The 2024 Vermont Senate election took place on November 5, 2024, as part of the biennial United States elections. The election coincided with elections for other offices including the U.S. President, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, Governor, and State House. State senators serve two-year terms in the Vermont Senate. Primary elections were held on August 13, 2024.
Vermont voters elected all 30 state senators from 16 districts, with each district electing between one and three senators. Districts that elect more than one senator use plurality block voting; in districts that elect two senators, each voter can select up to two candidates on their ballot, and in districts that elect three senators, voters can select up to three candidates. Under Vermont's electoral fusion system, candidates can receive the nomination of more than one party, with all their nominations being listed on the ballot.
Prior to the election, the Democrat–Progressive coalition held a 23-seat supermajority in the senate. In order to gain control of the chamber, Republicans either needed to flip nine seats in the senate, or flip eight seats and the office of lieutenant governor, which presides over the senate and acts as the tiebreaking vote. However, they only needed to flip four seats to end their opponents' supermajority. Ultimately, Republicans, aided by popular GOP governor Phil Scott campaigning for downballot Republican candidates harder than he had in previous years, flipped six seats in the state senate, thus successfully breaking the Democrats' supermajority, and requiring Republican support to overturn Phil Scott's vetoes. The decline in Democratic showing was notable as they received fewer votes collectively in 2024, than the 2022 midterms.
Members not seeing reelection Four incumbents did not seek re-election.
Democrats Bennington: Brian Campion retired. Caledonia: Jane Kitchel retired. Orleans: Robert Starr retired to run for Justice of the Peace in Troy. Windsor: Richard McCormack retired.
Predictions SourceRankingAs of Sabato's Crystal Ball | October 23, 2024
Results -->PartyCandidatesVotes%Primary seatsSecondary seatsPrimarySecondaryBeforeAfter+/−BeforeAfter+/−Democratic 25 4341,86852.62216 634 1Republican 25 0264,79140.7713 610 1Progressive 1 315,9362.51143 1Independent 7 –24,4863.80000Write-ins2,8650.4Total587649,946100.0303087 1
District Incumbent PartyElected Senator PartyAddison Ruth Hardy Dem Ruth Hardy Dem Christopher Bray Dem Steven Heffernan RepBennington Vacant n/a Seth Bongartz Dem Brian Campion Dem Rob Plunkett Dem Caledonia Jane Kitchel Dem Scott Beck RepChittenden Central Philip Baruth Dem/Prog Philip Baruth Dem/Prog Martine Gulick Dem Martine Gulick Dem Tanya Vyhovsky Prog/Dem Tanya Vyhovsky Prog/Dem Chittenden North Irene Wrenner Dem Chris Mattos RepChittenden Southeast Thomas Chittenden Dem Thomas Chittenden Dem Ginny Lyons Dem Ginny Lyons Dem Kesha Ram Hinsdale Dem/Prog Kesha Ram Hinsdale Dem/Prog Essex Russ Ingalls Rep/Dem Russ Ingalls RepFranklin Randy Brock Rep Randy Brock Rep Robert Norris Rep Robert Norris Rep Grand Isle Andy Julow Dem Patrick Brennan Rep Lamoille Richard Westman Rep/Dem Richard Westman Rep/Dem Orange Mark MacDonald Dem Larry Hart Rep Orleans Robert Starr Dem Sam Douglass RepRutland Brian Collamore Rep Brian Collamore Rep Dave Weeks Rep Dave Weeks Rep Terry Williams Rep Terry Williams Rep Washington Ann Cummings Dem Ann Cummings Dem Andrew Perchlik Dem/Prog Andrew Perchlik Dem/Prog Anne Watson Dem/Prog Anne Watson Dem/ProgWindham Wendy Harrison Dem Wendy Harrison Dem Nader Hashim Dem Nader Hashim DemWindsor Alison Clarkson Dem Alison Clarkson Dem Richard McCormack Dem Joe Major Dem Rebecca White Dem Rebecca White Dem
Addison
Elects two senators. The incumbents are Democrats Christopher Bray and Ruth Hardy, who won with 33.8% and 33.3% of the vote in 2022, respectively (67.1% combined).
Democratic primary Declared Christopher Bray, incumbent senator Caleb Elder, state representative Ruth Hardy, incumbent senator
Campaign Elder largely avoided criticizing the two incumbents directly, instead saying he decided to run for Senate due to his conflicts with House leadership; Elder alleged that they "made it clear the doors were shut for me to participate." The race was competitive, with all three candidates reporting roughly equal fundraising.
Results
Republican primary Declared Lesley Bienvenue, secretary of the Addison County Republican Party Landel Cochran, vice chair of the Huntington Selectboard Steven Heffernan, bomb disposal technician
Results
General election Results
Bennington
Elects two senators. The incumbents are Democrats Brian Campion and Dick Sears, who won with only write-in opposition in 2022. Sears filed to run for re-election, while Campion announced he would retire. However, Sears died in June 2024, shortly after the filing deadline.
Democratic primary Declared Seth Bongartz, state representative Tina Cook, marketing professional (write-in) Rob Plunkett, deputy state's attorney (write-in) Kate Seaton, technical account manager (write-in)
Deceased Dick Sears, incumbent senator (died June 2024, remained on ballot)
Declined Brian Campion, incumbent senator (endorsed Bongartz and Sears, then Plunkett)
Endorsements
Campaign Despite his death, Sears remained on the ballot in the August Democratic primary; if he won, a convention of delegates from towns in the district would have met to choose a replacement nominee. Several write-in candidates entered the race. One candidate, Manchester selectman Jonathan West, urged Democrats in the district to vote for Sears, hoping to clinch the nomination at a convention.
