The Monday Message - VTGOP's Weekly Newsletter

Entitled Democrats Dismiss Competition

VT Republican Party — Tue, 01 Sep 2026 04:03:40 GMT

Upcoming Events

-Lamoille County Republicans Meeting
Wednesday, September 2nd at 5:30pm, Hyde Park Town Offices

-VT Federation of Republican Women
Saturday, September 5th at 11:30am, McGillicuddy’s in Colchester

-Thetford Labor Day Parade
Monday, September 7th at 11am, Route 113 & Route 244 in Post Mills

VTGOP on WDEV - Tuesdays 9-11am

Last week [LINK]: Chairman Dame hosts Attorney General candidates Ed Kemon, Auditor of Accounts candidate Ivar Kronick. Also Dr. David Barker, Assistant Secretary of Post-Secondary Education for the U.S. Dept of Education to talk about upcoming changes to loan and grant programs

This week: Chairman Dame hosts Lynn LaFleur, candidate for State Treasurer, followed by House Rep. candidate Susanna Burnham of Morrisville during the first hour. In the second hour, Chairman Dame takes calls and will discuss the Republican’s candidate in the State’s Attorney’s race, and at the end of the program we will hear from the Chittenden County Republican Chair Janet Metz about their booth at the Champlain Valley Fair this week

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Entitled Democrats Dismiss Competition

Recently in the news, it’s been clear that Democrats in power are feeling entitled to keep what they have. Two weeks ago, House Majority Leader Lori Houghton announced that she was running to be the next Speaker of the House, and indicated in one report that she “already had the votes lined up” to win. But saying so makes some pretty big assumptions—like how Vermonters are going to vote in November. The Speaker race seems to assume that Democrats are entitled to hold on to power, and that whomever their caucus elects should be the next Speaker. As much as Houghton indicated that listening is a part of her leadership strategy, the one group she did not seem interested in listening to was general election voters. Her only concern is the support of Democrats who won their primaries.

Likewise, Sarah George was quick to put out a press release Monday after the VTGOP announced that it had appointed a candidate to run against her in the General Election. She responded to the thought that she would actually have to be accountable to voters outside the Democratic primary like it was an unjust indignity that she should be able to avoid. In her response, she was using phrases like “voters just finished making their choice,” but she was referring only to the primary voters who pulled a Democratic ballot. The Republicans, on the other hand, also made a choice because Bram Kranichfeld won the Republican nomination, but he turned it down. That allowed us to appoint someone else in his place. Republicans DID make a choice, and they were willing to choose ANOTHER DEMOCRAT just to ensure that Sarah George was replaced. Thanks to Jace Laquerre of Milton stepping up, Republicans will still have a choice, and any independent or other voters who didn’t participate in the primary will have a choice as well.

Ironically, in an incredible feat of Orwellian double-speak, Sarah George’s response was trying to convince the press that putting a name on the ballot was “the opposite” of a choice. She also took aim at the idea of Governor Scott appointing a State’s Attorney as some kind of offense to the electoral process. Yet, this is exactly how Sarah George got the job to begin with, after the 2016 election where TJ Donovan was elected as Attorney General. But she went unopposed in 2018 in both the primary and the general election. Then, in 2022, she won a Democratic primary with 61% of the vote—but also faced no challenger in the General Election. After narrowly defeating a Democrat in the primary—but losing the city of Burlington outright—Sarah George was expecting to walk into her third term without ever having a contested general election.

But in both of these cases, we see symptoms of the same problem. Many Democrats in Vermont believe it is their undisputed right to continue to lead regardless of the results they have produced. They speak and behave as if they are entitled to stay in power just because Vermont votes for Democrats at the federal level, not realizing that voters are permitted—unlike many Democrats in the legislature—to vote differently than the party leadership tells them to.

But we saw in the 2024 election that more Vermonters are waking up to the fact that our local Democrats are largely to blame for failing to prevent or even address the problems that our state is facing. Whether it’s the rising crime coming from soft-on-crime policies from the State’s Attorney’s office, or the Democrat-controlled legislature preserving high property taxes, the shortage of housing, shortage of workers, reduction in school size, or constantly climbing costs of healthcare, child care, and even groceries, Democrats believe that there is nothing they can do wrong enough to make Vermonters change how they vote. They didn’t learn anything from the 2024 election, and if they are returned to power again, it appears they are prepared to double down on causing all of the problems that got us here.

Because despite what they say when they are campaigning, the real evaluation of whether or not Democrats are actually listening to Vermonters is whether they change their approach when pushed back on. The fact that Lori Houghton voted for 100% of the veto overrides that caused a backlash in the 2024 elections should be a sign of where she would lead Democrats. And the fact that Sarah George is still blame-shifting her poor performance onto voters “not hearing HER” in a Democratic primary despite being the incumbent is all part of the impenetrable hubris of many of the Democrats who find themselves in leadership.

Republicans are just asking for a real contest—not an assumed outcome. We run a candidate against Sarah George and she considers it “undemocratic”? There is a problem with her understanding of what democracy is. And when Lori Houghton decides she “has the votes lined up” despite not knowing how many of her pledges are even going to get elected in November—then there is a problem understanding who she aims to be Speaker for—just the Democrats, or the whole House?

Meanwhile, because Republicans have worked as the minority party for decades, none of our legislators or candidates take anything for granted. Every race we’ve won has been done with a lot of hard work, reaching out across party divides, and truly listening to people to ensure we can represent the broadest number of voters possible. We are used to being challenged, and that challenge has forced our candidates to just work harder and better connect to the community. And that’s part of the reason the Vermont Promise campaign is so compelling, because it’s a real bottom-up approach built on the feedback of voters. It’s not a top-down mandate from people in leadership who think they are entitled to just keep winning—regardless of how they rule.

Paul Dame
VTGOP Chairman

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On Cost & Quality in Vermont’s Education System

VT Republican Party — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 03:49:48 GMT

Upcoming Events

-30th Annual John Bloomer Golf Tournament
Thursday, August 27th at 12:30pm, Neshobe Golf Course, Brandon

-Chittenden County Unity Rally
Thursday, August 27th at 6:30pm, So. Burlington Public Library

-Lamoille County Republicans Meeting
Wednesday, September 2nd at 5:30pm, Hyde Park Town Offices

-VT Federation of Republican Women
Saturday, September 5th at 11:30am, McGillicuddy’s in Colchester

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Last week [LINK]: Chairman Dame welcomes the winners of two important Vermont Republican Primary races. First is Andy Klein running in the Addison Senate Seat, followed by Gerald Malloy running for U.S. Congress. During the second hour we’ll take listener calls, questions and reactions to last week’s other primary races.

This week: Chairman Dame hosts Attorney General candidates Ed Kemon, Auditor of Accounts candidate Ivar Kronick, and Dr. David Barker, Assistant Secretary of Post-Secondary Education for the U.S. Dept of Education to talk about upcoming changes to

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On Cost & Quality in Vermont’s Education System

As many students head back to school this week, parents are also getting sizable increases in their property tax bills and wondering what the correlation is. Every parent wants their kids to go to a good school. But are more expensive schools always the best?

Last month, the nonprofit think tank Right for Vermont made its first-ever Transparency Explorer accessible to the public to help demonstrate whether or not there is a correlation between spending and student proficiency. Regrettably, there seems to be very little connection between higher per-pupil spending and students simply getting to “average” for their grade in various skills. The chart demonstrates that the highest-spending district, spending over $33,000 per year, had performance results that were about in the middle of the pack. And it wasn’t much better than another middle-of-the-pack school that was spending only about $7,200 per student. One school is spending almost FOUR TIMES as much per pupil as another, and the results are not much different.

But the really alarming information comes from what our statewide proficiency actually is. A lot of time is spent talking about the cost of education, but there are also complaints about what kind of education is actually being delivered. Across the state, our average proficiency—where students meet or exceed expectations for their grade—is only 47%. That means that our very expensive education system is failing to get more than half of our kids to the expected level of proficiency. And one in four Vermont students are in the least proficient category, labeled “Needs Support.”

So when our property tax rates are already at capacity, there aren’t really many other places we can look to get the resources we need to provide the support that students need. If you look at the worst-performing schools in the state, the number of students who are proficient is as low as 15%. And in the poorest-performing high school in the state, only 33% of those teenagers are meeting the minimum standards set by our schools. Vermont’s education system is proof that just throwing more money at a problem doesn’t always fix what is wrong.

While the overall picture is pretty uncomfortable, it’s worth noting that the dashboard also highlights some of the schools that are doing an outstanding job. The first one I noticed was Stowe Middle School. This school has over 71% of its students meeting or exceeding the standards—but more remarkably, they didn’t have ANY students in the bottom tier of “Needs Support.” They have a fairly high student-to-teacher ratio of 10.3 to 1, which also puts them at just half the per-pupil spending of one of the highest-spending schools.

But it’s not just wealthy towns. Montgomery Elementary also has over 80% of its students meeting or exceeding standards, with just 3% in that “Needs Support” category. They also have a student-to-teacher ratio in the double digits at 11.4 to 1, and their overall per-pupil spending is still pretty close to the middle of the pack—over $13,000 per pupil less than the most expensive schools.

While some advocates will try to make you believe that we can’t cut a single penny of school spending, and that instead we have to find more ways to divert money from other purposes to feed an ever-expanding education system, the best schools in our state prove to us that it’s just not the case. In some of these low-spending districts, saving thousands of dollars per student, we have a relatively straightforward case to be made that Republicans have room to cut spending and provide the tax relief that voters are asking for—and it doesn’t have to adversely impact students.

Sometimes we forget that teachers pay property taxes, too. And if we continue to drive up the cost of education through property tax increases in the double digits, then we run the risk of driving our best teachers out of our state. As the number of high-quality teachers starts dropping, the quality of education will drop as well. And it’s not just teachers, but paraeducators and other employees who make it possible to run a multimillion-dollar operation, as many schools have become.

For too long, Democrats in control have given a blank check to schools and always found a way to accommodate their excessive spending because they had plausible deniability. That approach has led to an education system with mixed outcomes at best, and very few schools where more than two out of three students are meeting proficiency standards.

Democrats seemed to have a false belief that more money meant better schools. And the results of their 30-year experiment are that we did increase the cost of our children’s education—but we actually weakened the quality at the same time.

Paul Dame
VTGOP Chairman

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Burlington's Hopelessness Problem

VT Republican Party — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 04:01:16 GMT

Upcoming Events

-Summer BBQ and Candidate Forum
Saturday, August 22nd at 12noon, Arlington Recreation Park

-30th Annual John Bloomer Golf Tournament
Thursday, August 27th at 12:30pm, Neshobe Golf Course, Brandon

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VTGOP on WDEV - Tuesdays 9-11am

Last week [LINK]: Chairman Dame welcomes Rep. Ken Goslant of Northfield from the House Judiciary Committee to talk about Public Safety policy. And Vermont Republicans are aiming to add at least 7 more candidates to the November ballot.

This week: Chairman Dame welcomes the winners of two important Vermont Republican Primary races. First is Andy Klein running in the Addison Senate Seat, followed by Gerald Malloy running for U.S. Congress. During the second hour we’ll take listener calls, questions and reactions to last week’s other primary races.

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Burlington’s Hopelessness Problem

The very first weekend after State’s Attorney Sarah George won her county race, the criminals in the city she lost seemed to celebrate with what could have become a triple homicide. Two stabbings and a shooting all occurred in downtown Burlington so close together that you could have missed all three if you were watching a Christopher Nolan movie. While no one was hospitalized after the reported gunfire, both stabbing victims went to the hospital, one of whom died there. It never used to be like this. The crime in Burlington is getting more frequent and more severe.

And it’s not just violent crime. Burlington was recently featured in an Atlantic article that highlighted the Queen City’s desire to implement explicitly progressive policies, and the difficult living environment it has created in the downtown area. Permitting and even enabling unrestricted drug use downtown has created an atmosphere that continues to drive out the kind of economically productive visitors the city needs to thrive, while attracting people into our most prominent places who make the city feel increasingly unsafe.

