AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Vermont’s state primary

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vermont Democrats will try on Tuesday to do something they’ve been unable to do in five previous attempts: nominate a gubernatorial candidate who can beat Republican Gov. Voters will also decide contested Democratic primaries for lieutenant governor and state auditor and choose a Republican nominee to challenge Democratic U.S. Scott is one of only two Republican governors to serve a state that then-Vice President Kamala Harris carried in the 2024 election.

But toppling him this fall will be no easy feat. He received 73% of the vote in his 2024 reelection bid, improving upon the 69% he won in 2022. He’s also been a rare Republican critic of President Donald Trump.

Scott not only endorsed former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley for president in the 2024 primaries, but he also says he voted for Harris over Trump in 2024 and for Joe Biden in 2020. He is unopposed for the Republican nomination. Two Democrats are running to challenge Scott: economist Amanda Janoo and former child advocacy organization CEO Aly Richards, who boasts endorsements from former Democratic Govs.

Richards has raised about $453,000 for her campaign, compared to about $308,000 for Janoo. Richards also had about double Janoo’s cash reserves as of the end of July. In Vermont, the governor, lieutenant governor and other state constitutional officers serve two-year terms.

If Scott is reelected and completes another term, he’ll surpass Dean as Vermont’s longest serving governor since it became a state. All 30 state Senate seats and all 150 state House seats are up in 2026. Democratic state lawmakers suffered significant losses in the 2024 general election, losing more than two dozen seats across both chambers, along with their supermajorities.

This year could prove to be another difficult one for the party but for different reasons: Democratic incumbents in five state Senate districts and 11 state House districts face primary challengers. Republican incumbents face challengers in only one state Senate district. For state legislative primaries, the number of winners in each contest varies by district.