Vermont Lt. Gov. John Rogers urges GOP focus on affordability, candidate recruitment and unified messaging

John Rogers, lieutenant governor of Vermont, told a conference audience that recent Republican gains in Vermont came from disciplined local organizing, clear messaging on affordability and recruiting electable candidates rather than emphasizing party labels.

Rogers said the 2024 results in Vermont—where he defeated the incumbent lieutenant governor and Republicans flipped state legislative seats—show the payoff of focusing on issues voters feel in their wallets. "When I run, I do not put Republican on any of my campaign literature because it's an anchor," Rogers said, arguing candidates should instead repeatedly stress affordability.

Rogers framed his own campaign as grassroots-driven: he described recruiting 1,200 signatures in six days to file for office and credited a new campaign manager and the governor's endorsement for his surprise statewide win. He called his victory historic, saying a challenger had not beaten an incumbent lieutenant governor in Vermont since 1815.

Rogers urged party activists to prioritize recruiting strong, moderate candidates and to get supporters out in primaries, warning that hard-fought primary battles can eject electable moderates and hand opponents ammunition for the general election. "The primary is the election," he said, calling turnout and recruitment "imperative."

On policy, Rogers criticized several measures pushed by a previous supermajority in Vermont, citing what he called "Act 181," which he said made development easier in dense areas while restricting other parts of the state, and quoted large new tax proposals he described as "hundreds of millions of dollars" including what he characterized as a payroll tax and a carbon-related charge on heating fuels.

Rogers, a farmer, also argued for placing renewable energy where the electrical load is rather than covering productive farmland with solar panels. "Building soil and growing food are the best environmental thing we can do for this planet," he said, adding that deep organic soil helps store carbon and retain water.

During the question-and-answer session, an audience member asked why Vermont voters split tickets more than Washington voters. Rogers said Vermont27s small districts allow more targeted messaging and recommended professional help to produce simple graphics and consistent talking points. He also advised local organizing and county-level fundraising to rebuild a state party he described as "dysfunctional" because of factional divides.

Asked whether parties should publicly endorse before primaries, Rogers said he generally opposes public pre-primary endorsements but supports behind-the-scenes agreements to avoid bruising primary fights. On treating incumbents, he said he would support incumbents who have proven they represent party values and serve constituents rather than needlessly primary them.

The keynote closed with Rogers encouraging attendees to stay in touch and offering to help as they adapt Vermont27s lessons to their own districts.