Changing political landscape in Vermont may provide lessons for country
BRISTOL, Vt. (SOA) — The midterm elections are still one year away, but as Democrats and Republicans try to determine their agendas now, there might be some lessons and warning signs already in clear view, and we took a closer look at what's happening in one New England State.
Tucked away in the Green Mountains of Vermont is the small town of Bristol, with a population of 3,700.
“Bristol is like your perfect Norman Rockwell town. It's really salt of the earth people, there's tons of like yoga instructors and massage therapists and artists and stuff," said Greg Newman, a longtime Vermont resident and owner of the Emerald Rose Grows shop.
Gail Grim agreed.
People help each other. You know, if you have a flat tire, probably three out of the first five cars that come by, you will stop and ask for help."
Politically, the state of Vermont has for decades been a liberal stronghold and is often described as 'deep blue.'
Addison County, which includes Bristol, hadn’t elected a Republican to the State Senate in decades, until now, with Steve Heffernan.
“When you really start dipping into your constituents' pockets a lot harder, and not listening to what they say, this is the outcome," he said in an interview with Sinclair in June.
He said, unlike so many other parts of the country, as a candidate, he had to make one thing clear to voters.
"The main thing I emphasized to my voters when I was running is that I'm a Vermont Republican," he said. "I chose not to vote in the Presidential election for either of the two top two candidates."
When asked if he thought that helped with voters in Vermont to hear that he wasn't a Trump supporter, he said, "100%. I had literally, 'Who are you voting for for President?' They didn't care what was happening in Vermont. "Who are you voting for President because if you're voting for Trump, there's no way I can vote for you," he said, voters told him. "And so we made it a point to say we don't like either candidate."
His defeat of Democrat Chris Bray helped eliminate Democrats’ veto-proof super majority, which they previously used to stop Republican Gov. Phil Scott from vetoing legislation he didn’t like.
As Republicans and Democrats look ahead to the midterms and the 2028 presidential election, there may be lessons lurking in the landscape.
While Vice President Kamala Harris beat Donald Trump by a margin of more than 30 points here, more Democrats lost seats in Vermont than in any other state.
"I think it's the pendulum has swung, swung very far to the left, and I think it's a reaction to get it to swing a little bit towards the middle," Grim said.
Residents tell us "the middle" includes getting tougher on issues like crime, public drug use and homelessness.
In the city of Burlington, these issues figure prominently into conversation and local action.
In the downtown business district, business owners recently banded together after a needle exchange and hot lunch program were set up footsteps from their shops and restaurants, which they said affected their bottom lines.
Debra Miller said the changes that had occurred were major.
"People would bring their kids down. They'd run all around. And that's what it used to be like,"
Miller, along with her husband Tom, own Ken's Pizza downtown.
"They want to give everything away for free and codify all these people that are shooting up opening in the street and verbally abusing people. This isn't the Burlington I grew up in. It's gut-wrenching," Miller said.
One result of a change in dynamics on the ground could be a change in results at the polls, as both Republicans and Democrats ponder their priorities.
