The Vermont Statehouse in Montpelier in June 2026. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger Theo Wells-Spackman is a Report for America corps member who reports for VTDigger. The Democratic “blue wave” felt across the country swept through Montpelier too on Tuesday. Two years after the pa rty saw its supermajorities shattered in both state legislative chambers with significant Republican wins, Democrats returned to a veto-proof majority in the Senate and substantially strengthened their control of the House. Progressive wins in the House combined with Democratic victories will at a minimum give the parties a joint two-thirds majority in the chamber, according to party leadership, with a number of races too close to call Wednesday morning. “We were confident we’d pick up seats,” said Vermont Democratic Party Chair Lachlan Francis in an interview Wednesday. But “I certainly think it’s safe to say we are surprised.” In the Senate, Democrats flipped at least four closely watched seats in Orange County, Addison County, Grand Isle County and the Chittenden-North District. Dave Wolk, an independent former Rutland County senator, will return to his old position after ousting embattled Republican Sen. Terry Williams. Democrats currently hold 87 House seats to Republicans’ 56, with other parties making up the remaining seven seats, according to Ballotpedia. Tuesday saw Democrats flip at least 10 GOP seats, and at least six other such victories appeared likely Wednesday morning, with the Associated Press reporting 99% of votes counted. Vermont Democrats’ wins came alongside historic gains for their party nationwide. Francis said the national political context played a major role in local results. “I think the horrors of what we’ve seen from this federal administration absolutely motivated Democrats, independents and even some Republicans in Vermont to stand up and say that we need to do something different,” he said. The energy of Democrat/Progressive Amanda Janoo at the top of the ticket, Francis added, was likely a key factor in the legislative victories despite Republican Gov. Phil Scott’s eventual win in that race. Paul Dame, the state’s Republican Party chair, agreed. Anger at the Trump administration was likely the dominant factor in Tuesday’s legislative outcomes, he said. “Pretty much all the gains that we had (the) last two years are essentially wiped out,” he said. This story will be updated. Read the story on VTDigger here: Vermont Democrats make major Statehouse gains amid nationwide ‘blue wave’. ...read more read less