As Vermonters prepare to head to the polls on Nov. 5, the race for governor is in its final stretch. Four-time incumbent Republican Phil Scott faces a challenge from Democrat Esther Charlestin.
Scott, a lifelong Vermonter raised in Barre, has served as the state’s 82nd governor since 2017. He is known for his widespread popularity, maintaining the highest approval rating among U.S. governors for over two years, currently standing at 81%, according to Morning Consult.
Before his governorship, Scott was a business owner, running DuBois Construction until it was sold to Barrett Trucking in 2017. His political career began in 2000 when he won a seat in the Vermont Senate, where he served five consecutive terms. During his tenure, he held key roles, including Vice Chair of the Transportation Committee and Chair of the Institutions Committee. In 2010, he was elected as Vermont’s 79th lieutenant governor.
Charlestin, who calls herself a “Vermonter by choice,” moved to the state in 2019, and worked for Middlebury College as a residential director. During this time, she lived in both Coffrin and Atwater Halls, while also serving as the Assistant Director of Community Standards.
In 2021, Charlestin won a seat on the Middlebury Selectboard and was reelected in 2022. However, she was unable to complete her term due to struggles with finding affordable housing — an issue that has been central to her campaign, and a key topic during this year’s Clifford Symposium, as it is a concern that resonates with many Vermonters
Charlestin also served as the Dean of Culture and Climate at Middlebury Union Middle School (MUMS), but ultimately resigned due to experiences with racism. She described receiving repeated microaggressions that eventually escalated into direct attacks in the form of slurs and hate speech. Facing these challenges firsthand has deepened her commitment to “creating a just and equitable world, where every voice is heard and respected” as outlined in her campaign mission statement.
Charlestin explained why she was entering into the race for the gubernatorial seat in an interview with The Campus.
“I’m running for governor, well, for one because this is my way of engaging in our democracy, but also because I want Vermont to be a place where everyone can get involved and address the challenges that Vermont faces,” Charlestin said.
Vermont’s Housing Crisis
The Vermont Housing Needs Assessment for 2025 through 2029 reports a severe shortage of affordable housing in Vermont, a situation worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic. Currently, half of Vermont renters are cost-burdened, with about a quarter paying over 50% of their income on housing. Since 2017, demand for housing has surged, and with an unemployment rate of just 2.2%, thousands of essential jobs remain unfilled due to high housing costs. The assessment also found that Vermont has the second-highest rate of homelessness in the nation, which exacerbates already high stresses placed on housing infrastructure, especially public organizations which temporarily house the homeless.
According to a report by VTDigger from August, Vermont needs at least 24,000 new homes in the next five years to meet projected demand.
Affordable housing is a top priority for Charlestin, who emphasizes its ability to foster inclusive communities among state residents of all income levels and backgrounds, according to her campaign website.
“Housing, housing, housing: We need affordable housing,” Charlestin said when asked about her housing policies. “We need to work with the local municipalities and revise some zoning laws in order to make sure there can be new construction.”
“This is a humanitarian issue, and no person should be in this position,” she added. “Initiatives such as the Lamoille Community House shelter facility are things I would want to support.”
In the VTDigger debate, Charlestin repeated this emphasis on building housing. “My administration would focus on that [construction], not only in the urban areas, but also in rural areas as well,” she said.
Scott expressed support for more deregulation reform for housing and construction, and he voiced his opposition to Charlestin’s policies during the debate regarding a recent law that amended Vermont’s primary land use legislation, Act 250. Scott had vetoed the bill in June, arguing that it prioritized conservation at the expense of rural development and errantly extended Act 250’s ecological protections.
Homelessness also has risen in the state under Scott’s tenure. The Vermont Hotel-Motel Program, established during the incumbent state administration, has provided temporary shelter for vulnerable Vermonters experiencing homelessness, especially during the cold winter months. However, due to rising costs, the program has been scaled back, reducing the number of available rooms and tightening eligibility requirements, according to VTDigger.
In the VTDigger debate, Scott explained his belief that the program should only serve as a form of social safety-netting.
“The hotel motel program was never meant to be a long term housing solution because it is not good for the people in it,” Scott said.
Another program Scott’s administration has been developing and hopes to continue is the Manufactured Home Improvement and Repair Program. Scott added in the debate that he hopes to have 100 homes completed by the end of next year.
Flood Relief
In recent summers, Vermont has experienced an increase in flooding, a trend some expect to continue in the coming years.
During the VTDigger debate, both Charlestin and Scott acknowledged that environmental damage due to climate change is real, but their approaches to addressing the flooding in Vermont differ.
One of Charlestin’s top priorities is building climate-resilient communities.
“More needs to be done in order to fight climate change and the effects it has on Vermonters,” Charlestin told The Campus. “I want to increase watershed resilience by restoring wetlands.”
In her policy platform, Charlestin also hopes to support promoting sustainable land use and managing stormwater runoff to further support watershed resiliency.
Scott asserted in the VTDigger debate that there is no one specific answer to managing flooding in Vermont.
“Whether you are going to advocate for the buyout and move out of your home and put that back into the green space or going to be able to harden that [house] from us [State government] there is no single answer,” Scott said.
Charlestin has been endorsed by former Governor Howard Dean and Congresswoman Becca Balint. Governor Scott is endorsed by former Governor and Middlebury Executive-in-Residence Jim Douglas and former Lieutenant Governor Brian Dubie.
If elected, Esther Charlestin would become the first Black woman to hold the gubernatorial seat in Vermont. If reelected, Scott would tie with Governor Dean with the most terms served in the state.
Mandy Berghela '26 (she/her) is a Senior Local Editor.
Mandy previously served as a local editor and staff writer. She is a Political Science major with a History minor. Mandy serves as co-president for Southeast Asian Society (SEAS), a member on the Judicial Board, and an intern for the Conflict Transformation Collaborative. In her free time, she enjoys cycling and reading fantasy novels.
