Vermont Republican Party

Newspaper editor Eliakim Persons Walton condemned the 1854 Whig Convention for not being against slavery strongly. The first convention of the Vermont Republican Party was held on July 13, 1854, in Montpelier, Vermont. The party was organized, nominated candidates for office, selected delegates to the Republican National Convention, and approved a platform. The convention was meant to be held on July 4, but was delayed to July 13 as to be on the anniversary of the Northwest Ordinance. Had the convention been held on July 4, it would have been the first Republican convention held instead of the one conducted by the Michigan Republican Party.{{Cite news |date=July 19, 1854 |title=The Mass Convention |page=2 |work=Middlebury Register |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79176359/middlebury-register/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210608133059/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79176359/middlebury-register/ |archive-date=June 8, 2021 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{Cite news |date=July 20, 1854 |title=The Second Amalgamation Convention |page=2 |work=The Burlington Weekly Sentinel |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79176296/the-burlington-weekly-sentinel/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210608133405/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79176296/the-burlington-weekly-sentinel/ |archive-date=June 8, 2021 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{Cite news |date=March 3, 1991 |title=The GOP Is Born |page=56 |work=Rutland Herald |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114327082/rutland-daily-herald/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221209011422/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114327082/rutland-daily-herald/ |archive-date=December 9, 2022 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{sfn|Doyle|1992|p=132}} Lawrence Brainerd was selected to serve as president of the convention.{{Cite news |date=May 12, 1870 |title=Death of Hon. Lawrence Brainerd |page=4 |work=Rutland Herald |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79178744/rutland-weekly-herald/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210608143024/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79178744/rutland-weekly-herald/ |archive-date=June 8, 2021 |via=Newspapers.com}}

Walton was initially selected to serve as the party's gubernatorial nominee in the 1854 election, but he withdrew and the party selected to give its nomination to Stephen Royce, who was a member of the Whig Party and had already been nominated to serve as their gubernatorial candidate.{{Cite news |date=June 8, 1854 |title=Vermont Whig Convention |page=3 |work=Daily National Era |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79177008/daily-national-era/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210608134811/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79177008/daily-national-era/ |archive-date=June 8, 2021 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{Cite news |date=August 18, 1854 |title=Republican Party Gives Its Nomination To Stephen Royce |page=2 |work=The Burlington Weekly Sentinel |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79176916/vermont-journal/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210608135029/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79176916/vermont-journal/ |archive-date=June 8, 2021 |via=Newspapers.com}} Royce accepted the party's nomination and won the 1854 gubernatorial election.{{Cite news |date=August 23, 1854 |title=Letters of Acceptance, from Judge Royce and Gen. Fletcher |page=2 |work=The Burlington Weekly Sentinel |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79177612/middlebury-register/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210608140316/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79177612/middlebury-register/ |archive-date=June 8, 2021 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{Cite news |date=October 26, 1854 |title=1854 Vermont gubernatorial election |page=2 |work=The Burlington Weekly Sentinel |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79177530/the-burlington-weekly-sentinel/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210608140044/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79177530/the-burlington-weekly-sentinel/ |archive-date=June 8, 2021 |via=Newspapers.com}} The Whig Party of Vermont disbanded and merged with the Republicans in 1854, and Joyce won reelected in the 1855 gubernatorial election with the Republican nomination.{{Cite news |date=November 24, 1854 |title=The Lesson of the November Elections |page=2 |work=Vermont Weekly Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79179195/vermont-weekly-tribune/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210608144314/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79179195/vermont-weekly-tribune/ |archive-date=June 8, 2021 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{Cite news |date=May 17, 1855 |title=The Whig Party Defunct |page=2 |work=Argus and Patriot |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79179480/argus-and-patriot/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210608144600/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79179480/argus-and-patriot/ |archive-date=June 8, 2021 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{Cite news |date=July 20, 1855 |title=1855 Republican Convention |page=2 |work=Vermont Watchman and State Journal |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79179666/vermont-watchman-and-state-journal/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210608144931/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79179666/vermont-watchman-and-state-journal/ |archive-date=June 8, 2021 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{Cite news |date=October 16, 1855 |title=1855 Vermont gubernatorial election |page=3 |work=Vermont Chronicle |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79179040/vermont-chronicle/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210608143901/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79179040/vermont-chronicle/ |archive-date=June 8, 2021 |via=Newspapers.com}}

The party won every statewide election from 1854 to 1958, won every presidential election from 1856 to 1960, and held the governorship from 1854 to 1963.{{Cite news |date=July 2, 2003 |title=Green Old Party |work=Seven Days |url=https://m.sevendaysvt.com/vermont/green-old-party/Content?oid=2127705 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210608124032/https://m.sevendaysvt.com/vermont/green-old-party/Content?oid=2127705 |archive-date=June 8, 2021}}{{Cite news |date=October 1, 2012 |title='New' Vermont Is Liberal, but 'Old' Vermont Is Still There |work=FiveThirtyEight |url=https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/new-vermont-is-liberal-but-old-vermont-is-still-there/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210608133854/https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/new-vermont-is-liberal-but-old-vermont-is-still-there/ |archive-date=June 8, 2021}}

