On multiple occasions during Scott’s first term, the 53 House Republicans blocked Democrats and Progs from overriding his vetoes, which requires a two-thirds majority in the 150-member House. That bulwark blew up Tuesday night.
After reviewing unofficial election results from the Secretary of State’s Office, Seven Days has confirmed that Democrats gained 12 seats in the House while Progressives held onto their seven, bringing the total number of left-leaning lawmakers to 102. Meanwhile, Republicans lost 10 seats to leave them with 43 members, while independents lost two seats and now hold just five.
In the 30-member Senate, Democrats, who already had a two-thirds majority, picked up another seat, leaving Republicans with only six.
Democratic legislators, who have criticized Scott for being unwilling to work collaboratively, say he’ll no longer have that option. “The governor is gonna need to do more than just issue veto threats,” said Rep. Sam Young (D-Glover).
“I think it sends the message that [voters] want us to work together,” said House Majority Leader Jill Krowinski (D-Burlington). “They want the governor to come and join us at the table.”
Senate Minority Leader Joe Benning (R-Caledonia) predicted that Democratic leaders will “take a turn to the left and will be presenting virtually everything on their wish list.” Referring to Scott, he said, “he’ll have to carefully pick and choose his battles.”
“By electing a governor of one party and a legislature by another, the message Vermonters have sent to us tonight is clear: Work together,” Scott told his supporters. “Vermonters are saying they want us to work for them, not against each other, they are saying we need to listen to one another and prove to the rest of the nation that in Vermont, we can and will rise above partisan politics.”
“The governor has acknowledged there’s no doubt the dynamic has changed,” his communications director, Rebecca Kelley, said Wednesday. “He and the administration will have to adapt to that.”
Kelley disputed Democrats’ assertion that Scott hasn’t worked well with them, but she said, “there’s certainly a recognition that we may need to compromise more.” Asked about legislation such as the paid family leave bill and the $15 minimum wage, both of which Scott vetoed last session, she said, “those things may go through without his approval.”
Within the group of 102, “there’s a pretty wide spectrum,” Young said, and hitting that threshold, “doesn’t mean that we’re just going to be able to override vetoes.”
House Speaker Mitzi Johnson (D-South Hero) has so far proven more reluctant than some of her predecessors to exhort members of her caucus to vote in lockstep.
Senate President Pro Tempore Tim Ashe (D/P-Chittenden) isn’t counting on uniformity in the House. The idea that the 102 members will act as a monolith is “an insult to each member, and it’s just not how it goes,” Ashe said.
The Scott administration knows that, too. “One interesting thing is, this does put a lot of legislative power into a small number of fiscally conservative Democrats and independents,” Kelley said. To sustain a veto, Republicans would need only seven lawmakers to join them, she noted.
For the time being, both Scott and legislative leaders are expressing optimism that Tuesday’s results will lead to a better working relationship. “The goal is not to have veto showdowns,” Ashe said.
Paul Heintz contributed reporting.
Correction, November 8, 2018: An earlier version of this story included a table that omitted a Democratic pickup in the Franklin-5 district. Additionally, Charen Fegard’s name was misspelled in an earlier version of that table.
Disclosure: Tim Ashe is the domestic partner of Seven Days publisher and coeditor Paula Routly. Find our conflict-of-interest policy here: sevendaysvt.com/disclosure.
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If you wanted to know how Vermonters feel about Donald Trump, here’s some pretty clear evidence. I’d imagine this is far less representative of Vermonters basic political leanings, and far more representative with their overall disgust in the lack of basic decency that the President displays on a daily basis.
Why even have a Governor when the damn liberals will do what they want. Because they can override a veto and pass any brainless law they want why even have a Governor.. oh wait just to have Scott as a decoration. This state is going down the toilet real fast. We’ll never have any rights, they will raise taxes everytime one of them f–t. They got us right where they want us, under their control. of the 107 Democrats Progressives and
Independents 90 % of them are from out of State. Might as well say goodbye to Vermont now.. they’ll change the state name next..
@Donna Boutin
They got us right where they want us, under their control. of the 107 Democrats Progressives and
Independents 90 % of them are from out of State. Might as well say goodbye to Vermont now.. they’ll change the state name next.
Well you wanted change with Donald Trump and you got it. Just not the change you wanted. I would like a more balanced govt and now Veto Phil and his administration are going to pay the price for their heavy handiness.
When politicians on both sides of the isle start doing what is best for the state and the country and not what is best for their parties things will improve.
Born in Vermont as were my parents and grandparents and great grandparents. Please stop with 90% being from out of state. You are part of the problem with that attitude.
BRADD
I agree with you about Donna. She always has a negative attitude about everything!
“BRADD
I agree with you about Donna. She always has a negative attitude about everything!”
But so do you! All you do is attack Weinberger, Sinex, Scott, Republicans, “rich people,” etc., etc., etc. Read your posts before you call someone else negative! Is it only negative when other people do it?
@BradD.. Sorry buddy 7 generations here in Vermont. I’m not part of the problem. I have always fought for Vermont. I have no problems with out of staters moving to Vt, it’s when they think they know better on how we live and think. It’s when they get into Vt’s government and start changing our laws and our state. That’s when I stand up and say No.!!! So BLESS YOU !!!
@ Donna Boutin
Then run for office and make Vermont the way it used to be.
Ya right!
I want to add my opinion on a “veto-proof” majority in the statehouse. I am against it.
It used to be there had to be compromise (you know where both sides concede some and you end up somewhere in the middle, not the other side agrees to my side) and progress was made but not without checks and balances.
The last time we had a veto proof legislature- Shumlin was governor and he and the legislature spent how many hundreds of million dollars on a faulty, poorly managed exchange system that other states built for just a few million dollars. And the chosen software company went out of business so Vt was left with software that cannot effectively be upgraded or improved, not the first time the state ends up owning software and cannot get it updated to be used as desired.
Phil Scott recently discussed vetoing retail Cannabis. He has never had to go through withdrawal syndrome from psych meds. He has never had to relieve his addiction to alcoholism and opioids.
Newsflash! Kids are selling weed in the high schools of VT. There is beer being sold in coffee shops. While people in housing trusts cannot grow because of federal prohibition. The poor also cannot afford the cost of medical cannabis.
He claims to want to protect the most vulnerable people in society, yet he rapidly vetoes anything that could allow them to function and go back to work. Things like a 15 dollar living wage, minimum. This could stop Vermonters from having to subsist on 3 retail jobs or odd jobs.
He also made sure that disadvantaged people would have to turn to the black market. This may expose them to other – more harmful drugs.
He’s wrong. He’s out of touch, and people voted him back in. He is one with Trump, and here we are. Why oh why did you vote him back in? There are poisonous snakes that are native to certain lands. That doesnt mean they should be elected governor.
A super majority is our only hope.