Phil Scott
Philip Brian Scott (born August 4, 1958) is an American politician, businessman, and stock car racer who has been the 82nd governor of Vermont since 2017. A member of the Republican Party, he was a representative for the Washington District in the Vermont Senate from 2001 to 2011 and the 81st lieutenant governor from 2011 to 2017.
For other people named Philip Scott, see Philip Scott (disambiguation).
Phil Scott
Peter Shumlin
David Zuckerman
Diana McTeague
2
- Politician
- businessman
- stock car racer
Scott was elected governor in the 2016 general election with 53% of the vote.[1] He was reelected in 2018 with 55.2% of the vote;[2] in 2020 with 68.5%; and in 2022 with 70.9% of the vote and a margin of 46%, the largest of any Vermont gubernatorial election since 1996, and the largest for a Republican since 1950.[3]
Regarded as one of the nation's most popular governors,[4] Scott is considered a moderate and is the only Republican elected to a statewide office in Vermont as of 2024. He endorsed Nikki Haley for president in the 2024 Republican presidential primaries. Haley won the Vermont primary, but dropped out soon after.[5]
On May 11, 2024, Scott announced that he would seek a fifth term as governor. He has noted that much work has been done by his administration, but feels that walking away now would not be good for the state. He noted that the legislature of Vermont has a Democratic supermajority and said he wants to "balance the legislature"; this has largely been his stance since taking office, vetoing many bills he believed would increase or exacerbate Vermont's cost-of-living crisis. It is widely believed that he will win reelection, as Scott is one of the nation's most popular governors, despite being a Republican in deep-blue Vermont.[6]
Early life[edit]
Philip B. Scott was born on August 4, 1958, in Barre, Vermont, the son of Marian (Beckley) and Howard Roy Scott (1914–1969).[7][8] His father was disabled after being wounded while serving in World War II and later worked as a vehicle permit supervisor for the state highway department.[9][10] In 1973, Scott's mother married Robert F. Dubois (1919–1983).[11][12]
Scott graduated from Barre's Spaulding High School in 1976,[13] and is a 1980 graduate of the University of Vermont, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial education.[14]
Business career[edit]
After graduating from high school, Scott began working at DuBois Construction, a Middlesex business founded by the brother of his mother's second husband.[15] After college, Scott owned a motorcycle sales and repair shop in Morrisville, then worked as a construction manager for Morrisville's H. A. Manosh Corporation.[16] Scott has also been involved in other business ventures, including ownership of a restaurant and a nightclub.[17]
Scott became a co-owner of DuBois Construction in 1986.[18][19] He is a past president of the Associated General Contractors of Vermont.[19] On January 6, 2012, a fire at DuBois Construction caused substantial damage,[20][21] but the owners rebuilt and continued operations.[22]
After being elected governor, Scott sold his share of DuBois Construction to avoid possible conflicts of interest, since DuBois Construction does business with the State of Vermont. He sold his 50% share for $2.5 million plus 3% interest, payable over 15 years.[23] Scott said he opted to finance the sale himself rather than having the company borrow the money to pay him in full in order to preserve the company's bonding capacity.[23] Critics suggested that Scott's sale of his share in the company over 15 years did not eliminate possible conflicts of interest, but Scott and the attorney who negotiated the sale on his behalf disagreed.[23]
In October 2018, the state ethics commission issued an advisory opinion that Scott did have a conflict of interest because of his continued connection to the company.[24] In September 2019, the commission withdrew the opinion, with its executive director saying that the process for receiving the complaint and investigating and issuing the opinion had been flawed.[24] In February 2022, DuBois executives said they had reached an agreement to sell the company to Barrett Trucking of Burlington.[25] The sale's terms were not disclosed, including whether Scott would receive a lump sum or installment payments, but DuBois representatives said the company's obligation to Scott would be met.[25]
Political career[edit]
Vermont Senate[edit]
A Republican, Scott was elected to the Vermont Senate in 2000, one of three at-large senators representing the Washington County Senate district. He was reelected four times, and was in office from 2001 to 2011. During his Senate career, he was vice chair of the Transportation Committee and chaired the Institutions Committee. He also was a member of the Natural Resources and Energy Committee.[26] As chair of the Institutions Committee, Scott redesigned the Vermont State House cafeteria to increase efficiency.[27]
During his time in the Senate, Scott was on several special committees, including the Judicial Nominating Board, the Legislative Advisory Committee on the State House, the Joint Oversight Corrections Committee, and the Legislative Council Committee.[28]
Governor of Vermont[edit]
2016 campaign for governor[edit]
In September 2015, Scott announced his candidacy for Vermont governor.[42]
An early 2016 poll commissioned by Vermont Public Radio and conducted by the Castleton University Polling Institute found that of the two candidates for the Republican nomination for governor, Scott was preferred by 42% of respondents compared to 4% for Bruce Lisman.[43] A poll commissioned by Energy Independent Vermont in late June 2016 indicated that Scott had the support of 68% of Republicans to Lisman's 23%.[44]
On May 8, 2016, Scott was endorsed by nearly all of Vermont's Republican legislators.[45] He did not support Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential campaign.[46]
On August 9, Scott defeated Lisman in the primary election by 21 percentage points.[47] He defeated Sue Minter, the Democratic nominee, in the November general election by 8.7 percentage points.[48][49]
Racing career[edit]
Scott is a champion stock car racer.[19] He won the 1996 and 1998 Thunder Road Late Model Series (LMS) championships and the 1997 and 1999 Thunder Road Milk Bowls.[19] (The Milk Bowl is Thunder Road's annual season finale.)[19]
In 2002, he became a three-time champion, winning both the Thunder Road and Airborne Late Model Series track championships and the American Canadian Tour championship.[19] (Airborne Park Speedway is a stock car track in the town of Plattsburgh, New York).[117] He also competed in the 2005 British Stock Car Association (BriSCA) Formula One Championship of the World, but did not finish.[118]
On July 6, 2017, Scott won the Thunder Road Late Model Series feature race; he started from the pole, and the victory was his first since 2013.[119] He participated in a limited number of Thunder Road events in 2019, and won the June 27, 2019, LMS feature race.[120] In July 2022, Scott competed in the Governor's Cup 150, in which he finished 23rd.[121] As of July 2019, he has 31 career wins, which places him third all time in Thunder Road's LMS division.[122]