William H. Meyer won election to the United States House of Representatives from Vermont's at-large congressional district in 1958, becoming the first Democrat to win statewide since 1853. Senator Barry Goldwater, the Republican presidential nominee for the 1964 presidential election, became the first Republican to not win Vermont in a presidential election as he lost the state to incumbent Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson. Philip H. Hoff's victory in the 1962 gubernatorial election made him the first member of the Democratic Party to hold Vermont's governorship since the 1853 gubernatorial election.{{Cite news |date=March 3, 1993 |title=The First Half-Century of Republican Rule |page=56 |work=Rutland Herald |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79535391/rutland-daily-herald/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210615103347/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79535391/rutland-daily-herald/ |archive-date=June 15, 2021 |via=Newspapers.com}}

Vermont only elected Republicans to the United States Senate for 118 years.{{Cite news |date=November 6, 1974 |title=Leahy Edges Mallary In Nip-and-tuck Race |page=1 |work=The Burlington Free Press |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79600452/the-burlington-free-press/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210615104538/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79600452/the-burlington-free-press/ |archive-date=June 15, 2021 |via=Newspapers.com}} Patrick Leahy's victory in the 1974 Senate election made him the first member of the Democratic Party elected to the United States Senate from Vermont. Senator Jim Jeffords left the Republican Party on May 24, 2001, to become an independent and caucus with the Democratic Party which gave them the majority in the United States Senate.{{Cite news |date=May 24, 2001 |title=Jeffords bolts GOP; Democrats poised to take over |work=CNN |url=http://www.cnn.com/2001/ALLPOLITICS/05/24/jeffords.senate.02/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210608124639/http://www.cnn.com/2001/ALLPOLITICS/05/24/jeffords.senate.02/ |archive-date=June 8, 2021}}

The party controlled all of the seats in the Vermont Senate after the 1924 election. The Democrats gained control of the state senate for the first time after the 1986 election.{{Cite news |date=September 18, 1994 |title=Vermont's Legislature Shows A Growing Pattern of Change |page=46 |work=Rutland Herald |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/90975709/rutland-daily-herald/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221209005528/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/90975709/rutland-daily-herald/ |archive-date=December 9, 2022 |via=Newspapers.com}} The party received its lowest amount of seats in the state senate since its foundation in the 2018 election.{{Cite news |date=November 29, 2018 |title=McCoy elected as new House minority leader; Benning back in the Senate |work=Vermont Digger |url=https://vtdigger.org/2018/11/29/mccoy-elected-new-house-minority-leader-benning-back-senate/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20211222043038/https://vtdigger.org/2018/11/29/mccoy-elected-new-house-minority-leader-benning-back-senate/ |archive-date=December 22, 2021}}

In the 2024 elections, the party won the lieutenant gubernatorial election with John S. Rodgers, and also made significant gains in the state Senate as well as the House, breaking Democratic supermajorities in both chambers. They won 13 of 30 Senate districts - their best total since the 2000s - with Democrats and Progressives combining for the other 17.{{Cite web |last=Weinstein |first=Ethan |date=2024-11-06 |title=Republicans flip six seats in the Vermont Senate, shattering Democratic supermajority |url=https://vtdigger.org/2024/11/05/republicans-flip-grand-isle-senate-seat/ |access-date=2024-11-07 |website=VTDigger |language=en-US}}

The Vermont Republican Party controls two of the six statewide offices.

• None

File:Phil Scott 2019 (3x4 cropped).png|Governor {{Sortname|last=Scott|first=Phil}}

File:John S. Rodgers, 2024.jpg|Lieutenant Governor {{Sortname|last=Rodgers|first=John S.}}

• Vermont Senate
• Minority Leader: Scott Beck
• Vermont House of Representatives
• Minority Leader: Patricia McCoy

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{{Reflist}}

• {{cite book|last=Doyle |first=William |author-link=William T. Doyle |title=The Vermont Political Tradition: And Those Who Helped Make It |date=1992 |url=https://archive.org/details/vermontpolitical00will |isbn=0961548614}}
• {{cite journal|last1=Hand |first1=Samuel |last2=Marshall |first2=Jeffrey |last3=Sanford |first3=D. |title="Little Republics" The Structure of State Politics in Vermont, 1854-1920 |volume=53 |issue=3 |date=1985 |publisher=Vermont Historical Society |url=https://vermonthistory.org/journal/misc/LittleRepublics_v53.pdf}}

• [http://www.vtgop.org/ Vermont Republican Party]

{{VermontPoliticalParties}}

{{State Republican Parties in the US}}

Category:1860s establishments in Vermont

Category:Political parties established in the 1860s

Republican Party

Vermont