The Democratic chairs of two House committees were unseated Tuesday by Republican challengers — as was an assistant majority leader of the party — ensuring major changes to the chamber when lawmakers return to Montpelier in January.
Their losses came as Republicans appeared to pick up multiple seats in the Vermont Senate.
Rep. Diane Lanpher, D-Vergennes, who chairs the House Appropriations Committee, came in third in a four-way race for two seats in the Addison-3 district, according to unofficial results from the Secretary of State’s Office.
Republican Rob North finished first with 24.67% of the vote. Lanpher’s fellow incumbent, Rep. Matt Birong, D-Vergennes, finished second with 21.86%. Lanpher picked up 21.7%, finishing just 17 votes behind Birong. Republican Joseph Baker took 20.63%.
Lanpher’s leadership position on the powerful money committee is among the most coveted posts in the House and helps guide state spending. She was first elected in 2008, led the House Transportation Committee and took over the appropriations panel in 2023.
Rep. Mike McCarthy of St. Albans, the chair of the House Government Operations and Military Affairs Committee, lost his reelection bid to Republican Joe Juneau in the single-member Franklin-3 district. Juneau won 52.53% to McCarthy’s 44.43%.
In the Rutland-7 House district, Rep. William Notte, one of the Democrats’ assistant majority leaders, was also defeated. Republican Chris Keyser won 55.9% of the vote to Notte’s 40.43%.
Other House Democratic incumbents ousted Tuesday included:
- Rep. Josie Leavitt in the Grand Isle-Chittenden district
- Rep. Dennis Labounty in the Caledonia-3 district
- Rep. Robin Chestnut-Tangerman in the Bennington-Rutland district
- Rep. Jim Carroll in the Bennington-5 district
VTDigger will publish full results of Vermont House races on Wednesday.
Read the story on VTDigger here: Vermont GOP knocks off two Democratic House chairs.