A look at Vermont’s 2024 state legislative primaries

Vermont has 25 contested state legislative primaries on August 13. In elections from 2010 to 2022, the average number of contested state legislative primaries was 18.1.

There are 17 contested Democratic primaries and eight contested Republican primaries in 2024.

That is the largest number of contested Republican primaries since Ballotpedia started tracking in 2010. The average number of contested Republican primaries from 2010 to 2022 was five and the average number of Democratic contested primaries from 2010 to 2022 was 13.1.

All 180 seats are up for election in 2024, and 269 candidates—including 164 Democrats and 105 Republicans—are running in the primaries. The average number of candidates in primary elections from 2010 to 2022 was 273.7.

There were 137 major party incumbents running for reelection in the primaries. Twenty incumbents, or about 14.6%, faced primary challengers.

Thirty-nine incumbents did not run for re-election in 2024. In elections from 2010 to 2022, the average number of retirements was 29.0.

Vermont has had a divided state government since 2017 with Democrats controlling both chambers of the state legislature and a Republican governor.

Since 1992 the state has had 10 years of Democratic trifectas and no Republican trifectas.