Vermont Republican Governor nominee?
$39.1K
AUG 12, 2026Primary Election
Party selects its nominee.
Overview
Current roleGovernor
PartyRepublican
Political ideologyModerate Republican
Age67 years old (Aug 4, 1958)
GenderMale
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LocationVermont
BackgroundPolitician
EducationUniversity of Vermont (BS)
Notable personal detailsPhil Scott is a Republican politician, businessman, and former stock car racer who has served as the 82nd Governor of Vermont since January 2017. He previously represented the Washington District in the Vermont Senate (2001–2011) and served as Vermont’s lieutenant governor (2011–2017). He earned a BS from the University of Vermont and has been reelected to multiple two-year terms as governor.
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Positions
Economy & Taxes
Phil Scott consistently opposes new or higher state taxes and proposes budgets intended to avoid tax increases while offering targeted tax relief and rebates. As governor he has repeatedly urged the Legislature not to raise taxes or fees and proposed budgets that hold spending growth down and include tax relief measures. His public budget addresses emphasize affordability, reducing the property tax burden, and avoiding new taxes on Vermonters.
Healthcare
Supports affordable, expanded access to health care and cost-control reforms but opposes single‑payer/Medicare‑for‑All for Vermont; favors pursuing payment‑system reforms (all‑payer model) and fixing the state exchange while using subsidies to increase coverage.
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Immigration & Border
As governor Phil Scott has supported measures that expand immigrant integration (for example allowing professional licenses regardless of immigration status) and signed legislation limiting local law-enforcement agreements with federal immigration authorities, while also maintaining state cooperation with federal immigration enforcement and renewing a contract to hold federal immigration detainees. His record shows a pragmatic approach that protects access and integration for immigrants while acknowledging and preserving some enforcement cooperation with federal authorities.
Abortion & Reproductive Rights
Phil Scott supports legal access to abortion and has acted to protect reproductive rights in Vermont, including signing a 2019 law expanding abortion protections and signing the Reproductive Liberty constitutional amendment and later statutes protecting access (including protections for medication abortion).
Climate & Energy
Supports clean energy development and set targets (including a past commitment to 90% renewable energy by 2050) but opposes aggressive, prescriptive mandates and regressive carbon taxes; has vetoed or opposed legislation that would require faster/stricter transitions (e.g., 100% utility renewables by 2035 and a Clean Heat Standard) citing cost and affordability concerns. He has allowed certain climate/accountability measures to become law without his signature while advocating more gradual, affordability-focused approaches to reducing emissions.
Public Safety & Guns
Supports multiple gun-safety measures including universal background checks for private sales, age limits on long-gun purchases, bans on bump stocks and high-capacity magazines, and an extreme-risk (red flag) law; has signed and allowed related legislation to become law and has expressed support for red-flag policies as a model for broader adoption.
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