Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont journalism internship
Editor’s note: This event took place several days before a Politico news story put Vermont Republican state senator Sam Douglass in the national spotlight for comments he made in a leaked Young Republicans group chat. Douglass announced his resignation after Gov. Phil Scott called for it and denounced the “vile and disgusting” comments in the chat. Neither Scott nor Douglass were at the awards night.
SOUTH BURLINGTON – Republicans at a state GOP party awards night on Oct. 9 emphasized the need to recruit more candidates and stress affordability in campaigns.
Vermont’s Republican Lt. Gov. John Rodgers encouraged legislators to “stay out of national politics, and stick with affordability.
“Most Vermonters are saying, ‘I can’t afford to live here anymore,’” Rodgers said. “I get those calls in my office where people are saying, ‘I just can’t do it anymore. I’m leaving.’ So we have a lot of changes to make.”
The gathering at the Delta Hotel brought state representatives, voters and community leaders from around the state to celebrate Republican leaders and discuss the future of the GOP in Vermont.
After gaining 25 new state legislative seats in last year’s state elections, the Vermont Republican Party is gearing up to hold onto seats and build a stronger legislative foothold in the future.
Vermont’s highest ranking Republican, Gov. Phil Scott, was not at the event.
Paul Dame, chairman of the Vermont Republican Party and organizer of the event, said that one of his main priorities is furthering local Republican engagement.
“We create all of these town committees. So there’s a point person,” he said. “It gives our candidates kind of a head start about who they could talk to locally.”
Dame proceeded to present the evening’s award winners. The first three awards went to winners nominated by fellow Republican legislators, while the People’s Choice Award was open to public voting. The winners:
- George Schiavone Legislator of the Year Award: Rep. Patricia McCoy, R-Poultney
- Rookie of the Year Award: Rep. Rob North, R- Ferrisburgh
- Don Turner “Local Leader” Award: Rep. Chris Taylor, R-Milton
- People’s Choice Award: Rep. Mike Tagliavia, R-Corinth
During her acceptance speech, House Minority Leader McCoy marveled at the support for the Vermont GOP.
“This year, we have a fabulous team behind us. We have 56 Republican representatives, and we have 13 senators, and we work closely together. That was just a phenomenal day last November. I couldn’t believe the results when they kept coming in,” McCoy said about Republican gains in the Statehouse last year.
Vermont is one of the “bluest” states in the country and in the 2024 presidential election voted overwhelmingly for Democrat Kamala Harris over the Republican winner Donald Trump. The Republican wins in the legislature gave the party a significant boost at the state level, but the GOP is still outnumbered by Democrats in Montpelier.
Following the award announcements, Rodgers, who was elected to the post last year in a tight race, spoke about the next moves for Vermont’s Republican Party.
“I think we can always do better. I can do better. One thing that I want to harp on a little, especially all of you who are like me, who are brand new, we all have a target on our backs,” Rodgers said. “Don’t wait till campaign time. Get to work.”
“If you look back through history, very often we have won a bunch of seats only to lose them in the following election,” he added. “I know we can pick up more seats, and I have so much hope that we can actually pick up the majority in the Senate.”
The evening’s guest speaker, radio talk show host Erick Erickson, took to the stage to offer advice to the Vermont Republicans. Erickson is host of the Erick Erickson Show and formerly practiced law, worked as a congressional campaign manager and was CEO and editor-in-chief of RedState. He was brought in by Americans for Prosperity, the national conservative advocacy organization, which was a supporter of the event.
As a campaign manager, Erickson said he “tried to remind candidates who run for office that even if you think you’re right, sometimes you gotta understand you’re in the minority. You gotta understand how to talk to people, then how to do grassroots and go door to door.
“You’ve got to compete now because when election season rolls around, you’re called an opportunist,” Erickson added. “If you compete now, you’re called a member of the community. And politics, at the end of the day, is relational.”
Erickson agreed that affordability is a powerful campaign theme.
“Several of you have mentioned affordability, and it’s where we’re going to win this fight,” he said. “Because at the end of the day, when the government keeps paying for everything, well then, everybody keeps paying for it.”
Following the speakers, the crowd rose to mingle before the event wrapped up. Some of those attending acknowledged the challenges of building the Republican base at the local level in a state known for leaning blue.
Cecile Wagner, a longtime South Burlington resident and former secretary of the South Burlington Republican Committee, said that the group is looking to gain support in the local community.
“We’re trying to build up again, because over the years, South Burlington has been hard. We’ve lost a lot of people, older, or they moved to another state because they can’t afford to live here anymore,” she said.
“We definitely would like more people to run, but in the town we’re in, it’s difficult. This year, people are definitely more interested,” she said.