Across multiple districts, tight races led to incumbent defeats and shifted control in several Vermont House of Representatives races.
In Addison-3, challenger Matt Birong secured 36% of the vote, defeating incumbent Diane Lanpher, who brought in 34.7%, while Republican Warren Van Wyck finished with 28.8%. That result flipped the seat from Republican to Democratic control. A similar shift occurred in Addison-4, where Caleb Elder captured 29% and Mari Cordes took 26.5%, outpacing Republicans Fred K. Baser at 25.7% and Valerie Mullin at 18.7% to defeat the incumbent.
Bennington County also saw legislative turnover. In Bennington-4, Kathleen James took 36.6% of the vote and Cynthia Browning earned 33.3%, ahead of Republican Brian Keefe at 29.7%, flipping another seat from Republican to Democratic hands and unseating the incumbent.
Scott Beck and Carol Ode Flip Contested Seats
Caledonia-3 saw Scott Beck capture a Republican victory with 28.7% of the vote in a crowded field that included Scott Campbell (26.2%), Brendan Hughes (23.8%), and Jane Pompeo (21.2%), successfully flipping the seat. Up north in Chittenden County, Chittenden-6-1 witnessed a competitive three-way race where Carol Ode led with 41.1% and Robert Hooper earned 30.6%, outpacing Republican Kurt Wright at 28.1% to flip the seat and defeat the incumbent.
Other Chittenden districts maintained status quo or favored progressive candidates. In Chittenden-6-4, Selene Colburn secured 52.9% and Brian Cina took 46.6%, both running under the Progressive Party banner in an unopposed general election environment. In Chittenden-7-3, John Killacky drew 79.17% of the vote against Progressive Frank Davis at 20.83%.
Franklin County Delivers Notable Republican Gains and Democratic Counters
Franklin County delivered several notable Republican gains alongside Democratic counters. In Franklin-5, Joshua Aldrich led the Republican ticket with 24.9%, followed by Democrat Charen Fegard at 22%, Shane Rhodes (Republican) at 19.7%, and Linda Collins at 19.4%, resulting in a flip to the Democrats. Conversely, Franklin-6 saw James Gregoire take 56.7% for the Republicans, defeating Democrat Kelly Cummings at 43.1% to flip a seat from Democratic to Republican hands.
In Franklin-7, Felisha Rose Leffler captured 52.8% of the vote to defeat incumbent Cindy Weed, who finished at 47.14%, flipping the district to the Republican column. Grand Isle-Chittenden experienced a closely contested four-way race where Mitzi Johnson led with 26.3%, Leland Morgan took 24.8%, Mike Morgan earned 24.5%, and Ben Joseph took 24.2%, resulting in a flip from D to R and the defeat of the incumbent.
Lamoille and Washington Districts Choose New Lawmakers
Lamoille-3 voters chose Lucy Rogers (D) with 59% of the vote over Zachary Mayo (R) at 40.9%, flipping that seat to the Democrats. In Lamoille-Washington, Dave Yacovone (D) took 43.2% and Avram Patt (D) took 29.7%, defeating Gary Nolan (R) at 26.7% and unseating the incumbent.
Washington-3 saw Tommy Walz (D) earn 28.2% and Peter Anthony (D) take 27.8%, outpacing John Steinman (R) at 23.4% and Paul Poirier (I) at 20.5% to capture the seat from an independent incumbent. In Washington-7, Maxine Grad led with 33.1% and Kari Dolan took 29.9%, ahead of independent candidates Ed Read (25.3%) and Bob Readie (6.6%), also shifting the seat away from an independent incumbent.
Windham and Windsor County Races Shift Control
Windham-1 experienced a decisive shift as Sara Coffey (D) secured 65.3% of the vote against Patrick Gilligan (R) at 34.6%, flipping the seat from Republican to Democratic control. In Windsor-Orange-1, John O’Brien (D) won 62.7% against David Ainsworth (R) at 37.1%, defeating the incumbent and securing the district.
Senate races similarly reflected regional shifts. In Rutland County, Brian Collamore (R) led with 18.9%, followed by Cheryl Hooker (D) at 17.9%, James McNeil (R) at 17.7%, Edward Larson (R) at 16.6%, and Greg Cox (D) at 16.5%, successfully flipping a seat. Meanwhile, in Chittenden Senate, Tim Ashe (D) at 14.2%, Virginia Lyons (D) at 13.4%, Debbie Ingram (D) at 13.1%, Michael Sirotkin (D) at 12.4%, Phil Baruth (D) at 12.2%, and Christopher A. Pearson (Progressive) at 9.9% held off challenges from Republican candidates Alex R. Farrell and Paul Dame.
