Poll: GOP Vermont governor has 14-point lead on Dem challenger

Vermont’s Republican governor holds a 14-point lead over his Democratic challenger in the race with roughly two weeks to go until Election Day, according to a new poll.

A VPR-Vermont PBS poll released Monday showed 42 percent of respondents support Gov. Phil Scott (R) for another term, while 28 percent back Democrat Christine Hallquist, who earlier this year became the first transgender candidate to win a major party’s nomination for governor. Hallquist is a former chief executive of the Vermont Electric Cooperative. 

{mosads}Scott is bolstered by a strong approval rating. The poll found 45 percent of respondents approve of Scott’s job performance, while 26 percent disapprove and 28 percent did not have an opinion or weren’t sure.

The governor has made national headlines this year for signing a number of progressive policies into law in the state. Over the course of a few weeks in May, Scott signed new restrictions on gun ownership, a gender-neutral bathroom bill and legislation allowing the import of prescription drugs from Canada in an effort to cut costs.

Incumbents hold an advantage in every statewide race included in the poll. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I), Rep. Peter Welch (D), Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman (D) and Attorney General T.J. Donovan (D) are all favored over their challengers, according to the poll.

Monday’s poll surveyed 606 people from Oct. 5-14. The margin of error is 4 percentage points.