Vermont Gov. Phil Scott is running for reelection

Updated 6:22 p.m.

MONTPELIER — Vermont’s Gov. Phil Scott is running for reelection, he announced Thursday.

The Republican governor, who lives in Berlin, is seeking a sixth, two-year term in the state’s top office. He was first elected in 2016.

Scott disclosed his plans to reporters outside the Vermont Secretary of State’s Office, where he stopped to drop off the paperwork declaring his intent to run again. He turned in the filings just hours before they were due and issued statements online shortly after.

“After carefully considering the challenges ahead for our state and nation, and the work I’d like to see through before leaving office, I have decided to seek another term as your Governor,” he wrote on social media and in an email to campaign supporters.

“This was not a decision I made lightly, but make no mistake, even with all the headwinds, I’m as motivated as ever to make Vermont more affordable, advocate for more common sense in the Legislature, and work with anyone who’s willing to work with me, to make Vermont a better place,” the statement read.

Scott is unlikely to face a competitive opponent in the Republican primary in August. 

In this fall’s election, he will likely face one of two Democrats who have already announced their gubernatorial campaigns. They are Aly Richards, former head of the prominent childcare lobbying group Let’s Grow Kids, and Amanda Janoo, an economist.

Democrats will have an uphill battle ahead of them, even as political observers seem to agree that Richards or Janoo could give Scott the toughest run for his money since at least 2020. None of the three Democrats to challenge Scott in that time garnered more than 30% of the general election vote. His most recent campaign in 2024 handed him his widest margin of victory ever, with 73% of the tally.

Scott remains deeply popular across Vermont. As of February, he continued his long-running streak of polling as the most popular governor in the country, with a 74% approval rating, according to the firm Morning Consult.

The governor has often said Vermont’s “affordability crisis” is one of his key concerns and used it as a litmus test for state policy. He’s pointed to those same concerns when urging lawmakers this session to again use state revenue to offset projected property tax increases. 

Before walking into the Secretary of State’s Office on Thursday afternoon, Scott said he will continue to push for policies that he thinks will grow Vermont’s economy and lower the cost of living. 

“We haven’t, obviously, fulfilled that responsibility,” he said, but he’s encouraged that affordability has become a major talking point in state and national politics.

In this legislative session, which could end as soon as Friday, Scott has sparred with lawmakers who disagree with his vision for overhauling Vermont’s education system by consolidating school districts and changing how schools are paid for. 

While legislators have at times bullishly opposed Scott’s plans, lawmakers and Scott appeared to be closing in on a deal Thursday evening. “You know, it’s moving in the right direction. We hope that everything unfolds and they adhere to some of the agreements we made with them,” Scott said. 

Along with the education fracas, Scott continues to battle the state employees union over his return-to-office mandate for state workers, which has subjected the governor to criticism in national media. Scott said that criticism did not influence his decision to run. 

Within the national political landscape, Scott has made headlines for splintering from the Republican Party since President Trump took office the first time. Scott said he likes to think he stands apart from “the national dialogue.” 

“On many, many issues we’re different,” Scott said, referring to the president. “And I’ve proven time and time again that we’re independent of the party.”

Read the story on VTDigger here: Vermont Gov. Phil Scott is running for reelection.