I used to love living and working downtown when I was in my 20s, and there was never a thought or concern that it was an unsafe place to be. Sure, there have always been panhandlers, but today’s crowd has a darker, grittier feel that makes Church St. feel more unapproachable and more unsafe than it ever was. The kinds of videos shown from cell phones in California, where people looked like actors from a zombie movie, were novel when filmed in entirely unfamiliar settings in San Francisco or Los Angeles. But when the same bizarre behaviors are observed around landmarks in the town many of us went to college in—it hits different.

Any city can have a crime problem. The real test is what, if anything, our elected officials do about it. Painfully, Sarah George seems to be committed to doing very little. In almost every news story she gets quoted in, she seems to sound preoccupied, or completely oblivious to the experience many people in Burlington are having. In the aforementioned Atlantic article, she was quoted saying, “I’m very frustrated with this narrative that City Hall Park is the end of the world. That park is still a very safe place to be.” But remarks like that seem to be common for Sarah George and also seem to be completely disconnected from how regular residents feel about the city they call home.

In an even further act of frustration, Sarah George seems to be acting like a teenager in response to the new policing policy that the City Council is taking. At first, she makes a point to say that she wasn’t invited to that party, and then also says that the meeting and proposal were useless. It’s hard to imagine what kind of public policy process would leave her unsupportive of the press conference announcing it, while also bitter about not being included in it.

But most troubling of all was the response that Sarah George gave to Vermont Public when reflecting on her win. She said, “these contested elections are an opportunity for someone to take advantage of the misinformation in the community, and I need to figure out how to keep that from happening.”

Despite the fact that incumbents rarely lose in Vermont, Sarah George nearly lost in her primary. I think most people would expect a little more self-reflection and humility. She has obviously lost support from where she was in the last election. And her opponent Bram Kranichfeld earned over 450 write-in votes in the Republican primary, which would have cut the gap in half if it had been a general election. I think that’s a pretty remarkable thing to take notice of. How often do Republicans WANT a Democrat to win their nomination?

The State’s Attorney race is one where Republican voters put partisanship aside and focused on what they thought was best for the community. And it seems clear that just about half of the primary voters did not want four more years of Queen George.

Since Bram was the outright winner of the Republican nomination, he has until Friday to decide if he is willing to continue to fight for the people of Chittenden County—or if he will reject the nomination and the thousands of people who wanted him to win on Tuesday. Because Bram won the nomination by winning the primary, the so-called “sore loser” laws do not apply, because they are not restrictions on voters, but only restrictions on party members working to thwart the will of the people. In this case, it’s clear that a majority of Republican voters wanted him on the ballot in November so that we don’t have to endure yet another four long and disruptive years of Sarah George.

The reasons for Bram to decline the nomination are all political. If he is primarily someone who wants to appease the people in his political party, then he may choose to quit the race. This might help him look good on paper as a future Democrat candidate—but it could also leave him feeling empty if the next four years continue to unravel, and he knows that he could have stepped in and done something to make it better.

If it’s about the politics, he would be smart to sit it out. But if the core of his work in the justice system is about people—then continuing to run would be the way that thousands of people would be heard. It’s clear that Sarah George has her focus set on making sure that voters stop thinking poorly of her. Her response to VPR demonstrated hubris over humility, and the fact that her margins of victory are large enough that she doesn’t have to listen to voters—she wants us to listen to her. If the people in Burlington are struggling to feel seen, heard and cared for under George’s tenure, they will have little hope over the next four years.

Bram has already won the Republican nomination. If he keeps it and expands his voter base to cut across party lines and focus on just doing the job of keeping people safe, and putting partisan considerations aside—he’ll have the best chance to win, and give the people of Burlington what they were asking for on Tuesday. But if he decides to step aside, it’s possible that Republicans could find another candidate. But if Republicans were to appoint a different candidate, it would be infinitely harder for that candidate to win over some of the Democrats who supported Bram last week.

If you think about some of the most iconic political figures from Vermont in the past few decades, they have all won the hearts of Vermonters by trying to sidestep the typical partisan games and just focus on doing what they think is right. Gov. Scott is applauded by general election voters when he breaks from his party regarding national issues, like Canadian tariffs. Lt. Gov. John Rodgers holds the same values he did when he served as a Democrat—but now he’s doing the right thing for the people of our state with an R after his name. Even Bernie Sanders won his first election to federal office defeating an incumbent whose base was starting to question him—and Bernie even used the support of the NRA to win the seat. Instead of those partisan-blurring tactics and opportunities creating problems for the candidates, general election audiences have rewarded them all for thinking outside the box and bending the partisan system in a way to do what’s right for every citizen—not just what’s right for the partisan players. If Bram was willing to buck the trend, the same way our current Senator, Governor and Lt. Gov have - it might put him on the same kind of unique and remarkable path that Independent-minded Vermonters have appreciated for years.

Paul Dame
VTGOP Chairman

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The Primary Divide: Unity vs. Upheaval

VT Republican Party — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 03:28:13 GMT

Upcoming Events

-Northfield Republicans Post-Primary Party
Wednesday, August 12th at 6pm, Northfield Country Club

-VTGOP State Committee Quarterly Meeting
Saturday, August 15th at 10am, Delta Hotel in South Burlington

-Summer BBQ and Candidate Forum
Saturday, August 22nd at 12noon, Arlington Recreation Park

-30th Annual John Bloomer Golf Tournament
Thursday, August 27th at 12:30pm, Neshobe Golf Course, Brandon

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VTGOP on WDEV - Tuesdays 9-11am

Last week [LINK]: H. Brooke Paige, candidate for Secretary of State, explains the roles and statutory duties of some of the lesser known statewide offices like Auditor, Treasurer and Attorney General. Chairman Dame also takes calls about the upcoming primary election next week including the importance of write-ins and late-comer candidates

This week: Chairman Dame welcomes Rep. Ken Goslant of Northfield from the House Judiciary Committee to talk about Public Safety policy. And Vermont Republicans are aiming to add at least 7 more candidates to the November ballot. J.T. Dodge a candidate for High Bailiff in Orange County and Ryan Silk a House candidate running in Morrisville, Woodbury, Worcester & Elmore (Lamoille-Washington) will join Chairman Dame as well.

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The Primary Divide: Unity vs. Upheaval

Tomorrow’s Primary Election shows a clear contrast between the major parties that adds a new chapter to a story that has been unfolding for years. The first observation is how the Progressive Party is bordering on irrelevant and non-existent. Thousands of ballots have been printed across the state for just three candidates running for four offices. The official party has continued a steady decline as more and more Progressives decide to join the Democrat primary to make themselves look more palatable to Vermont’s moderate electorate. But this is not because their ideology is becoming less popular—in fact, it is becoming more widely accepted as indistinguishable from the Democratic Party’s ideology.

For years now, I have had the pleasure of representing Republicans at Boys State, a program that gives high school juniors a taste of Vermont’s political life. And I’m always amused to hear the students ask the Democrats and Progressives how they distinguish themselves. The summary I always give is that Progressives are Democrats who really mean it.

While the Progressive Party’s ballot is very thin, it’s more likely that the party apparatus will ensure that many of “their” candidates get a dual endorsement after they have fooled enough Democrat voters into giving up their own party’s nomination. But if that doesn’t happen, it could be the end of the Progressive Party’s reign as a major party under Vermont law. They will need to have a candidate for statewide office run and win at least 5% of the vote to keep their status. It seems likely that at least Tim Ashe will have enough of the 250 voters to write his name in to keep the party alive another term. But the thing to watch will be exactly how many write-ins he gets. If the numbers are weak enough, it could signal to the other two major parties that the Progressive Party is weak enough to take it over.

On the Republican ballot, the clear message seems to be one of unity. There are very few primary races for legislative seats. The most interesting one will be in the Addison Senate district, where incumbent Steve Heffernan holds one of the two seats, and Andrea Treadway and Andrew Klein are competing to get on the ballot for November. Then there are two House districts where Republicans are fighting to challenge incumbent Democrats, with a three-way race in Windham-3 and a two-way race in Windsor-Orange-1.

A third House primary in Orange-Washington-Addison seems to have been settled when Charles Russell backed out and endorsed fellow Republicans Steve Webster and Lance Ryan. The only statewide race that every Republican will weigh in on is choosing our candidate for Congress between Gerald Malloy and Mark Coester.

But overall, Republicans have over 150 seats where the party is unified from the start, and many of these candidates have hit the ground running, gearing up for the General Election. Primaries are an important way to help the best candidates rise to the top, but it’s great to see that none of our incumbents are seeing aggressive threats or challenges to their re-election, and all of the contests are coming in seats that are open, where multiple Republicans are interested in stepping up.

The Democrats are having just the opposite problem. One of their longest-serving House Reps from Springfield is being challenged, along with her incumbent running mate, in a district that she barely won in 2024 by less than 25 votes. Another close race for Democrats in Windsor-Orange-1 also sees a weakened incumbent being challenged to keep his seat.

In the Senate, Democrats also have two incumbents with the closest margins facing a primary challenge that could spell trouble for Democrats in southern Bennington County, which seems to be trending red lately. And even the Democrats in the Chittenden Southeast District seem to be unhappy with their trio of incumbents, where three incumbent senators, each with at least six years of experience, are finding themselves in a five-way race.

With the incumbents running as a team, it certainly adds pressure to the “establishment” vs. “populist” factions of the party. Even the incumbent Sheriff is getting challenged! In most of these cases, the firmly left-leaning incumbents are being challenged by someone from the further-left Progressive wing. This might be one of the reasons there aren’t any Progressives running in their own primary—they are all camouflaged as Democrats this year.

In the past decade, the most Progressive candidate usually wins these statewide races, regardless of how much money the center-left candidate spends and raises. The one glaring exception to that seems to be the perpetual battle of a shrinking number of sane Democrats who keep trying to beat Sarah George in the Democratic primary, instead of in the general election, where Independents and Republicans are eager to help.

While it holds true that the most Progressive candidate keeps winning, the exception here comes from the fact that the incumbent is getting challenged from the middle, not the further left. That’s why I’m not optimistic that Bram Kranichfeld can break the trend. He seems to be too sensible for the majority of Democratic primary voters. I won’t be surprised at all if enough Republicans write him in on their own party’s primary ballot as a protest vote against Sarah George.

But whatever tomorrow night holds, make sure that you schedule a time to vote in Tuesday’s primary. And if you are like me and have a few blank spaces on your Republican ballot, you can help us out by writing in the name of someone you would like to see run for office.

With new rules, it may be more difficult to achieve, but in the past I have made some recruiting calls in districts based on just one or two write-in votes in the primary. Building the party is a multi-year process, and while your write-in might not mean anything this year, it could start someone on the path to running in the future.

Whatever the results tomorrow, it seems to me like Republicans will remain unified going into November, and Democrats are going to be picking up the pieces of a mix of confusing results, depending on what turnout looks like. Their primary voters are likely to continue to push their party in the opposite direction of the general electorate, while Republican primary voters will continue their work to solidify the most down-to-earth, common-sense candidates we have.

Paul Dame
VTGOP Chairman

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The Vermont Promise

VT Republican Party — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 02:28:45 GMT

Upcoming Events

-Vermont Senate Golf Tournament
Tuesday, August 4th at 11:30am, St. Johnsbury Country Club

-BTVGOP Summertime Creemee Social
Tuesday, August 4th at 7pm, Burlington Bay Market & Cafe

-Orleans County Republican Golf Tournament
Thursday, August 6th at 8am, Newport Country Club

-Milton Freedomfest
Saturday August 8th at 10:30am, Bombadier Park West, Milton

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VTGOP on WDEV - Tuesdays 9-11am

Last week [LINK]: Two Republicans challenge Democrat incumbents in Chittenden County: Javen Sears of South Burlington and Bruce Roy of Williston

This week: H. Brooke Paige, candidate for Secretary of State, explains the roles and statutory duties of some of the lesser known statewide offices like Auditor, Treasurer and Attorney General. Chairman Dame also takes calls about the upcoming primary election next week including the importance of write-ins and late-comer candidates

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The Vermont Promise

Last week Senate Republicans gathered on the steps of the state house to make the case why Vermont voters should do something they haven’t done in almost 30 years – give Senate Republicans a majority. Led by Senate Republican Leader Scott Beck, the group of senators and senate hopefuls outlined seven basic promises that they are making to Vermont voters if Republicans win the senate majority this November.