Results
Republican primary Declared Joe Gervais, lumber business owner (also running for state house)
Results
Independents Declared Steve Berry, former Democratic state representative (also running for U.S. Senate) Cynthia Browning, Arlington selectwoman and former Democratic state representative Lawrence Whitmire, construction contractor and conservative activist
Results
Caledonia
Elects one senator. The incumbent is Democrat Jane Kitchel, who won with 63.4% of the vote in 2022. Kitchel is not running for re-election.
Democratic primary Declared Amanda Cochrane, nonprofit executive Shawn Hallisey, nursing home administrator
Declined Jane Kitchel, incumbent senator (endorsed Cochrane)
Endorsements
Results
Republican primary Declared Scott Beck, state representative J.T. Dodge, systems engineer, nominee for this district in 2022 and Libertarian nominee in 2020
Endorsements
Results
General election Results
Chittenden Central
Elects three senators. The incumbents are Democrats Philip Baruth and Martine Gulick and Progressive Tanya Vyhovsky, who won with 31.5%, 29.0%, and 25.7% of the vote in 2022, respectively (86.2% combined), against an independent candidate. All three incumbents are running for re-election.
Democratic primary Declared Philip Baruth, incumbent senator Martine Gulick, incumbent senator Stewart Ledbetter, former WPTZ news anchor Tanya Vyhovsky, incumbent senator
Endorsements
Campaign Ledbetter outlined few policy differences between himself and the district's three incumbents, instead campaigning on his experience as a journalist. However, VTDigger described Ledbetter as a more centrist alternative to the incumbents, and he criticized Vyhovsky for voting against a bill to increase penalties for retail theft. The three incumbents ran together as a slate. Vyhovsky and Gulick criticized Ledbetter for accepting large contributions from Republicans, landlords, and business interests, and for promising to compromise with Republican governor Phil Scott, which Gulick argued could "mean that you have to make compromises on your values."
Ledbetter had significant name recognition and outraised all three incumbents by a wide margin, creating a competitive race. VTDigger wrote that Gulick was "generally considered the most vulnerable of the three incumbents," owing to her narrow victory in the 2022 Democratic primary for this district.
Results
General election Results
Chittenden North
Elects one senator. The incumbent is Democrat Irene Wrenner, who won with 51.3% of the vote in 2022.
Democratic primary Declared Irene Wrenner, incumbent senator
Results
Republican primary Declared Chris Mattos, state representative
Results
Results
Chittenden Southeast
Elects three senators. The incumbents are Democrats Kesha Ram Hinsdale, Thomas Chittenden and Ginny Lyons, who won with 32.1%, 26.6%, and 25.1% of the vote in 2022, respectively (83.8% combined).
Democratic primary Declared Thomas Chittenden, incumbent senator Kesha Ram Hinsdale, incumbent senator Ginny Lyons, incumbent senator Louis Meyers, physician and perennial candidate
Results
Republican primary Declared Bruce Roy, former Essex Junction school board member
Results
Independents Declared Taylor Craven, former member of the Colchester Planning Commission
General election Results
Essex
Elects one senator. The incumbent is Republican Russ Ingalls, who won with only write-in opposition in 2022.
Republican primary Declared Russ Ingalls, incumbent senator
Results
General election Results
Franklin
Elects two senators. The incumbents are Republicans Randy Brock and Robert Norris, who won with 33.1% and 29.6% of the vote in 2022, respectively (62.7% combined).
Republican primary Declared Randy Brock, incumbent senator Robert Norris, incumbent senator
Results
General election Results
Grand Isle
Elects one senator. The incumbent was Democrat Richard Mazza, who won with 73.0% of the vote in 2022. Mazza resigned on April 8, 2024, due to health issues; he later died on May 28. Governor Phil Scott appointed Democrat Andy Julow, a nonprofit executive and former chair of the Champlain Valley School District Board, to Mazza's vacant seat.
Democratic primary Declared Julie Hulburd, member of the Vermont Cannabis Control Board and former Colchester selectman Andy Julow, incumbent senator
Declined Richard Mazza, former senator (deceased)
Results
Republican primary Declared Patrick Brennan, state representative
Results
General election Results
Lamoille
Elects one senator. The incumbent is Republican Richard Westman, who won against only write-in opposition in 2022.
Republican primary Declared Richard Westman, incumbent senator
Results
Independents Declared Maureen Heck, construction company employee
General election Results
Orange
Elects one senator. The incumbent is Democrat Mark MacDonald, who won with 55.4% of the vote in 2022.
Democratic primary Declared Mark MacDonald, incumbent senator
Results
Republican primary Declared Larry Hart, former auto repair shop owner
Results
General election Results
Orleans
Elects one senator. The incumbent is Democrat Robert Starr, who won with 58.1% of the vote in 2022. Starr is not running for re-election.
Democratic primary Declared Katherine Sims, state representative
Declined Robert Starr, incumbent senator (endorsed Sims)
Endorsements
Results
Republican primary Declared Conrad Bellavance, former Newport school board member Sam Douglass, chair of the Orleans County Republican Party and nominee for this district in 2022
Declined John Rodgers, former Democratic state senator (running for lieutenant governor)
Endorsements
Results
General election Results
Rutland
Elects three senators. The incumbents are Republicans Brian Collamore, Terry Williams, and Dave Weeks, who won with 21.0%, 17.3%, and 16.3% of the vote in 2022, respectively (54.6% combined).
Republican primary Declared Brian Collamore, incumbent senator Dave Weeks, incumbent senator Terry Williams, incumbent senator
Results
Democratic primary Declared Marsha Cassel, retired teacher Dana Peterson (write-in) Robert Richards, chair of the Fair Haven Selectboard
Results
General election Results
Washington
Elects three senators.