Republican · Incumbent
John Rodgers
Dairy-farm upbringing in West Glover; stonemason and cannabis farmer. Eight years in the Vermont House and eight in the Senate as a Democrat before switching parties. Lieutenant governor since 2025.
His case is rural credibility and an independent streak as a check on the Democratic Legislature. His weakness is a run of personal legal disputes.
Pros
- Rural voiceA working farmer who backs Act 250 reform, property rights and the partial rollback of Act 181, the land-use law many rural towns opposed.
- Check on the LegislaturePitches himself as a counterweight to the Democrat-led Legislature, much as Gov. Scott does.
- Independent of national GOPSays he doesn't back President Trump's policies and spoke at a "Hands Off" rally, which he says no other Republican in the country did.
- Long experienceSixteen years in the Legislature plus a term in this office. He says he has used it to connect constituents with state officials.
- Affordability focusWants to help small businesses grow and limit renewable energy subsidies he says raise power costs.
Cons
- Cannabis violationGrew hundreds of seedlings near his licensed operation without the right license; he settled with state regulators and agreed to a $2,500 fine.
- Road lawsuitSued the Town of Glover last year to have a stretch of road through his farm declared private, part of a long-running dispute.
- Combative styleGray calls him a bully who ignores laws he helped write. His debate attacks on her family's farm drew criticism as personal.
- Party switchSpent 16 years as a Democrat. Supporters see independence; skeptics see shifting loyalties.
- Trailing in pollsBehind by 8 to 19 points, though he disputes the polls and has come back before.