1) Provide Tax Relief for Vermonters

Provide $250M in income tax relief in 2027, targeted at low and middle-income Vermonters, and Social Security and retired military income recipients.

Move the Education Property Tax Credit to the General Fund, reducing homestead property taxes by $134M and a rate decrease of $0.35/100, $1,400 on a $400,000 home. This change would also save the General Fund $34M.

2) Affordable Healthcare and Insurance

Give health insurers greater flexibility to offer more affordable, accessible coverage options, and increase the number of health insurers in Vermont.

Reduce the burden of rising health insurance premiums so employers can attract workers, businesses can grow, and families can access the care they need.

Ensure a regulatory framework for hospitals and insurers that promotes predictability, stability, and affordability by setting multi-year budget and premium targets.

3) Make Housing More Affordable

Drive construction costs down by fully implementing 802 Homes and the Community and Housing Infrastructure Program (CHIP), remove bureaucratic barriers to housing, and allow more homes per parcel.

Reduce the cost to renovate existing housing stock and increase Vermont’s housing supply — extend the Housing Improvement Program (VHIP) and Mobile Home Infill Program (MHIP).

4) Revitalize Rural Vermont

Restore common sense to land-use decisions by empowering landowners and licensed professionals, reducing duplication, improving predictability, and lowering permitting costs and delays. Rural Vermont will be a leader in land-use planning and at the table, not an asterisk.

Help farmers, food processors, and the forest economy diversify, modernize, and expand while continuing Vermont’s tradition of environmental stewardship. Bring back the machinery and investment tax credit.

Count Current Use land toward Act 59’s 50% conserved land requirements. Farmers and foresters are Vermont’s best environmental stewards.

5) Fully Fund Roads and Bridges

Fully fund the Transportation Fund and increase annual state highway paving from 56 miles in FY27 to a goal of 300 miles. With 2,700 miles of state highways, Vermont must invest in maintaining the infrastructure that connects our communities and economy.

6) Eliminate Costly Energy Mandates and Reduce Carbon Emissions

Support voluntary adoption of cleaner heating and transportation technologies through efficiency programs and electrification incentives—not costly mandates.

Keep electricity affordable to reduce energy costs, encourage electrification, and lower emissions.

Repeal expensive energy mandates that lead to higher energy costs, unnecessary regulation, and costly litigation.

7) Make Communities Safe and Increase Accountability

Advance a constitutional amendment in 2027 to reform Vermont’s bail system and keep repeat and violent offenders from endangering communities while awaiting trial.

Repeal Vermont’s Raise the Age laws.

The beautiful thing about the Vermont Promise campaign is that Republicans aren’t asking voters to have blind faith in yet another campaign promise. They have already demonstrated they have voted for many of these things over the last 2 years – even when they knew they wouldn’t pass with the current Democrat majority. Our caucus made small – but measurable – progress on many of these issues. On the contrary, Democrats ignored all of these issues until Republicans made gains in 2024. It’s pretty reasonable to assume if Republicans go back to the super minority, then Democrats will go back to their old ways as well. But to be honest with Democrats in disarray and lacking clear leadership in either the House or the Senate, it becomes even harder to predict what they will do.

Republicans have stepped up and provided the leadership that our state so desperately needs give the challenges it faces. They have communicated clearly with the voters what the intentions are for those elected, and all that is missing at this point is the trust of the voters to enact these policies and put Vermont back on a path that makes it a sustainable place for both young and old alike.

You can read more at www.vermontpromise.com

Paul Dame
VTGOP Chairman

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The Unbearable Weight of Massive Taxes

VT Republican Party — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 03:34:41 GMT

Upcoming Events

-VFRW Club Meeting
Saturday, August 1t at 11:30am, McGillicuddy’s in Colchester

-Vermont Senate Golf Tournament
Tuesday, August 4th at 11:30am, St. Johnsbury Country Club

-BTVGOP Summertime Creemee Social
Tuesday, August 4th at 7pm, Burlington Bay Market & Cafe

-Orleans County Republican Golf Tournament
Thursday, August 6th at 8am, Newport Country Club

-Milton Freedomfest
Saturday August 8th at 10:30am, Bombadier Park West, Milton

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VTGOP on WDEV - Tuesdays 9-11am

Last week [LINK]: Chairman Dame interview three of our freshmen who were appointed by Governor Scott after the legislative session had started
Kumulia “Kase” Long of Milton
David Soucy of Barre Town
Val Taylor of Mendon

This week: Two Republicans challenge Democrat incumbents in Chittenden County
Bruce Roy of Williston and Javen Sears of South Burlington

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The Unbearable Weight of Massive Taxes

We all know that Vermont’s property tax system is among the worst in the country. Thanks to research from the Tax Foundation, we have definitive proof that we are indeed ranked 50th in the country for our property tax burden. While property taxes are among the worst, the rest of the overall tax burden on Vermonters isn’t much better. We rank 42nd overall, meaning that no matter how you slice it, Vermonters bear some of the heaviest tax burdens in the country.

The first way we can look at our relative burden is by comparing all the tax revenue collected at the state and local level against what Vermonters actually earn. There are many more millionaires and billionaires in places like California and New York because of the high concentration of very high incomes geographically centered in places like Silicon Valley and Wall Street. Those six- and seven-figure earners may pay more than Vermonters, but they also make much more. When you compare total state and local taxes paid against personal income, the average Vermonter pays about 15.4%. That makes us the second-highest tax burden in the country. If you add in the federal tax burden, it means many middle-class Vermonters pay roughly one-third of their income in federal, state, and local taxes. This leaves Vermonters with a smaller portion of their paycheck—and they already have smaller paychecks—than residents of almost any other state.

Roughly $5.5 billion in taxes are collected each year by Vermont’s state and local governments. When you divide that by the roughly 650,000 people who live here, it comes to an average of just under $8,500 for every man, woman, and child in the state. That means a family of five bears a tax burden of more than $42,000 per year. And if our population of children continues to decline, eventually that same tax burden will be spread across a smaller and smaller number of people, pushing Vermont even closer to the top of the list for the least affordable tax burden.

Some taxes can be avoided. Things like sales tax are a function of how much you spend. If you don’t have the money to buy things, you also reduce the amount of sales tax you contribute. If your income is reduced because of job loss, you will pay less in income taxes. But the one tax that is essentially unavoidable is the property tax. If you own your home, you pay it directly. If you rent your home, you pay it indirectly through your landlord. This one unavoidable tax accounts for nearly 40% of all tax collections in Vermont. Currently, the effective property tax burden works out to roughly 1.5% of a home’s value each year, which is why Vermont ranks last in the nation when property taxes are measured against home values.

Vermont also imposes several taxes that make us stand out from our New England neighbors. Our state taxes digital business-to-business services as well as streaming services. New Hampshire, New York, and Massachusetts all exempt those services. Compared to our neighboring states, we also have:

-The highest gasoline tax (31.4 cents per gallon, compared to 27.5 cents in Massachusetts),
-The highest diesel tax (33 cents per gallon, compared to 27.5 cents in Massachusetts)
-The highest tax on spirits ($9.06 per gallon, compared to $6.44 in New York),
-the highest tax on vape users ($2.41 per milliliter, compared to $1.96 in Massachusetts.)

And all of those comparisons become even more dramatic when we compare ourselves to New Hampshire, where every one of those taxes is lower, and they have no broad-based sales tax or personal income tax at all.

We also burden businesses with the highest corporate income tax rate among our neighboring states at 8.5%. Taxes like these mean that everything a business does has to cost a little more just to cover the additional tax burden. And while we don’t have the highest top individual income tax rate in the region, our state ensures that many more middle-class families are subject to the top bracket than in neighboring states. Vermont’s highest tax bracket begins at about $242,000 for many households. Massachusetts doesn’t apply its additional tax until income exceeds $1 million, and New York’s highest bracket doesn’t begin until income exceeds $25 million.

There may have been a time when Vermonters were proud to pay high taxes because we believed we were getting good value for our money. But today we have schools failing important benchmarks for basic literacy and math proficiency. We have a remarkable inventory of roads and bridges that are in dire need of repair. We lack the sense of public safety that once made this state such a great place to raise a family. Today, many Vermonters see so little value in return that it’s hard to justify the unbearable weight of these massive taxes.

Republicans made small—but meaningful—directional changes this year by securing actual tax cuts despite being in the minority. If there is going to be any hope of truly transformational change to Vermont’s tax burden, Republicans will need the support of regular Vermonters to flip the Senate and win a majority this November.

Paul Dame
VTGOP Chairman

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Young Washington and the Humility of Service

VT Republican Party — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 04:15:04 GMT

Upcoming Events

-250 Celebration Corn Hole Tournament
Saturday, July 25th at 10am, Farr Field, Waterbury

-Happy 250th BBQ - Colchester Republicans
Saturday, July 25th at 4pm, Airport Park, Colchester

-Windsor County Summer Picnic
Sunday, July 26th at 11am, Camp Plymouth State Park, Ludlow

-Caledonia County’s Harvey Lake Summer Fundraiser
Sunday, July 26th at 1pm, Dolgin Camps, West Barnet

-Essex Family Fun Day
Sunday, July 26th at 1pm, Sand Hill Park, Essex Town

Add a Republican Event to Our Calender

VTGOP on WDEV - Tuesdays 9-11am

Last week [LINK]: Republican Women are on the rise! This week’s guests include:
Republican House Leader Pattie McCoy,
Addison Senate Candidate Andrea Treadway,
Essex Town House Candidate Stephanie Mack,
and VFRW President Stacey Malloy

This week: Chairman Dame interview three of our freshmen who were appointed by Governor Scott after the legislative session had started
Kumulia “Kase” Long of Milton
David Soucy of Barre Town
Val Taylor of Mendon

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Young Washington and the Humility of Service

Sometimes the people who are most fit to lead are the ones who are too humble to assume the position. This was one of the takeaways I got from watching Young Washington this past week in theaters. It was something the movie portrayed well in the story of young George Washington’s experiences during the French and Indian War. But it’s also a principle I still see at work today when it comes to legislative leaders, and why so few good ones exist.

Many of us know the story of George Washington stepping down as the nation’s first President at a time when the leaders of other nations were still literal kings. In a context where every other major power had rulers who would reign for the rest of their lives, it was easy to think that Washington also could have at least run for a third term, and there would have been no candidate strong enough to ever defeat him as long as he remained the incumbent. Washington’s willingness to give up being the most powerful man on the continent is one of the greatest legacies of leadership that he left behind.

The recently released movie shows a side of Washington few of us think of, or perhaps even know. While young Washington starts out as an ambitious and daring young man, the brutal reality of life on the frontier helped him mature quickly. After making a poor decision, and then being unwilling to reverse it, Washington’s men end up paying the price with a debilitating defeat at the hands of the French. He returns to his military superiors, hat in hand, and surrenders his position in the military. He knew that he had let his youthful ambition get the best of him and saw himself as unfit to lead.

Humility is a defining characteristic of great leaders. Like most young men in their twenties, Washington didn’t start out with the humility necessary to lead. But what quickly set him apart from most other young men was the fact that he gained humility quickly. Ironically, in the face of his defeat, he saw that he was not mature enough to be a good leader. And yet, as we find out later, it was that very perspective that proved he had matured into the role quite rapidly.

It seems that our political system today is suffering more than ever from a series of politicians who are unwilling to admit that they made a mistake—even when the results are obvious. Washington’s defeat, and the dead bodies of the soldiers under his command, proved an inescapable demonstration that he had made an error. Today’s political problems aren’t always so objective and obvious. Many of the political leaders who have led us into failure in this state for the last 20 years can easily move the goalposts to make failures less obvious, or at least less obviously attributable to them. Whether it’s health care, education, or job growth, the Democrats who have controlled public policy for the past quarter century have never been able to admit they made a policy error and need to undo what was done. They always want to keep pretending that the “unforeseen consequences” are to blame, rather than the leadership that was blind and deaf to those who foresaw the coming problems.

