The 2020 Vermont gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 2020, to elect the Governor of Vermont. As Vermont does not impose term limits upon its governors, incumbent Republican Governor Phil Scott was eligible to run for reelection to a third two-year term in office. On November 18, 2019, he confirmed that he was running for reelection, but did not yet publicly announce his campaign. On May 28, 2020, he officially announced his candidacy but stated that he would not campaign, maintain a campaign staff, or fundraise because of the state of emergency due to the

COVID-19 pandemic in Vermont The COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. state of Vermont is part of an ongoing worldwide viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (), a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). , Vermont has admi ...

. The primary was held on August 11. Scott won re-election to a third term in a landslide, defeating

Progressive Progressive may refer to: Politics * Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform ** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context * Progressive realism, an American foreign policy par ...

and

Democratic Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

nominee,

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

David Zuckerman. Scott's 41-point victory margin was the largest in a Vermont gubernatorial election since

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

and the largest for a Republican candidate since

1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 cr ...

, even while Democrat Joe Biden carried the state by a more than the 35-point margin in the concurrent presidential election which was his strongest performance in the nation. Scott would improve upon his performance again in 2022.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

* Phil Scott, incumbent Governor of Vermont

Eliminated in primary

* John Klar, lawyer and pastor * Bernard Peters, independent candidate for governor in

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

and for state representative in 1986 * Emily Peyton, independent candidate for governor in 2012 and 2014, Liberty Union nominee for governor in 2018 * Douglas Cavett

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

* David Zuckerman, Lieutenant Governor of Vermont, former member of the Vermont Senate, former member of the

Vermont House of Representatives The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives ar ...

, farmer, businessman, environmentalist ''(Zuckerman has elected to use the Progressive Party ballot line in the general election, listing the Democratic Party as a secondary nomination under Vermont's

electoral fusion Electoral fusion is an arrangement where two or more political parties on a ballot list the same candidate, pooling the votes for that candidate. It is distinct from the process of electoral alliances in that the political parties remain separat ...

system.)''

Eliminated in primary

Rebecca Holcombe Rebecca Holcombe (born 1966) is an American educator and politician who served as the Vermont Secretary of Education from 2014 to 2018. In 2022, Holcombe was elected to one of the two seats in the Windsor-Orange-2 district in the Vermont House of ...

, former Vermont Education Secretary * Ralph "Carcajou" Corbo, former Rural Carrier for USPS, activist, Wallingford resident, and 2020 candidate for Vermont's at-large congressional district * Patrick Winburn,

Bennington Bennington is a town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. It is one of two shire towns (county seats) of the county, the other being Manchester. As of the 2020 US Census, the population was 15,333. Bennington is the most populous to ...

attorney

Declined

T. J. Donovan Thomas J. "T. J." Donovan Jr. (born January 15, 1974) is an American lawyer and politician who served as Vermont Attorney General from 2017 to 2022. He was first elected in 2016 with over 66 percent of the vote. He previously served for ten years ...

, Attorney General of Vermont (running for re-election) *

Christine Hallquist Christine Hallquist (born April 11, 1956) is an American politician and former CEO of Vermont Electric Cooperative (VEC). She is the first openly transgender major-party nominee for governor in the United States, winning the 2018 Democratic no ...

, former CEO of the Vermont Electric Cooperative and nominee for governor in

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

Endorsements

Debates & forums

CCTV Channel 17 Town Meeting TV - Democratic Primary Gubernatorial Forum 7/16/2020Brattleboro Community TV - Democratic Governor Candidate Debate 5/11/2020

Results

Progressive Party

Leaders within the Progressive Party endorsed David Zuckerman for the gubernatorial election, advocating for Zuckerman to be elected with write-in voters. The party has stated that if Cris Ericson won the primary, "they would likely issue a 'non-endorsement.'" On election night the progressive nomination was listed as too close to call. Zuckerman was confirmed to have won the nomination a few days later when the final write-in vote count was confirmed.

Nominee

* David Zuckerman, Lieutenant Governor of Vermont, former member of the Vermont Senate, former member of the

, farmer, businessman, environmentalist

Eliminated in primary

Cris Ericson Cris Ericson (born May 16, 1952) is an American marijuana legalization activist and perennial candidate for public office in Vermont. She has unsuccessfully run for the governorship of Vermont nine times and for a seat in the United States ...

, marijuana legalization activist, perennial candidate, and candidate for Governor in

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

, and

, candidate for US Senator in

and

, candidate for US Representative in

also ran for other statewide offices. * Boots Wardinski, Newbury resident, Liberty Union nominee for lieutenant governor in 2016

Results

General election

Candidates

* Wayne Billado III (I), also ran for lieutenant governor, state senator from Franklin County, and state representative from Franklin 3-1 district * Michael A. Devost (I) * Charly Dickerson (I) * Kevin Hoyt (I), Republican nominee for state representative from Bennington 2-1 in 2018 * Emily Peyton (I), candidate for governor in 2012, 2014, and 2018 * Phil Scott (R), incumbent governor, former lieutenant governor and state senator, construction company owner * Erynn Hazlett Whitney (I) * David Zuckerman (P/D), lieutenant governor, former member of State Legislature, farmer, businessman, environmentalist

Predictions

Polling

;with Rebecca Holcombe

Endorsements

Debates & forums

VTDigger Governor Forum 9/29/2020

Results

;Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican * Windham (largest municipality: Brattleboro)

Notes

References

External links

;Official campaign websites
Phil Scott (R) for Governor

David Zuckerman (P/D) for Governor
{{US Third Party Election

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

Governor Vermont