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Vermont Republican Gov. Phil Scott votes for Kamala Harris

A man walks past several voting booths that bear an American flag and the word "VOTE"
Lexi Krupp
/
Vermont Public
Gov. Phil Scott walks through his polling place in Berlin on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. Scott cast his presidential vote for Vice President Kamala Harris.

Vermont Gov. Phil Scott told reporters he cast his ballot today for Vice President Kamala Harris at the town office in Berlin.

“I did some soul searching and thought about a lot of different things — what would benefit Vermont, what I needed to do myself — and came to the conclusion that I had to put country over party, and do the same thing that I did four years ago when I voted for Joe Biden, and vote for Kamala Harris,” Scott said.

Scott said he’s never voted for Donald Trump. In the 2016 presidential election, he wrote in Jim Douglas, the former Republican governor of Vermont, for president. And in 2020, he made national headlines after breaking with his party and voting for Joe Biden. During the primary season this year, he campaigned for former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.

“In my opinion, there’s no one less equipped, no one more incapable of healing the huge divide we have in this country than Donald Trump,” Scott said at a rally for Haley in March. “He’s made a career of throwing fuel on the fire of hate and anger.”

This summer, after the debate between Trump and Biden, Scott said he would not be voting for Biden a second time if he remained on the Democratic ticket. “I don't think either candidate should be running for office or are fit for office, but for much different reasons,” he told reporters.

Once Harris became the nominee, Scott kept his choice for president to himself until after he voted Tuesday.

“I know that Donald Trump, from my standpoint, doesn't have the ability nor the desire to unite our country,” he said. “But does Kamala Harris have that ability? I don't know either. But I do know that she wants to. And she'll try — and that's half the battle."

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Lexi covers science and health stories for Vermont Public.