While a lack of humility is what keeps some bad leaders in power despite their effect on the public good, there are dozens of men and women who neglect or avoid public service because of their own humility. So often during the recruitment process I have heard people who would be stellar candidates turn down the opportunity because they don’t think they are well qualified. Some think they need more experience at the local town level, and some are concerned because they don’t already know everything they think they should know to serve in the legislature. But from experience I can tell you those are exactly the people we need more of. The problem, especially with the Progressive Democrats in the majority, is that they are so certain they are right that no amount of evidence to the contrary will deter them from their thinking. And they believe that such stubbornness is a virtue. If we had just two or three more Senators, or a dozen or so more House members, who were willing to have an open mind and ask questions while using some basic critical thinking skills, then I’m sure we would get much better public policy, and fewer laws in need of repeal.

Just recently Governor Scott issued an executive order that attempts to undo part of the bad health care policy that has seen prices skyrocket and left young people, especially, uninsured. Vermont was one of the very few states that mandated that a 64-year-old lifetime chain smoker should pay the same insurance rates as a perfectly healthy student-athlete at UVM. The only way to do that is to charge the student more—you can’t charge the senior less. This was a policy change that made health insurance more expensive and needed to be repealed. This session Republicans also helped to undo legislation like Act 181 and the Clean Heat Standard. We are still working on fixing our fundamentally flawed education system, which has grown out of the roots of Act 60’s bizarre incentive structure. In each of these areas, and many more, Progressive Democrats have been unwilling to admit that some of their own policies caused the negative effects we are all feeling today. A greater dose of humility would do our state and its people a great deal of good. And Vermont Republicans plan to model that kind of humility going into November’s election and the start of the 2027 session.

Paul Dame
VTGOP Chairman

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Progressive Disruptions

VT Republican Party — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 02:14:44 GMT

Upcoming Events

-250 Celebration Corn Hole Tournament
Saturday, July 25th at 10am, Farr Field, Waterbury

-Happy 250th BBQ - Colchester Republicans
Saturday, July 25th at 4pm, Airport Park, Colchester

-Windsor County Summer Picnic
Sunday, July 26th at 11am, Camp Plymouth State Park, Ludlow

-Caledonia County’s Harvey Lake Summer Fundraiser
Sunday, July 26th at 1pm, Dolgin Camps, West Barnet

-Essex Family Fun Day
Sunday, July 26th at 1pm, Sand Hill Park, Essex Town

-Washington County GOP’s ”Topper” Golf Tournament
Tuesday, July 28th at 8am, Rocky Ridge Gold Course, St. George

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Last week [LINK]: Joe Luneau(R-St. Albans) talks about his first term in the legislature, and his work on the Corrections and Institution Committee. Also historian Tom Hughes talks about more opportunities to celebrate our nation’s 250th anniversary here in Vermont

THIS WEEK: Republican Women are on the rise! This week’s guests include:
Republican House Leader Pattie McCoy,
Addison Senate Candidate Andrea Treadway,
Essex Town House Candidate Stephanie Mack,
and VFRW President Stacey Malloy

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Progressive Disruptions

Last week Graham Platner finally dropped out of the U.S. Senate race in Maine, delivering a difficult blow to Democrats who had hoped to flip the seat and claw back control of the U.S. Senate in the midterm elections. While Platner had been known for months to have a shady and difficult past, Progressive politicians, like Vermont’s Bernie Sanders, continued to pressure him to stay engaged and keep fighting—until they pressured him to step down. In so doing, Platner may have become the first politician to ever get Bernie Sanders to change his mind. There is a lot to unpack here about what this incident says about the state of the Democratic Party going into the midterm elections.

First, it’s important to realize that Platner won the Democratic primary. His polling numbers were so strong that he was able to pressure incumbent Governor Janet Mills to drop out of the Democratic primary. This was a surprising show of strength by the more radical Progressive movement and its growing influence on Democratic primaries across the country. Establishment Democrats, like Senator Chuck Schumer, endorsed Mills last fall when the race started—but even the Senate Democratic leader didn’t have enough influence to keep his candidate funded through the primary. Platner’s strength highlighted a fracture that is getting exacerbated in many Democratic primaries.

Second, this whole shake-up feels to some like a repeat of the 2024 Democratic presidential primary. Despite giving voters a chance to weigh in during the primary, Democratic leaders have gone out of their way to pressure the primary winner to back down for the sake of their own concerns about candidate quality and viability. When President Biden had such an abysmal debate performance in 2024, Democrats scrambled to get him out of the way. He was then replaced by party opinion-makers with Vice President Kamala Harris, who had been soundly rejected in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary. And in 2024, they didn’t really give anyone else a chance to evaluate other potential replacements. Maine Democrats are now seeing themselves in the same scramble once again, and many primary voters may feel like they got to vote for their choice in the primary only to have Democrats once again try to overturn a primary election outcome they never wanted from the beginning.

If the Progressive wing of the Democratic Party continues to keep winning primaries, only to have the more establishment wing figure out a way to negate those results, it could cause the kind of divisions that discourage some left-leaning voters from turning out during the midterm elections, feeling like the Democratic nominee couldn’t even earn the support of Democratic primary voters.

Sadly, the biggest loser here is Graham Platner and his family. It seems like there was a group of people surrounding Platner, pushing him to run because the advancement of their Progressive agenda was more important than what it could do to the life of a Marine veteran trying to put his life back together after some serious challenges. There was a lot of opposition research on Platner, and everything that has come out has been pretty unnerving from the beginning. I have to wonder if Progressives, like Bernie Sanders, were pushing Platner while ignorant of some of the problems he had as a candidate—or whether they pushed him in spite of what it could do to his reputation and his life because they valued winning over the well-being of their political ally.

The tricky part for Maine Democrats is that their replacement candidate is going to be selected by 600 party insiders instead of being elected by the 156,000 Democratic voters who turned out for the primary. Does this mean that party insiders will get to install a candidate who is more in line with Chuck Schumer’s establishment? Right now that looks unlikely because many of the declared candidates have vowed to vote against Schumer as Senate leader if they win the seat. But candidates trying to build a campaign from nothing with almost no time will need the help of Senate Leader Schumer and his political machine if they want to beat a well-funded incumbent who seems to have the broad support of her party and a good reputation among independents. If Progressives stick to their ideals, it might mean biting the hand that could feed them. And working with the same establishment that turned away another primary winner might also leave them vulnerable to charges of the kind of “selling out” that the extreme wings of both parties seem to loathe.

The problem that both Progressive and Establishment Democrats have is that neither side really has many significant accomplishments they can point to that demonstrate they can deliver for voters. Many of the campaign promises of Progressives are so far-fetched that it seems hard to believe they can actually produce the free health care, free transportation, or free housing they are talking about. Meanwhile, Establishment Democrats often make few promises, ensuring they are never accused of breaking them. But it’s also hard to prove you can keep promises when you never make them.

Meanwhile, Republicans will have a mixed bag for the midterms. They have delivered on stopping the flow of illegal immigrants entering the country. While many have reservations about the way some people are being removed, it is undeniable that fewer are entering, and therefore fewer will need to be removed in the future. Republicans also delivered on tax cuts for the working class by keeping promises like no taxes on tips and no taxes on overtime. Despite the peace agreements Trump signed in 2025, Republicans also have to reckon with the failed promise of “no new wars” as tensions heat up again following Iran’s ceasefire violation.

History tells us that since Republicans are in power nationally, they should expect to lose seats in this midterm election. But Progressive disruptors like Graham Platner might play a major role in Democratic infighting that could remain an open wound through November, helping Democrats snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

Paul Dame
VTGOP Chairman

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Independents Trending on the Right Track

VT Republican Party — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 04:25:03 GMT

Upcoming Events

-Addison County GOP - July Meeting
Saturday, July 11th at 10am, Middlebury Legion

-250 Celebration Corn Hole Tournament
Saturday, July 25th at 10am, Farr Field, Waterbury

-Windsor County Summer Picnic
Sunday, July 26th at 11am, Camp Plymouth State Park, Ludlow

-Caledonia County’s Harvey Lake Summer Fundraiser
Sunday, July 26th at 1pm, Dolgin Camps, West Barnet

-Essex Family Fun Day
Sunday, July 26th at 1pm, Sand Hill Park, Essex Town

-Washington County GOP’s ”Topper” Golf Tournament
Tuesday, July 28th at 8am, Rocky Ridge Gold Course, St. George

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VTGOP on WDEV - Tuesdays 9-11am

Last week [LINK]: Sen. Steve Heffernan(R-Addison) talks about his experience as a freshman senator, and how he has been working for the dairy farmers in his district. Also Rep. Thomas Charlton(R-Chester)

THIS WEEK: Joe Luneau(R-St. Albans) talks about his first term in the legislature, and his work on the Corrections and Institution Committee. Also historian Tom Hughes talks about more opportunities to celebrate our nation’s 250th anniversary here in Vermont

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Independents Trending in the Right Direction

The recent Green Mountain State Poll, produced by the University of New Hampshire, provided the first indication that the work Republicans have been doing in the State House has been paying off. While the press likes to report about the horse race between candidates for statewide office, there weren’t a lot of surprises there. Governor Scott still maintains a remarkable 51% approval rating despite being a Republican serving a largely Democrat state for the past 10 years. And for the most part, the candidates with the best name ID were performing the best in these early polls.

But one of the most significant features of the poll taken last month actually comes not from the June snapshot, but from the trend that UNH has captured over the past four years. One of the questions they have been consistently asking, going back to their 2021 poll, was whether Vermont is on “The Right Track” or “Going in the Wrong Direction.” It’s no surprise that in 2021 Democrats were in solid control of both the House and Senate, and so they overwhelmingly thought that we were on the Right Track. Equally unsurprising is that Republicans also overwhelmingly believed us to be going in the “Wrong Direction.” Despite those baked-in differences, the number of Vermonters who thought we were going in the Right Direction dropped by at least 10-15% for all categories from 2021 through 2024. Even Democrat voters feel worse about the direction we are headed today than they did at the end of COVID.

From 2024 to 2026, both Democrats and Republicans seemed to stay pretty committed to their responses from one election to the next. But there was a significant change among Independents. First off, in 2024 it was Independents, not Republicans, who had the most pessimistic view of the direction Vermont was going. Only 10% of Republicans thought we were going in the right direction, while closer to 8% of Independents were happy with the path we were on. So it’s no surprise that in 2024 Independents swung massively toward Vermont Republicans in state legislative races.

And it appears that many Independents have been happy with the changes Vermont Republicans have brought over the past two years. A few of the major laws passed by the Democratic super-majority have been completely repealed, or at least paused, thanks to the increased number of Republicans. And Independents have taken notice. The number of Independents who believe we are now on the Right Track has doubled to nearly 16%. And the only significant change that can account for that large of a swing seems to be the changes in the legislative makeup.

Ironically, Independents seem to be easier to please than Republicans, who are holding steady with only 10% agreeing that Vermont is going in the Right Direction. I don’t know how I would have answered that question myself. In the long and mid-term, there are still a lot of problems that Vermont needs to address. We are still losing ground on making housing affordable for younger people. Property taxes and education funding still have several steps remaining in their transformation process. There are still a lot of problems to deal with. But in the short term, things are at least on a path to address them in a way that they weren’t two years ago. As I wrote a few weeks ago, if Vermont Republicans aren’t the most effective minority in the country, I’d like to know who is.

But I think one of the reasons Republicans don’t see us getting on the right track just yet is because being a successful minority isn’t going to help us create the kind of change needed. Getting out of the super-minority has put us in a position, with a Republican Governor, where we can actually stop things from getting worse. And that is always the first step to getting back on track: first, stop going the wrong way. But many Republicans know that we also have to turn around and start actually putting effort and focus on the problems we face instead of letting Democrats play the waiting game until they can either win back the Governor’s office or win back enough legislative seats to make Governor Scott irrelevant again.

