McClaughry: Election aftershocks

By John McClaughry

The smoke has cleared from Vermont election. Popular Republican Gov. Phil Scott won a 70% victory over a token Democratic opponent. No other Republican came close to winning a statewide office, although Sen. Joe Benning ran a credible race against former Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman, who again put himself into the No. 2 slot to make another run against Gov. Scott in 2024.

Perhaps the most important outcome was in the legislative races. Republicans maintained their seven seats in the Senate, thoroughly overpowered by the 23 Democrats. The Republican membership of the House sank from 43 to 38, with no bright new faces among them. That means the Democrats and Progressives can run anything they want through the Legislature, and for all practical purposes Gov. Scott no longer has an effective veto power.

The Democrats announced that 2023 will be the year of a full-scale assault on carbon dioxide emissions. Dozens of the recommendations of the Vermont Climate Council, ardently backed by the Climate Action Network, will whistle through House and Senate. An early one will be the clean heat standard, to drive up the price of natural gas, heating oil, propane and kerosene. It failed by one vote last May. The Democrats can’t wait to push that through and Scott, deprived of his veto power, will, I predict, find some excuse to go along. I hope I’m wrong about that.

John McClaughry is vice president of the Ethan Allen Institute. Reprinted with permission from the Ethan Allen Institute Blog.

Image courtesy of Public domain

4 thoughts on “McClaughry: Election aftershocks

  1. Clearly most Vermonters are not concerned about the cost of heating fuel. Either that or the Vermont Republican Party apparatus is worse than useless. Or both. Phil Scott’s win is meaningless, in terms of the Vermont Republican Party for a number of reasons. First is that he had zero coattails for down ticket Republicans. Second, he positions himself wherever he needs to to win, knowing that in Vermont incumbents almost always win. He could run as an independent and do just as well.

  2. Good, the idiots who voted for those progressive idiots deserve to pay for they’re ignorant decision by continuing to vote for the demorats. Wait until those progressive zealots try to go after the wood burning appliances. That will be very entertaining.

  3. Oh joy, this is where the insanity of the progs will be on full display. More money from fewer taxpayers to push their fantasies.

  4. Dear mister McClaughry,I wonder why you referred to my Republican win in Caledonia District #3 as not being a bright new face, is that your way of helping Republican’s , or just what are you thinking?!

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