Vermont is home to many politicians and activists that can influence how the state handles politics. Montpelier, Vermont is beautiful and absolutely has its perks when living there, but the politics may persuade you to go elsewhere.
Montpelier, Vermont is a very liberal city with a large number of registered democrats living in the city. In the 2020 presidential election, 71.3% of the population voted democrat and only 25.3% of the population voted republican. Vermont has remained a blue state for several years.
If you’re looking to live in Montpelier, Vermont, you may want to know the history of its politics and what influences its politics today.
Vermont Voting History
Vermont’s history
as a state and its overall political history is fascinating. Vermont became its own independent republic in 1777 and even had its own constitution. Vermont was also the very first state to ever ban adult slavery and create a movement for freedom for all who were inhabiting the land. In 1791, Vermont became part of the union and many of its constitutional rights were transferred over to the United States constitution.
Vermont has remained republican for decades in the presidential elections until 1964 when they switched to democrat, but they quickly went back to republican. It wasn’t until 1992 that Vermont became predominantly democrat, and it has remained democrat since.
Vermont was considered one of the most republican states in the United States during presidential elections. So, what made this change? Around the last 1980’s many people began to move away from Vermont leaving with their republican views. This left the state open to newcomers, many of which happened to be democrats. Many people moved to Vermont from New York and other surrounding areas that are predominantly democrat.
This caused a large change in Vermont politics and it quickly changed from a red state to a blue state within a matter of years. The state government began filling its office with democrats and Vermont would become one of the most reliable democratic states beginning in the early 2000s.
| Year | Republican | Democrat |
| 2020 | 30.67% | 66.09% |
| 2016 | 30.27% | 56.68% |
| 2012 | 30.97% | 66.57% |
| 2008 | 30.45% | 67.46% |
| 2004 | 38.80% | 58.94% |
| 2000 | 40.70% | 50.63% |
| 1996 | 31.09% | 53.35% |
| 1992 | 30.42% | 46.11% |
In the 2020 presidential election, Vermont favored Biden and for the eighth year in a row voted democrat.
Some of the larger court rulings that make Vermont a democratic state is their ruling back in 2009 to allow same-sex marriage. This bill got vetoed but was quickly overturned, making Vermont one of the few states to allow same-sex marriage at that time. This went hand in hand with the no-discrimination laws that were put in place a few years earlier.
Another thing that was voted on was conservation laws within the state. Vermont is a very beautiful state with so much greenery and life. In order to preserve the state’s natural beauty, there were laws that went into effect making it so there could be no billboards placed anywhere and road signs could only be a certain height. This makes the state that much more beautiful and quite different from other places.
While Democrats may be the state’s largest party, there are other parties that exist within the state as well. Starting off with the obvious one, the Republican Party. Republicans held strong in Vermont for several years making the state one of the most reliable republican states. Obviously, since then it has changed quite a bit, but there are still many republicans that hold strong in the state.
There are two other political parties in Vermont that are worth considering if you do not lean democrat or republican. These two parties are both claimed as independents when voting but do play a very important role in Vermont. The two parties are the Progressive Party and Liberty Union. Each has played a part in Vermont politics for quite a while.
Something that I think Vermont has held strong in is its ability to be consistent within elections. Vermont is one of the few states that have had no question about who they are voting for and whether it will come out to be republican or democrat. This does leave Vermont as a very desirable place to live for those who are extremely involved in politics.
Will Vermont go back to being republican? I do not believe it will for a very long time. Seeing as it has been run by democrats for quite a few years and many democrats do still inhabit the state, I do not see it changing back to republican. I think Vermont will have a similar pattern where it stays democrat for decades then it flips to republican due to population changes and demographic.
Famous Politicians and Activists in Vermont
The change in Vermont and its politics, left a window open for many democratic politicians to make their way to the state and run for office. There are many famous politicians and even activists that live within the state of Vermont now, some that you may even know quite well.
The most famous politician by far, labeling himself as a socialist democrat, is Bernie Sanders. In 1990, Sanders was elected to be part of the House but not as a Democrat. Instead, he was elected as an independent for his socialist views. While this may come as a surprise for some, for others this makes perfect sense. Sanders then became a junior senator in Vermont and it was decided that his time in the House would be counted toward all democratic decisions, despite him being an independent.
Sanders’s time in Vermont does not stop there, as his ongoing support for his presidential race mainly came from Vermont. Sanders has held many rallies in Vermont being claimed as a “beloved candidate” by many. When it came to the presidential primaries, Sanders was the first candidate to have the largest write-in for the state of Vermont. Sanders has been the longest-serving senator in the state of Vermont and currently still holds that position today.
Two other famous politicians that live in Vermont are Patrick Leahy and Peter Welch.
Montpelier Politics Today
Montpelier, Vermont is the eighth largest city in Vermont making it predominantly democrat. Typically larger cities will vote democrat and Montpelier is no different. Just like the rest of Vermont, Montpelier is made up of mostly democrats making it a very reliable democratic city.
Montpelier has voted democrat for years and is one of the most reliable democratic cities within Vermont. Montpelier has a population of just shy of 8,000 people with only 25.3% of those people being republican. The demographic of Montpelier is not a very large one but nonetheless does play a big part in their politics. The demographic as of 2019 is as follows:
| Race | Percentage of Population |
| White | 94.3% |
| African American | 1.6% |
| Asian | 1.5% |
| Native American | 0.0% |
| Pacific Islander | 0.0% |
| Hispanic | 2.3% |
| Two or more | 2.4% |
Montpelier 2020-2022 Mayor
Montpelier prides itself on being a fair government and electing officials that will do the city and its people good. The current mayor of Montpelier is Anne Watson, who is nonpartisan but is on the democratic ballot. She was elected in 2018 to be mayor and has continued to make Montpelier, Vermont a more beautiful place since. Watson is up for reelection in 2022 and if she wins this election her term will end in 2024 when a new candidate will be placed on the ballot.
Watson prides herself on her academic background and believes that it shaped her into the politician she is today. Watson got her bachelor’s degree at Pennsylvania State University and then went on to receive her master’s degree in secondary education from the University of Vermont. Once she graduated, she went on to teach at Montpelier High School, where she became a beloved teacher. This is where her political career began to spark.
Watson then went on to join the city council for 5 years before getting elected as mayor of the city. Watson still teaches at the high school today and enjoys getting to know her students and their strengths. Watson loves being outdoors and always pushing herself to reach new athletic goals.
Will Montpelier Remain Democrat?
With Montpelier being a larger city in Vermont and its population growing every year, I think that, whether the state changes to republican or remains democrat, that Montpelier will always remain democrat. Seeing as Montpelier is the capital of Vermont and many democratic leaders would like to keep the state democratic, I do not see it as easy to flip the city from blue to red.
Overall, despite the city politics, I believe Montpelier, Vermont is such a beautiful place and has such a rich history to it. The politics may sway you to go elsewhere when it comes to finding a place to settle down and live, but I highly suggest visiting this beautiful city at least once in your life and experiencing everything Montpelier has to offer.
Related Topics:
If you like the article above, here are some other similar articles you should check out!
17 Reasons Not to Move to Richmond, Virginia