It’s up to Vermont Republicans running for the House and Senate to make sure that we don’t give up the little bit of ground we’ve been able to build on. Independents are happy with the work we’ve done, and we owe it to them—and to all Vermonters—to keep working to turn this state around and make it affordable for the next generation of Vermonters to live and work here.

Paul Dame
VTGOP Chairman

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American Pride Month

VT Republican Party — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 04:17:41 GMT

Upcoming Events

-Brandon Independence Day Parade
Saturday, July 3rd at 9am, Brandon

-250 Celebration Corn Hole Tournament
Saturday, July 25th at 10am, Farr Field, Waterbury

-Windsor County Summer Picnic
Sunday, July 26th at 11am, Camp Plymouth State Park, Ludlow

-Caledonia County’s Harvey Lake Summer Fundraiser
Sunday, July 26th at 1pm, Dolgin Camps, West Barnet

-Essex Family Fun Day
Sunday, July 26th at 1pm, Sand Hill Park, Essex Town

-Washington County GOP’s ”Topper” Golf Tournament
Tuesday, July 28th at 8am, Rocky Ridge Gold Course, St. George

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Last week [LINK]: Rep. Mark Higley (R-Lowell) talks about the often over-looked process overseen by the Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules and his trip to Taiwan. Also Michael Boutin(R-Barre City) discusses Education from the perspective of both a legislator and school board member.

TOMORROW: Sen. Steve Heffernan(R-Addison) talks about his experience as a freshman senator, and how he has been working for the dairy farmers in his district. Also Rep. Thomas Charlton(R-Chester)

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American Pride Month

Even before we turn the page on our calendars this week and welcome the month of July, it seems that the pump has been primed to make this July “American Pride Month.” For many decades it seems like the strongest voices have all been telling us what’s wrong with America. Everyone from mainstream media, academia, some corporations, and certainly many nonprofit groups have been sounding the alarm to try to make America the world’s biggest and most dangerous problem child. And for many years the lie worked. Now it feels like we are finally living in an age where it’s okay to have a little pride in our country’s history, people, and freedom.

You have to admit, there aren’t many countries that have a better origin story than we do. Enterprising British and Dutch merchants were eager to bring the wealth of America’s natural resources to their own established marketplaces, so they recruited a bunch of religious misfits who wanted to live out their convictions without a lot of public pressure—or governmental interference. Once they arrived, established their colonies, and became self-sufficient, they grew tired of an ever-expanding tyrannical government taking from them without providing in return—they wanted a fair deal. So we put together a bizarre alliance of states with widely different backgrounds, geography, economies, climates, cultures, and loyalties—and somehow forged a cohesive nation that became effective enough to give the world’s largest empire a crushing defeat that started a trend for independence movements everywhere.

Our great history is built on the nature of our people. It takes a certain kind of person to leave behind everything they’ve ever known and push the boundaries of the frontier from one shore to the other. The original colonists abandoned every bit of infrastructure they had to farm land they had never seen and survive winters unlike anything they had ever experienced. It took incredible courage—or desperation. When so many of the colonists, especially those on the Mayflower, died in the initial effort, it took a remarkable amount of charity simply to keep the colony alive through those first difficult years.

That remains true today. Americans are still courageous risk-takers. It’s one of the reasons we produce so many inventors and patents. Even when those innovators aren’t born here, many come to America because they want to live on the frontier of knowledge and discovery. Americans are also incredibly generous. We are one of the few societies where tipping service workers is customary—and often generous. We also have some of the most consistent philanthropists in the world. According to IRS reports, Americans are among the planet’s most charitable people. Even many of our European neighbors are discovering this firsthand as visitors travel here and share their experiences across social media.

While our history guides our people, it is also the character of our people that preserves our liberty. America is what it is because we love our freedoms—even when the rest of the world might think them nonsensical. By and large, America remains one of the few places in the world with a constitutionally protected right to free speech that is actually observed. We divided power across two legislative chambers while forcing them to compete with an independent executive and an independent judiciary. That simply makes it harder for power to conspire against the people. And when government finds it difficult to act against the people, it usually means the people’s liberties are being protected.

Sometimes that means protecting a person’s right to make choices that may even be harmful to themselves. It’s one reason not a single state has enacted an outright ban on tobacco. We all recognize it’s unhealthy, and we prevent one person’s freedom to smoke from infringing on another person’s right not to smoke in public. But our commitment to liberty means that sometimes we allow people to make decisions—even ones we know carry serious risks.

You probably have your own ideas about what makes our shared nation exceptional. At different points in our lives we may take pride in different aspects of our country. But that simply reflects the incredible variety of things that make America unique. Certainly we still have problems—we know we are not perfect. But we are better off today than we were at our founding 250 years ago. Our growth as a nation has not only made America a better place—it has helped make the world a better place as well.

So I hope that this week, as July gets started, you will join me in celebrating American Pride Month. Let’s all take time this Independence Day to celebrate our remarkable history, our extraordinary people, and our enduring freedoms—along with the many other qualities that make this nation worth loving. In a world so often eager to divide us, this week should be an opportunity to come together. Regardless of our political party or our different ideas about how to build a more perfect Union, this week, this month, and the year of our nation’s 250th anniversary give us an opportunity to appreciate the work of those who came before us—and to recognize just how far that work has brought us.

Paul Dame
VTGOP Chairman

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Republicans Wait for Better-Vetted Health Care Policy

VT Republican Party — Tue, 23 Jun 2026 04:14:53 GMT

Upcoming Events

-Addison County Ice Cream Social
Thursday, June 25th at 6pm, Ferrisburgh Town Hall

-Community BBQ & Flag Painting with Shelburne/Charlotte GOP
Friday, June 26th at 5pm, Shelburne

-Sen. Scott Beck Campaign Kickoff
Monday, June 29th at 5pm, Red Barn Brewing in Danville

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VTGOP on WDEV - Tuesdays 9-11am

Last week [LINK]: Freshman Rep. Rob North(R-Ferrisburgh) shares his experience on the House Environment Committee and Act 181. Also House Transportation Chair Matt Walker (R-Swanton) discusses changes to this year’s Transportation budget

TOMORROW: Rep. Mark Higley (R-Lowell) talks about the often over-looked process overseen by the Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules and his trip to Taiwan. Also Michael Boutin(R-Barre City) discusses Education from the perspective of both a legislator and school board member.

Next Week: Sen. Steve Heffernan talks about his experience as a freshman senator, and how he has been working for the dairy farmers in his district

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Republicans Wait for Better-Vetted Health Care Policy

Governor Scott recently vetoed one of the only health care bills to get passed by the Democrat-controlled legislature, and for good reason. Senate Bill S.190 would have implemented what is known as reference-based pricing. While reference-based pricing is already legal in all 50 states for self-insured groups, there are only 13 states that have either implemented it through public-sector unions or created other state-based legislation.

Reference-based pricing is a system by which an insurance group basically decides what it’s going to pay for a particular procedure across the board and refuses to pay more than that if the provider charges more. Often times this price is set as a percentage of what the Medicare reimbursement rate is. This basically amounts to price caps for services. While it can help the particular group save costs since their reimbursement rate goes down, it does come with some side effects for the broader health care system.

The first problem is that it doesn’t do anything to cut costs—it just makes sure that doctors and hospitals get paid less for care provided to people from that group. The unintended consequences could mean that fewer providers will accept the insurance if the fixed price is too far below what the provider needs to stay in business and provide the care. Or if these groups are “too big to deny”—which state employee groups often are—then it means that while a hospital will charge state workers less, they have to increase the cost for everyone else on private insurance to make up the difference. So it could lower premiums for one group and just move that pressure to the broader population. This same principle is already in place and is one of the reasons Vermont’s high enrollment in Medicaid makes our other private insurers pay more to close the gap since the reimbursement rate is too low.

So the bill that the Governor vetoed might have helped the state employees’ insurance company. But it probably wouldn’t have made much of a difference in the actual costs that those employees pay, and it would have almost certainly increased the cost of doing business for every other private-sector employee, and possibly even people on the state exchanges. This was one of the fundamental flaws in the proposal that the Governor vetoed.

Meanwhile, the Governor and Republican legislators were supporting other, more proven ways to reduce health care costs for everyone, not just state employees. House Bill H.595 made an effort to help Vermont catch up to other states that had adopted policies with more proven results. The first was going to a system that allowed insurers to give discounts to young people, since they tend to require less care. Right now, the largest group of people who are uninsured are 25-35-year-olds, and it’s because they have been priced out of the market. There are already 48 other states that allow insurers to do this.

The second proposal that Republicans and the Governor put forward in the bill was to go back to something that we used to do in Vermont before we started chasing the single-payer unicorn, and that is to allow association plans. Up until about 2010, many small businesses were members of their local chamber of commerce to get access to group health insurance benefits that were offered because of their membership. The larger the group of local businesses, the larger the pool of insured employees, and so the larger scale allowed the companies to get better rates at a deeper discount because of the volume. Once those were restricted in the aftermath of Obamacare and Vermont’s own failed experiment, many employers were too small to be served and dumped their insurance, forcing more people to buy the expensive coverage on the exchange.

Ironically, State Senator Ruth Hardy (D-Addison) said that the Governor’s plans hadn’t been as well “vetted” as the Democrat-favored reference-based pricing. But this is demonstrably false. Far more states use age-banded pricing, and many Vermonters used to own better, cheaper health insurance through their chamber than they do today. The reality is that it’s the reference-based pricing for state employee unions that has less history behind it and far more unknown variables.

We also have to look at what standard Democrats use for vetting. Based on their track record, they thought that Act 181 and the Clean Heat Standard were “well vetted,” or else they wouldn’t have passed them in one session only to immediately repeal or withdraw them in the following session. Past performance indicates that Ruth Hardy and others aren’t very good judges of the vetting process—but that Republicans and Governor Phil Scott have been far more insightful in that regard.

Paul Dame
VTGOP Chairman

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Consistency Or Chaos As Legislative Leaders Leave

VT Republican Party — Tue, 16 Jun 2026 04:36:30 GMT

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-Brandon GOP Meeting
Wednesday, June 17th at 6pm, Brandon Museum

-Caledonia County GOP Meeting
Tuesday, June 23rd at 8:30pm, Pope Memorial Library, Danville

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VTGOP on WDEV - Tuesdays 9-11am

Last week: Sen. Scott Beck’s Legislative wrap-up covers Education, Energy and Land Use and Gavin Edwards talks about America’s 250th Celebration in DC

Tomorrow: Freshman Rep. Rob North(R-Ferrisburgh) shares his experience on the House Environment Committee and Act 181. Also House Transportation Chair Matt Walker (R-Swanton) discusses changes to this year’s Transportation budget

Next week: Rep. Mark Higley (R-Lowell) talks about the often over-looked process overseen by the Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules

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Consistency Or Chaos As Legislative Leaders Leave

Almost 30 legislators indicated they are not running for re-election this year when the candidate filing deadline passed two weeks ago. Among the most significant departures will be Democratic House Speaker Jill Krowinski and Senate Pro Tempore Phil Baruth. Democrats will also be losing a few committee chairs who are stepping down after a session that was unlike any other in their careers. The official reasons all sound fairly logical, and they usually boil down to either work or family commitments. But having spent some time in the building, and catching conversations in the hallway, it’s been clear to me why so many Democrats are stepping down.

There is a massive divide among Democrats that had to find their footing in a less-than-”super”-majority session. Previously, Democrats had all the optimism and boldness of a Tony Robbins seminar; if they could believe it, they could achieve it. They were able to force our moderate Republican Governor to execute laws that he explicitly vetoed because they were problematic. Under that environment, Democrats were thrilled because anyone could get anything done—whether it was good or not. But this session has been very different.

Current Democrats are composed of a group of veteran, garden-variety tax-and-spend liberals, but lately the caucus has been taken over by more militant and impatient Progressives. Now both sides are having a hard time getting anything accomplished because, as the two factions grow farther apart, each side is blaming the other for its loss of power. Progressives think Democrats lost because they weren’t bold enough, while tax-and-spend liberals think Progressives have pushed the party too far to one extreme and have lost the middle segment of voters who are becoming more comfortable voting for today’s Vermont Republicans than ever before. Not only do the two sides have to coordinate with each other on public policy, but they also have to deal with a veto-strengthened Governor who can keep both of them on the sidelines if they don’t make concessions.

