Most politicians try to win elections. Clem Bissonnette tried not to. But on Tuesday, he won an eighth term in the Vermont House anyway.

By Wednesday afternoon, he decided to embrace the victory after all. Bissonnette announced that he will keep the seat, changing his plan to move out of Winooski this year and retire.

"I told people not to vote for me," 73-year-old Bissonnette explained to Seven Days. "Seeing I still got elected, it seems to me that the people want me to go back to Montpelier."

The Democratic lawmaker won a primary in August. But the next month, he announced his intention to retire to the Northeast Kingdom, where he and his wife, Sharon, had purchased a home. He resigned from the House. He told voters he didn't really want to be on the ballot — but it was too late to remove his name.

If he were not willing to serve, Republican Gov. Phil Scott would appoint someone to the seat. Now, that won't happen.

That's a double blow for Hal Colston.

He's the Winooski Democrat who decided to wage a write-in campaign for Bissonnette's seat. Colston, who ran a successful write-in campaign to get on the Winooski City Council in March, didn't manage a repeat this week.

The write-in votes totaled 939, while Bissonnette collected 1,184 votes and incumbent Rep. Diana González (P/D-Winooski) received 1,824 votes.

That tally gave González and Bissonnette return tickets to Montpelier — even though political observers assumed Bissonnette would decline the trip.

Colston said Wednesday that he had hoped, if he failed at the polls, to be considered for an appointment to the seat. Now that's not an option. But Colston still wants to go to Montpelier. "I'm interested in serving and I'll be running in the next election, on the ballot," Colston said.

Colston said he was pleased with the support he got as a write-in candidate. "I'm not feeling too shabby," he said.

"I wish him well," he said of Bissonnette.
The change of heart for Bissonnette came as the results filtered in Tuesday night.

"I did not campaign," he said. "I did not spend a cent on the election. The people still elected me."

He entered local politics in 1970 and has served as city councilor, mayor and legislator for the Onion City.

He and his wife aren't planning to sell their Winooski home until the spring of 2019, Bissonnette said. He might then rent a room in Winooski to finish out his term in the legislature. It's also possible he would resign before the full two years is up, he said.

Bissonnette said he is sure he's heading to the Statehouse in January.

He said, "We're going to Montpelier and we're going to take it day by day.’’

Unofficial election results show that Vermont voters turned out Tuesday in record numbers for a midterm election.

According to data from the Secretary of State's Office, about 279,806 Vermonters cast ballots, roughly 57 percent of registered voters in the state.

Before Tuesday, the record high for a Vermont midterm came in 2006, when 262,568 people — 60.56 percent of registered voters at the time — cast ballots in the final midterms of president George W. Bush's tenure.
Secretary of State Jim Condos, who oversees Vermont’s elections, confirmed that 2018 may set a record for the most ballots cast in a midterm, but said the election likely won't set a record in terms of turnout percentage. He said that’s because the number of registered voters in Vermont is steadily rising.

Vermont voters, like many Americans, delivered a split verdict in Tuesday's elections. They reelected a Republican governor, but they also bolstered the Democratic legislature — and they sent a self-described democratic socialist, Bernie Sanders, back to the U.S. Senate.

What else happened in Vermont on Election Day 2018? Seven Days has you covered. Click the links below or read on for our full coverage:

• Vermont Gov. Phil Scott Elected to Second Term
  
• Bernie Sanders Wins Third Term to U.S. Senate
  
• Zuckerman, Down-Ballot Democrats Win Vermont’s Statewide Races
  
• Walters: Democrats Gain Ground in Vermont Legislature
  
• Burlington, South Burlington Voters Approve Big Bonds at Polls
  
• Mr. Popularity: Scott Stands Alone on Bad Night for Republicans

Updated at 1:38 a.m. on November 7, 2018.

Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman, a Progressive and Democrat, will return to the Statehouse for a second two-year term.

The organic farmer from Hinesburg beat out Rep. Don Turner (R-Milton), the House minority leader, in the race for Vermont's No. 2 job. With all but six precincts reporting late Tuesday night, Zuckerman led Turner 57 percent to 39 percent.