By Guy Page
Election Day 2024 delivered 57 Republicans to the Vermont House of Representatives, enough to support any veto by Gov. Phil Scott.
Also, voters re-elected two independent legislators, Anne Donahue (Berlin-Northfield) and Jed Lipsky (Stowe), who both tend to vote with the Republican caucus on almost all major legislation. Donahue is a longtime legislator who ran as a Republican until this year. In recent years she has been Democrat House Speaker Jill Krowinski’s most outspoken critic.
And, 2025 may also see the re-emergence of Blue Dog Democrats. Rep. Jay Hooper endorsed and was endorsed by Gov. Phil Scott. Rep. Charlie Kimbell of Woodstock, well-known as a fiscal conservative, returns to the House after a several-year hiatus. Other longtime legislators may slide into the Blue Dog category as well.
Independent Laura Sibilia (Dover) has pledged to challenge Krowinski for House Speaker. Whether she succeeds will depend on how well she woos Democrats to support her, and whether she can convince the GOP caucus to back her.
Whoever is Speaker, the restoration of an effective veto gives Republicans a reprieve from their sometimes bystander status in committee rooms. They will have more input into which bills are considered and how they are crafted.
The complete roster of the 2025 House, as well as the roster when the 2024 House adjourned, appears below.