Nobody likes to play a game they aren’t winning, nor do they like to be in a role where they feel like they can’t make a difference. As Vermont voters seem to be pulling back toward the middle, the left-leaning Democrats who currently serve are realizing that they might not represent the electorate as well as they once did when other issues were the priority. There are more than a dozen seats held by Democrats that are facing a tough election season, and even some of those running for re-election might not make it back.

All this turnover means Democrats are going to be playing catch-up in November when it comes to selecting leadership. Voters are going to have to decide whether to give Democrats back the power they once had—but now they have to do it without having a clear idea of what leadership will look like. There seem to be very few “Blue Dog” Democrats left anymore, so it seems likely both chambers could see a shift further to the left in their next leaders. A lot of that will depend on which veteran Democrats return—and which ones don’t.

Meanwhile, House Republican Leader Pattie McCoy and Senate Republican Leader Scott Beck are both running for re-election, and both are strongly favored to win. Both have been serving in the legislature since 2014 and provide some stability and tenure that will be needed as the next legislature gets ready to finish the work of education transformation, housing reform, and other affordability issues.

The vast majority of Republican legislators are returning as well. Only one senator is stepping down, and the House is seeing departures in only the single digits. Unlike the Democrats, Vermont Republicans are more united than ever before, led by Governor Phil Scott, who has taken the reins and grown into his role as the state’s top policy leader. Republicans have been outgunned and outmanned for so long that they have developed a deeply important sense of sticking together, building consensus, and pushing in the same direction—because their survival and relevance depended on it.

Despite being in the minority, Vermont Republicans have a lot of accomplishments they can claim. Perhaps their victories are even more obvious and significant than anything Democrats might be willing to take credit for. Voters trusted a large number of Vermont Republicans with their vote in 2024, and looking back over the past two years, they don’t have many complaints. In fact, many of the problems that came with a Democratic super-majority were either stopped or actually overturned—something that rarely happens in politics anymore. Once a law is passed, it becomes very hard to repeal. And yet that is exactly what happened this year.

Vermont Republicans are energized, organized, and motivated to show up for voters again this year. When November comes around, there will be a new crop of Republican candidates ready to represent their districts first and expand on the good, simple work being done to make our state run better, cost less, and protect the rights people have to their money and property. In the face of such opposition, it’s easy to see why so many Democrats have thrown in the towel.

Paul Dame
VTGOP Chairman

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Two Visions for Vermont: A Contrast in Party Platforms

VT Republican Party — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 03:30:02 GMT

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-Addison County Candidate Meet & Greet
Saturday, June 13th at 5pm, VFW in Middlebury

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Sunday, June 14th at 8pm, Shelburne Bay Park

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Two Visions for Vermont: A Contrast in Party Platforms

Just over a week ago, the Vermont Republican Party got started on its 2026 campaign season by formally adopting its 2026 platform. Republican Party members and elected legislators gathered together in Randolph to refine a document which outlines the principles and priorities that Republican candidates and party volunteers want to advance using whatever influence voters grant to us in this November’s election.

After our success in the 2024 election, our Platform Committee started out with our 2024 platform as the basis for this year’s platform. Because Republicans were still in the minority, many of the things we were working toward were still out of reach under a Democrat-controlled majority. Despite the gains I wrote about last week, most of what Republicans did was apply the brakes. There is still work to do in order to turn the car around and start moving toward prosperity instead of away from it.

One of the places we make a big distinction between ourselves and other political parties is related to economic activity and growth and our opposition to “unreasonable taxation, regulation, and restraints.” In 2026, we saw a major clash on this idea, but ultimately moved the ball forward. The differing tiers in Act 181 amounted to “unreasonable regulation and restraint” to all of our Republican legislators, and they worked hard to repeal what Governor Scott had vetoed two years ago and Republican legislators had opposed. While our legislators were working to overturn it, they just weren’t getting any traction until the outpouring of public support that originated organically and organized itself became such an important force in the State House.

Likewise, our platform protects the rights of Vermonters “to work their land and pass it on to the next generation.” This concept is protected both in our plank on economic opportunity so that we can continue the prosperity of family farms, forests, and businesses, but also in our plank on the environment. Experience has shown us that, in many cases, generational landowners are the ones who know best how to care for their property and maintain its value.

The past two years were also an opportunity for Republicans to fight against “unreasonable taxation,” especially in the area of property taxes. In 2024, there was a nearly 14% property tax increase as a statewide average. After that election, Republicans picked up several seats and the next year was close to a 1% increase, and this year it’s closer to 3.5%. While we still have a long way to go before we get to where other states, like Florida, are talking about eliminating their property tax completely, this was still an important step, and our current platform for 2026 ensures that our candidates are still focused on moving in the same direction.

Furthermore, Republicans set themselves apart from the ruling party with some pretty clear contrasts in education. Ours is the only party that explicitly supports our longstanding tradition of school choice. Meanwhile, the Democrats have it stated in their platform that they “reject school privatization.” So, given what they’ve told us, it’s clear that they want to systematically eliminate places like St. Johnsbury Academy or Burr and Burton. Democrats explicitly reject initiatives like North Bennington’s decision a few years ago to close their public school and reopen it as a tuition school. Republicans believe that parents and students need to have a voice, while Democrats make it clear in their platform that they have all the right ideas about how to run your local school and make it conform with their political objectives related to race, sexual orientation, or gender identity.

And finally, Republicans have a platform that is unique in its discussion and expectation for what I like to call a “back to basics” idea about general governance. Our platform states that we believe “government must be constitutionally based, fiscally responsible, and accountable.” In addition, it must be “administered honestly, competently, transparently, and without political bias.” I know it’s not a really sexy idea, but it’s one of those things that seems like Democrats in general have lost sight of—especially when you look at deep-blue states with Progressive Democrat super-majorities like New York and California. Those states are so big, with such high gross tax receipts, that it’s easier to get away with being a little sloppy or careless with taxpayer money because they have so much of it. In Vermont, we don’t have that luxury. And maybe it’s part of our thrifty Yankee values, but we all know that we have to be careful with the little that we have.

As such, being fiscally responsible is of incredible importance to Vermont Republicans and the people who vote for our candidates. I did a quick word search in the Democrat Party platform and couldn’t find the word “fiscal” anywhere. Their platform proposed a number of new government programs, but absolutely no consideration of the actual cost to taxpayers. And during the 20 years they have controlled the House and Senate, the amount they spend keeps going up, and there never seems to be much genuine inquiry as to how well the money was spent, and whether it might be better spent elsewhere.

So with our platform finalized and our candidates ready to head out to voters, Republicans are ready to continue fighting for all the things we hear from regular Vermonters that they want, while Democrats are left chasing fringe issues and still making references to COVID in the platform posted on their website in 2026.

Paul Dame
VTGOP Chairman

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America's Most Effective Minority Delivers Affordability, Reform and Freedom

VT Republican Party — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 04:17:43 GMT

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-Rutland GOP - Pasta & Politics
Thursday June 4th at 6pm, Italian Aid Society, Rutland

-VFRW North Club Meeting
Saturday June 6th at 11:30am, McGillicuddy’s, Colchester

-Flag Day BBQ - Shelburne/Charlotte GOP
Sunday, June 14th at 8pm, Shelburne Bay Park

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America’s Most Effective Minority Delivers Affordability, Reform and Freedom

As the legislative session ended on Friday, many Vermont Republicans are looking back at what a difference an election makes. During the 2023-24 legislative session, despite having the Governor’s office, the Democratic supermajority was barreling through veto overrides like kids going through candy on Halloween night. Then Vermont voters took a new direction in the fall of 2024, and the past two years have been a complete reversal of some of the problems created by the supermajority, as well as Republicans in the minority achieving their agenda in ways that seemed impossible just two years ago. If Vermont’s Republicans are not the most effective minority in any legislature in the country, then I’d like to hear who is. The three fundamental themes were affordability, structural change, and protecting property rights and freedom.

It was a biennium of affordability — something the VTGOP has been campaigning on since the first Red Wave in 2014. After nearly a decade, we passed a tax relief package that included first a partial, and then a full repeal of the military pension tax. That same package also included income tax reductions for seniors on Social Security and families with young children who qualified for an extension of the child tax credit. In addition, the legislature did not invent any new taxes or fees for Vermonters to pay, despite some proposals that had been put forward by powerful Democrats in leadership positions. We even stopped the Affordable Heat Tax that was already in the works. Republicans also worked to cut down the property tax increase from a nearly impossible 14% in 2024 to only a 3.5% increase this year, despite solid Democratic control.

It was also a biennium of methodical structural change. There were many programs that were in need of reform, or creation, that were spearheaded by the Governor and supported by the efforts of Vermont Republicans in the legislature. The first was creating the CHIP program, which will help build housing and other supporting infrastructure with the same kind of assistance that other parts of the state get through a Tax Increment Financing district. We also worked on a long-term plan to stop raiding the transportation fund to subsidize high education costs, so that we can have money that we were missing out on during the 2023-24 session when we left federal highway funds on the table instead of getting more matching dollars to pave our roads and repair our bridges.

And of course, the biggest and most needed structural change — education spending and financing — finally got started this biennium despite Democrats constantly dragging their feet and waiting until the last minute. Through persistent efforts, Republicans were able to get a change to a foundation formula that will help tie spending and local property taxes more closely together and stop allowing some districts to pass the costs of their new programs and excess spending on to the rest of the state, while those same parts of the state struggle to keep local schools open. There is more work to do, and while Republicans didn’t get everything we wanted, we did at least start the ball rolling on changing a system that has been stuck in status quo gridlock for three decades.

And finally, it’s been a biennium of protecting personal freedom and property rights. While Progressives took great strides in the previous session, Republicans were able to push back on legislation that was passed with the two-thirds majority needed for veto overrides. Such an effort was unthinkable at the beginning of the year, but when Vermonters from around the state started to get organized and informed about the implications of Act 181, the backlash was so overwhelming that some Senate Democrats ended up voting for the changes a week or two after voting against them.

At the heart of the repeal was the removal of Tier 3 designations, which could have put permanent restrictions on thousands of acres of land owned by regular Vermonters, making it difficult or even impossible for them to improve or develop in the future. Republicans were also able to repeal the Road Rule, which put limits on building with driveways over a few hundred feet. The supermajority had engaged in some serious overreach, and Republicans were able to undo the worst offenses, even though we were still a minority the entire time.

In addition to protecting the rights of property owners, a new Right to Farm bill also protected the rights of Vermont’s farmers to continue taking care of the land they’ve inherited over generations, unbothered by new neighbors trying to exert their will from a second home.

All of these landmark accomplishments would have been a valiant success if Republicans had been in the majority in one or both chambers. But we were able to deliver for Vermonters across the state despite being in the minority in both chambers because we worked together as a team with the Governor and with the support of Vermonters getting involved in new ways. Together, we were able to bring about much-needed change for our entire state.

As we gear up for the 2026 elections, all of our Republican incumbents can be proud of the work that was done and look ahead to doing even more if Vermonters once again grant our candidates their votes and support to keep making a difference the Vermont Way.

Paul Dame
VTGOP Chairman

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They Gave Up Two Lives

VT Republican Party — Tue, 26 May 2026 02:00:37 GMT

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-VTGOP Platform Convention (Ticket Sales Ending THIS WEEK)
Saturday May 30th, Randolph Campus of VT State University

-Rutland GOP - Pasta & Politics
Thursday June 4th at 6pm, Italian Aid Society, Rutland

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Saturday June 6th at 11:30am, McGillicuddy’s, Colchester

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They Gave Up Two Lives

The following is an excerpt from a Ronald Reagan speech in 1985:

“Sometime back I received in the name of our country the bodies of four marines who had died while on active duty. I said then that there is a special sadness that accompanies the death of a serviceman, for we’re never quite good enough to them-not really; we can’t be, because what they gave us is beyond our powers to repay. And so, when a serviceman dies, it’s a tear in the fabric, a break in the whole, and all we can do is remember.

