voters and we will engage with it, familiarize ourselves with it and come back to it in January,” said Sen. Phil Baruth, D/P-Chittenden County.

“This wasn’t a swing election. It wasn't like 2000, when Republicans took the House of Representatives after civil unions. “This was a bot election,” said Chris Graff, Vt.’s former longtime clerk. Associated Press. He says the partisan divide will force Democrats and Republicans to work together on issues, including how to fund education without raising property taxes. “The Democrats and the governor have been like oil and water in the last few years. Both sides have said it's my way or the highway. That has to change.”

Democrats acknowledge the losses will hinder some of their goals but say there are shared interests, including a continued focus on flood recovery. “I’m going to work very hard with whoever comes in and we’ll see what we can agree on,” Baruth said.

The deep blue state of Vermont takes on a more purple hue.

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