Vermont lawmaker resigns over racist texts in Republican group chat

Gov. Phil Scott, a Republican, is now expected to appoint a replacement — likely a Republican — to fill the remainder of Mr. Douglass’s term through the end of 2026. Democrats control both the House and Senate, but more Democrats lost seats in Vermont than in any other state in 2024, largely because of concerns about affordability.

According to Politico, Mr. Douglass, elected in 2024 as part of the Republican wave, responded to a message concerning “a very obese Indian woman” by writing: “She just didn’t bathe often.” His wife, Brianna, also participated in the chat and posted an anti-Semitic remark.

Mr. Douglass quickly lost his political capital, just a week after the Vermont Republican Party named him a finalist for two awards, Rookie of the Year and Legislator of the Year. Mr. Scott, a moderate who had supported Mr. Douglass in 2024 as a “common-sense candidate,” called on him to resign and leave the Republican Party. Vermont Republican leaders in the House and Senate also urged him to resign.

Initially, Mr. Douglass, a mental health counselor and real estate agent who represents a northern district on the Canadian border, said he was unaware of the “vile and disgusting comments” made during the group chat, and said the comment attributed to him “does not represent my views or my character.” He apologized but did not resign.

But Mr. Douglass changed his mind.

Mr. Douglass’ resignation is the latest fallout from the texts, which involved a dozen Gen Z and millennial Republicans from Vermont, New York, Kansas and Arizona. The exchanges – totaling 2,900 pages sent on Telegram over seven months – used racist and homophobic language and casually invoked Hitler and the Holocaust.