It is, in a way, an odd thing to honor those who died in defense of our country, in defense of us, in wars far away. The imagination plays a trick. We see these soldiers in our mind as old and wise. We see them as something like the Founding Fathers, grave and gray haired. But most of them were boys when they died, and they gave up two lives -- the one they were living and the one they would have lived. When they died, they gave up their chance to be husbands and fathers and grandfathers. They gave up their chance to be revered old men. They gave up everything for our country, for us.”

Memorial Day is the only holiday we don’t celebrate. In a world and culture that is speeding by us as the speed of gigabits per nanosecond, Memorial Day is a day to pause and remember. Perhaps many of us have just grown accustomed to the U.S. Military’s persistent presence and activity around the globe, where the death of our young men seems inevitable and unavoidable. But we should never get used to it. It is fitting for there to be a profound sense of loss when we honor this day, and the men who died to give it to us. But our sense of grief and loss, usually last a day or two. The real loss belongs to those Gold Star families who feel the loss multiple times a year, on Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas. For them it’s Memorial Day all over again on the fallen soldier’s birthday. Once again on their anniversary. And the loss is felt still on the birthdays of any children left fatherless.

Reagan was so right to identify the two lives that are loss in a military death. First there is the life of the young man, most of whom are so young they would be not be legally old enough to rent a car, which ends abruptly. That’s the life we see, and the life most of us think about. But what about the invisible life? The life that would have been lived if that man or woman returned to their home, raised a family, gained employment and contributed to their community? What kinds of things could have been invented, discovered or built if the half a million Americans had continued their lives after service? What contributions could they have made to our society, even to the world? The price of war is beyond even what we can imagine it to be. Many of the soldiers who survive - who DO get to come home, raise families and become the revered old men we saluted over the weekend in the local parade – those men are not so much haunted, but more accompanied by the memory of their fallen brothers on this and many other days. May we all remain persistently grateful for the double sacrifice that were made, not only by rugged and hardened strong men – but in many cases young boys who died never living the full life that million of men have grown into all because of their sacrifice.

Paul Dame
VTGOP Chairman

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Struggling Democrats on Defense in California

VT Republican Party — Tue, 19 May 2026 04:22:42 GMT

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Thursday May 21st at 6:30pm, Steele Chapel, Sharon

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Saturday May 30th, Randolph Campus of VT State University

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Struggling Democrats on Defense in California

While the whole country has been interested when America’s largest city gets a new mayor, very few Americans could name another mayor from any other major city outside their state. There are several reasons the LA mayor’s race is gaining nationwide attention for the first time in ages, and all of them have implications far beyond California.

For years California has been slowly bleeding both human and financial capital. As corporations move to Texas to do business, and middle-class Californians move almost anywhere else, many have watched California go from bad to worse. Decades of far-left progressive policies have long been obscured by a thriving economy that had more to do with how many CEOs love the weather and less to do with what kind of business environment existed. But as Warren Buffett once said, when the tide goes out you find out how many people were skinny-dipping.

As so many Californians face a cost of living that seems to be growing at double the national average, people on both sides of the Sierra Nevada mountains are wondering, “How long can this last?” And the story about the mayor of LA is just another chapter in how the Democrat Party’s seemingly unbreakable hold on the city would make the Soviets blush.

While tens of thousands have been moving out — which resulted in California losing congressional seats after the last census — it seems like the state and the city are pushing the limits of the possible. And just like any other kind of train wreck, most people just can’t look away.

Another feature of the LA mayor’s race has been the efforts Democrats have gone to oppress Republicans, or anyone who supports them. The incumbent mayor has tried to make an issue out of the fact that Pratt recently registered as a Republican, even though the mayor’s race is nonpartisan. This is the only real angle the incumbent has had to “attack” Pratt with, and she has been running ads with a photo of Pratt alongside a Republican senator in an apparent effort to “spook” LA residents into shying away from the candidate who cares about people’s houses burning down.

Pratt has responded by turning this lame attack into something of a rallying cry for what fellow Californian Ronald Reagan called a “silent majority.” One ad shows a series of stereotypical Californian women at a yoga studio accidentally letting it slip that they are voting for Pratt — each one surprised that their support is being welcomed and shared among others.

This is an experience I have seen firsthand in other deep-blue places like Vermont. Republicans become so browbeaten in public that they make every effort to avoid any kind of political conversation so they don’t have to “come out” to their progressive friends. All of the kinds of microaggressions that woke progressives used to charge straight white males with are now used regularly against anyone who doesn’t share their beliefs.

The ironic thing is that only conservatives know it’s happening because progressives in deep-blue states walk into every room assuming the entire room shares their opinion, largely because they never allow themselves to be in places where the progressive position is challenged. So Republicans stay in hiding. And many times this means they stay home on Election Day because they are convinced they are outnumbered.

While those themes are interesting, the real angle capturing attention around the country is the horrendous record Democrats have on basic governing. In LA, Democrats control not only the City Council and mayor’s office, but also hold super-majorities in the legislature and control the governor’s office. There is literally no one else to blame but Democrats from top to bottom.

They control everything. They raise every tax they want and spend every dollar in every budget with their majority, yet their cities and states are becoming total wastelands in many respects. While some of my colleagues are convinced Democrats are doing this on purpose, it seems impossible to believe the people making their living in these jobs actually want everyone to hate them.

It seems far more likely to me that Democrats simply do not know how to provide basic leadership, prioritization, or follow-through to make sure things actually happen. At first the level of mismanagement becomes a familiar joke — like the DMV. But with almost 6,000 upper-middle-class people in the Palisades now homeless, it’s no laughing matter. And when residents realize the mayor was on vacation and her deputy mayor was on house arrest during the fires, the sheer incompetence on display would turn anyone toward anger.

Democrats have billed themselves as the party that cares. But when there aren’t any Republicans to help them along, Democrats around the country have very little to show for their efforts. It seems like Democrats have gotten really good at getting into office. But once they get there, they can never deliver on the basic essentials government is supposed to provide. Even their more aspirational — but still nonessential — policy proposals never materialize.

Democrats in Vermont are having the same problem. In the 2024 election Democrats got brushed back from their agenda because of how out of touch they were with Vermonters getting crushed by property tax increases. Despite voters sending a clear message, Democrats still seem unpersuaded about what the focus of the upcoming election should be.

Here we are more than halfway through May, and Democrats are still dragging their feet as slowly as possible on making any meaningful changes to our education funding system. The Republican governor has set the vision and devised a plan on how to cut costs in both the short and long term. But Democrats refuse to govern.

Republicans are trying to lead on the issue with clearly laid-out plans, while Progressive Democrats seem to be barricading themselves behind the door to ensure the status quo stays in place as long as possible.

If Democrats continue bringing nothing to the table besides obstruction of the work Republicans are trying to accomplish in mixed-control states like Vermont, they are going to lose ground at the state level, where it matters most. And Republicans are just a little more optimistic, a little more prepared, and a little more energized to take advantage of that — from Vermont to California.

Paul Dame
VTGOP Chairman

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Vermont’s Land Wasn’t Preserved by Bureaucrats

VT Republican Party — Tue, 12 May 2026 04:05:04 GMT

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Wednesday May 13th, 6:30pm, Black Flannel Distillery, Essex

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Saturday May 30th, Randolph Campus of VT State University

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Vermont’s Land Wasn’t Preserved by Bureaucrats

Some of the most conservative Vermonters are also the ones with the strongest record of conserving the Green Mountain State. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of acres in Vermont that have been carefully preserved in their natural beauty and agricultural use for four, five, or even seven generations of Vermont farm families. These are the local landowners who have managed the delicate balance between what the economy demands and what protects one of our state’s most valuable resources. Our rolling hills have shifted slowly and thoughtfully through different uses over the past two and a half centuries that Vermonters have called this place home.

In many cases, it has been generational farm families who shepherded the land through those transitions. From wooded forests to sheep pastures, or from dairy pasture to corn fields, it has always been men, women, and inter-generational families weighing competing pressures to preserve the unique charm and character that still defines Vermont’s landscape today. It has always been our people who protected this state from being paved over into one massive parking lot. Many even fought the Interstate system when it first connected our region to the outside world, because Vermonters have always had an inherent love, respect, and connection to the land.

But that legacy is increasingly ignored by ideologically driven Progressives who care more about state control than about preserving a land in balance. With Montpelier’s centrally controlled bureaucratic mindset, our state’s proud culture and history have been turned upside down by arbitrary goals pushed by lobbying groups. During the infamous super-majority era, Progressives passed Act 59, creating a centralized state-level conservation program built around an arbitrary definition of conservation that places ideology above the practical needs of Vermont’s people.

The bill aimed to ensure that 50% of Vermont’s land would effectively become undevelopable in perpetuity by 2050, with 30% targeted by 2030. Under this vision, future generations of landowners would lose the flexibility to adapt their land to changing economic or agricultural realities the way Vermont families have for centuries. Instead, the law attempts to permanently lock much of the state into one rigid vision created by whichever political faction happened to hold power at the time.

Aside from creating a Soviet-style centralized land-use framework, the law also failed to recognize the kind of working lands already being preserved through Vermont’s successful “Current Use” program. For decades, Current Use has encouraged responsible stewardship by providing tax incentives to keep land in agricultural or forest use. Republicans have been trying to fix that oversight.

Sitting in the House Environment Committee is H.70, a Republican-backed bill that would recognize and include the work inter-generational families have already done to preserve Vermont’s green mountains and working landscape through Current Use. Earlier this session, while the committee chair was out of state for two weeks, Republicans attempted to pull the bill from committee and bring it directly to the floor for a vote. The effort failed, but the issue remains important as the session winds down and time runs short to roll back some of the excessive zeal displayed during the super-majority years.

Vermont Republicans care deeply about the environment; we simply prioritize it differently. Republicans place greater emphasis on the environment people directly experience every day: water quality, air quality, visual beauty, and reducing pollution. Progressive Democrats have focused much of their energy on abstract and often immeasurable global goals that Vermont has little practical ability to influence on its own.

But Republicans also recognize that landscapes, communities, and economies change over time. Change is part of growth. There is not a field, forest, or river in Vermont that remains frozen in place forever. One of the beauties of Vermont’s landscape is that it is alive — constantly changing, breathing, and adapting.

The lives of the Vermonters who own and care for that land are just as important as the land itself. Vermonters want balance. That means preserving natural beauty while also allowing the flexibility to adapt to new agricultural, economic, and housing needs over time.

H.70 reflects that balance. It recognizes that conservation works best when local landowners and multi-generational farm families are treated as partners in stewardship — not obstacles to be controlled by distant bureaucracies or large NGOs buying up land from families who can no longer afford rising taxes.

Paul Dame
VTGOP Chairman

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Moderate Dems Prepare to Embrace Progressive with the Nazi Tattoo

VT Republican Party — Tue, 05 May 2026 04:33:09 GMT

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Moderate Dems Prepare to Embrace Progressive with the Nazi Tattoo

The 2026 election is shaping up as an all-out bloodbath in Democrat primaries across the state, region, and country. Established, proven Democrats with records of electoral success now face wild, unpredictable progressive populists shaking up their party. We saw the first casualty in our region last week when the U.S. Senate race in Maine took a shocking turn.

Janet Mills, who followed a very well-established and traditional career path in Maine politics, dropped out of the race against a first-time, unproven candidate sporting a literal Nazi tattoo and carrying significant online baggage. Mills had served in the Maine House, as District Attorney, in two stints as State Attorney General, and two terms as Governor. By every measure, she was the prime choice for Democrats hoping to unseat the unusually popular Susan Collins—the only Republican elected to federal office in New England. Even Senate Leader Chuck Schumer reportedly recruited and quickly endorsed Mills, viewing her as the kind of candidate who could actually win. Yet the sitting Governor was losing the fundraising race to a political unknown by late April.

