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Independent Legislator Looks to Become Next Vermont House Speaker

An independent legislator is vying to become Vermont’s next Speaker of the House later this week, as the state legislature is set to vote on a new leader for the upcoming session. Laura Sibilia, if successful in her effort to create a coalition of lawmakers across party lines, would become Vermont’s first independent House Speaker.

Vermont local media first reported last month that Sibilia, who represents the state’s Windham-2 district, is seeking the position. She is challenging incumbent Speaker Jill Krowinski, a Democrat representing Burlington who has held the position since 2021. The race is largely focused on the two of them, as it remains unclear who the Republicans will formally support, and no such candidate had stepped forward at the time of this article.

Sibilia has stated that she is working to create a coalition with lawmakers from the Democratic and Progressive Parties, as well as her fellow independents. Reports indicate that she has secured support from 21 lawmakers—including herself—in her bid to reach the 75 votes needed to win. Sibilia has also told local media that she is attempting to solicit Republican support. However, even publicly declared support is not necessarily guaranteed, as the individual votes of lawmakers will remain confidential due to the election being conducted by secret ballot.

A list of legislators shows that 85 of the state’s 150 total assembly members are affiliated with the Democratic Party, while 53 are associated with the Republican Party. Three members, including Sibilia, are independents. The legislature also includes a handful of fusion candidates, with four listed as “Progressive/Democrat,” three as “Republican/Democrat,” and two as “Democrat/Progressive.” Notably, while the website still lists 53 Republicans, only 52 will participate in the vote following the resignation of Republican Chris Brown from the Rutland-3 district last month.

Sibilia was first elected in 2014 in Vermont’s Windham-Bennington-1 district, serving four terms before being redistricted. In 2022, she returned to the General Assembly from her current Windham district, where she was reelected this past year. As a legislator, Sibilia has consistently served as an independent.

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