The Vermont Conversation with David Goodman is a VTDigger podcast that features in-depth interviews on local and national issues. Listen and subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you get podcasts.
A battle over the future of the Vermont Republican Party is being waged by supporters and critics of former President Donald Trump. At stake is the future of the Vermont GOP and whether many top Republican officials will continue to be associated with it.
Vermont state party officials have strongly supported Trump. In the aftermath of the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot by Trump supporters that left five people dead, Vermont Republican Party Chair Deb Billado issued a statement condemning the violence as “wrong, immoral and against the fundamental principles that we hold dear.” But she did not mention or blame Trump, and compared the Capitol riots to unrest at racial justice protests last summer. By contrast, Vermont Republican Gov. Phil Scott called for Trump to resign or be removed, and many of Vermont’s Republican lawmakers called for the Vermont GOP leaders to resign.
To discuss the struggle over the future of the state Republican Party, we’re joined by Republican Rep. Scott Beck, who represents St. Johnsbury in the Vermont Legislature, and Kolby LaMarche, a Champlain College student who is the former chair of the Burlington Republican Party. Party chair Deb Billado did not respond to multiple interview requests.