Many centrist, moderate, and conservative Democrats have tried to deny the transformation happening in their party, but the Maine Senate race serves as a wake-up call to voters who once supported JFK and Bill Clinton. Over the past several years, the Democrat Party has morphed into something many of its own voters no longer recognize—and that change is set to accelerate in this election cycle.Six months ago, it was unthinkable that a complete unknown could topple a sitting Governor for the Democrats’ best (and only realistic) shot at flipping a Senate seat. Many expected Mills to at least fight through primary day. Instead, she pulled out early, citing fundraising woes while the newcomer held a million-dollar cash advantage. This development has captured the attention of regular voters and political gadflies alike. They recognize its significance.

For context, Governor Mills exited because of the energy and media attention swirling around Graham Platner. Wikipedia describes him as a U.S. Marine and coastal oyster farmer, but he became a household name when photos surfaced showing a chest tattoo featuring Nazi symbols. Additional scandals emerged about his controversial Reddit postings, including ones labeling rural Maine voters “racist and stupid.”

Democrat primary voters continue to reward the candidate furthest to the left and the one with the most shocking or controversial style. Platner’s problematic past became an enticing dog whistle for progressive activists, even as it triggered face-palm reactions among moderate Democrats who understand how difficult it will be to unseat Susan Collins. A similar dynamic played out in Vermont, where widely respected reporter Stewart Ledbetter lost a Democrat Senate primary to candidates who routinely stake out the most extreme positions—such as being among the only senators to support a new wealth tax.

The growing progressive faction firmly controlling Democrat primaries believes traditional Democrats are too weak and not extreme enough to “remake America” along progressive lines. They view once-shared values—patriotism, protecting freedom, supporting capitalism over communism—as “enemy territory.” Any old-school Democrat who still holds those beliefs is branded a traitor unfit to serve.This leaves Democrat voters in Maine in a tough spot. They can back a progressive who represents a very different kind of Democrat—or they can support the kind of middle-of-the-road, moderate New England Republican who might have once been considered a moderate Democrat in less-deep-blue states like Colorado, Kentucky, or Pennsylvania.

Many Vermont Democrats faced the same choice in the last election when bona-fide progressive David Zuckerman ran against always-conservative but newly Republican John Rodgers. As New England voters have witnessed the results of 15-20 years of largely unchecked progressivism, more Democrats are realizing that Republicans offering moderate, sensible candidates deliver better outcomes. Crossing party lines to support New England Republicans—while still considering themselves Democrats—has worked well since the 2024 election.

If moderate and conservative Democrats want to rein in their party, they must stop rewarding this madness at the primary level. In Vermont, many self-identified Democrats now look at their votes for Vermont Republicans and see that things function better with the shift. Despite progressive fear-mongering, Republican gains have produced better legislation and forced greater compromise. Meanwhile, Vermont’s Democrat primaries are filling with enough progressives to erase the memory of the moderate Democrats who once held office.

With just 24 days left in this filing period, the ball is in Republicans’ court in Vermont. They must recruit and support common-sense candidates. While progressives pack Democrat primaries with ideologues too rigid to hear other opinions, Republicans are building a larger (though still incomplete) slate of candidates committed first to the working-class people in their districts—focused on what is right, practical, and most affordable.

Paul Dame
VTGOP Chairman

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More Reasonable Democrats Embracing Republicans Over the Far-Left

VT Republican Party — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 03:48:13 GMT

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—Turn Vermont Red - Chester GOP
Saturday May 2nd at 1pm, Barn at Fox Run, Ludlow

—VFRW Kentucky Derby Party
Saturday May 2nd at 4:30pm, Catamount Country Club, Williston

-Chittenden County GOP “Meet & Mingle”
Sunday May 3rd at 7pm, Eagles Club of South Burlington

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Saturday May 30th, Randolph Campus of VT State University

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More Reasonable Democrats Embracing Republicans Over the Far-Left

This morning yet another New England Democrat who had been described by others as a “Blue Dog” officially changed his party affiliation from Democrat to Republican. Just across the Connecticut River, NH State Rep. Dale Girard, who serves both as a State Rep and Mayor of Claremont City, went to city hall to make official what had seemed to have been a reality for some time.

As Progressives have effectively taken over the party that once was dedicated to John F. Kennedy, many regular voters and state-level officials have realized that the national party, and some of the messaging and priorities of many state parties, have drifted further and further away from the kind of common sense policies they want to adopt to help the people in the places they represent.

While the Progressive shift seems to be strongest in the Northeast, Democrats from all over the country have been switching sides for various reasons. A few years ago several state legislators switched sides, and thousands of voters have identified with the #WalkAway movement organized by Brandon Straka. Just over two years ago at the VTGOP State Convention we hosted one such legislator from Georgia, Rep. Mesha Mainor, who had made the switch because Democrats were constantly attacking her for the work she was trying to do for her constituents and expand the choices they had for their students trapped in failing schools because of their zip code.

While there is one Democrat from New Jersey, Rep. Jeff Van Drew, who made the switch at the national level—it seems far more people have made the switch based on what is happening at the state level in many cases. Despite the noise and pageantry of national politics, state-level politics tends to be surrounded with less hype and fewer personalities and centers more on the actual policy outcomes. And in that environment many voters and legislators are realizing that the results are perfectly clear; states with strong Republican representation are being run exceedingly well, while all of the states in the most financial trouble are solidly controlled by Democrats. Many taxpayers are consistently leaving states run by Democrats and moving to states run by Republicans.

With the third assassination attempt on President Trump over the weekend, it becomes just one more reason that outcome-minded people are disassociating from the political party of the far-left. When Democrats telegraph that their entire election game plan is to focus on the personality of the president, while Republicans are focused on the real difference the Working Class Tax Cuts made to people in middle America, it’s easy to see why people are making the switch. For many they have been Democrats for their whole lives. But a lot has changed—especially in the past few years—and voters who were financially conservative and socially liberal felt like the Republicans were a bigger liability during the culture wars of the 1990s. But thirty years later centrist voters have growing concerns about the national Democrats constantly shutting down government and preventing federal employees from getting their paychecks, while state Democrat parties keep looking for new ways to tax their residents—even while the population shrinks—to provide ever-expanding government services. At the same time the Democrat legislators asking for more money seem very uninterested or dismissive of the alarming reports of potential waste and fraud.

At the state level, pragmatic Republicans like Gov. Phil Scott and former Gov. Larry Hogan paved a way that many others have followed. They have disengaged with a broken system in Washington and worked to focus on what they can control in their state to make things better. In other places like Texas and Florida, where those governors are supported by Republican legislatures, they can accomplish more of the common sense reforms that help their state’s economy grow so that the tax burden keeps getting spread out thinner and thinner—instead of places like Massachusetts, and potentially Vermont, who are looking at ways to get more tax dollars out of a shrinking pool of potential taxpayers.

In Vermont the issues surrounding Act 181 have had numerous voters who identify as Democrats reach out and support Republicans who are fighting for common sense approaches to land use. Even last week at the Vermont Republican Party’s State Committee Meeting, we had a visitor who was a self-identified Democrat from Addison County who still considers themselves a Democrat. But they want to see Republicans pick up seats to restore some common sense in this state.

Over the coming weeks it will be up to Vermont Republicans to put forward our strongest group of candidates yet to give these kinds of voters—whether they think of themselves as “Blue Dog,” “Kennedy,” or “conservative” Democrats—the kind of middle-of-the-road approach that a long distant Democrat Party used to provide, but increasingly is only found from Republican representatives. If Republicans continue to focus on delivering on the affordability agenda while Democrats look for new taxes and to take away land rights voters may continue to move because Democrats seem to be particularly unresponsive to the voice of the people.

Paul Dame
VTGOP Chairman

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Democrats Go It Alone on Education - Again

VT Republican Party — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 04:58:14 GMT

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—Castleton Breakfast
Saturday April 25th at 8:30am, Castleton American Legion

—Turn Vermont Red - Chester GOP
Saturday May 2nd at 1pm, Barn at Fox Run, Ludlow

—VFRW Kentucky Derby Party
Saturday May 2nd at 4:30pm, Catamount Country Club, Williston

-Chittenden County GOP “Meet & Mingle”
Sunday May 3rd at 7pm, Eagles Club of South Burlinton

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Democrats Go It Alone on Education - Again

Last week, House Democrats decided to go it alone once again, passing an education bill that the Governor did not support and that not a single Republican on the House Education Committee—or anywhere in the legislature—felt was a step in the right direction. It’s starting to look more and more like the 2026 Democrat majority is reverting to the habits of 2024.

When Democrats cobbled together some Republican votes last year to pass Act 73—legislation Governor Scott ultimately signed—there was some hope that the sharp rebuke from the 2024 elections had encouraged a change in approach. But today, Democrats seem less interested in compromise and more inclined to channel Frank Sinatra and “Do it My Way,” advancing a bill that has virtually no support or even input from Republicans.

Last year, Republicans had serious concerns with major portions of Act 73, including provisions aimed at restricting independent schools and delays in consolidating supervisory administration. Still, they saw Democrats making a rare effort to work with the Governor and agreed to move forward with the foundation formula. The hope was this would At least start down the path that would finally tie spending more directly to property tax rates for the first time since Act 60. In return, Republicans accepted yet another Democrat-appointed study committee instead of immediate action on administrative consolidation. When that committee effectively derailed meaningful reform, it strained trust and left Republicans feeling their good faith had been taken for granted.

Now, after briefly meeting the Governor part of the way, Democrats appear to have retreated to the very approach that got them into trouble: governing without meaningful input from anyone outside their own ranks. Leadership is once again closing ranks, advancing ideologically pure legislation even if it has no realistic path forward or faces a likely veto.

This makes it difficult for Democrats to ask voters for trust in November. Vermonters expect collaboration—what you might call small “d” democracy—where competing perspectives come together to produce better outcomes. Instead, Democrats are attempting to go it alone while producing little tangible progress on controlling property tax increases or improving education outcomes.

The one area where Democrat leaders appear fully aligned is with the priorities of the Vermont NEA—not taxpayers. Policies that restrict school choice primarily benefit systems that employ NEA members – regardless of student performance. Limiting alternatives ensures education dollars remain within that system, reinforcing the same structure regardless of declining student outcomes or rising costs.

Similarly, maintaining small, inefficient schools by spreading costs statewide protects existing staffing models, even as Vermont continues to have some of the smallest class sizes in the country alongside rising education spending. At a time when taxpayers are struggling with repeated near double-digit increases, the primary proposal from Democrat leadership is to raise income taxes to sustain the system.

After the 2024 elections, Democrats themselves acknowledged a key weakness: the perception that the party is too closely tied to special interests like the NEA. That moment presented an opportunity for course correction. Instead, recent actions suggest those concerns were well-founded—and remain unresolved. The NEA recently did polling raising the top income tax rate, and just coincidentally a week later House Democrats had a bill with exactly the language the NEA was looking for.

For nearly 30 years, Democrats have largely operated with a blank check approach to education spending. During that time, costs have risen faster than nearly every other category of government spending, while student outcomes have not kept pace with expectations. In fact Vermont has fallen behind Mississippi when it comes to outcomes – and we’re paying a much higher price for worse outcomes. At the same time, the system has struggled to adapt to the changing needs of students in a modern economy.

Anyone who has worked in a successful partnership—whether in a marriage, a business, or a team—knows that better outcomes come from collaboration. Durable solutions require input from multiple perspectives. Yet Democrats are signaling that they are unwilling to incorporate the views of the Governor or legislative Republicans, opting instead to govern from within a Montpelier echo chamber.

We’ve seen where that approach leads. In the 2023–2024 session, major policies like the Clean Heat Standard, property tax increases, and land use reforms like Act 181 have all encountered serious problems that require a total change of direction. All those problems were identify by Republicans 0 and ignored by Democrats, until after they were on the verge of being implemented.

If Democrats continue down this path—on education or any other issue—voters may once again respond by re-balancing the legislature. For decades, Republicans have had no choice but to work across the aisle. They have three decades of conditioning in that regard. The contrast now is clear: Republicans continues to operate collaboratively out of necessity, while Democrats risk drifting further from the center in pursuit of ideological purity.

Voters will ultimately decide in November which approach they believe is more likely to deliver results. And the more likely Democrats repeat the mistakes of the 2024 session, the more likely they will see the same kind of election results that corresponded to those mistakes.

Paul Dame
VTGOP Chairman

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