Vermont Speaker of the House Jill Krowinski (D-Burlington) announced on Thursday she would not run for reelection, while Gov. Phil Scott said he would.
The twin announcements happened within hours of each other in the waning days of the biennium and shortly before the deadline for candidates to file ahead of this year’s primary election.
While Scott’s decision was long expected, Krowinski’s came as a surprise to many in the Statehouse. The Burlington Democrat shared her news with colleagues in an afternoon caucus.
“I have had the honor and privilege to serve you for 14 years,” she said. “I’ve spent half of my life in this building with you in some way, shape or form.”
Krowinski served as chief of staff to former speaker Gaye Symington and as an advocate for Planned Parenthood. She began representing Burlington’s Old North End in 2012, then was elected speaker in 2021.
She said she was proud of the work she and other Democrats have championed during her time in the Statehouse, including on housing, health care, reproductive rights and climate resiliency. She faced a challenge to her speakership in 2024 after Democrats lost their supermajority amid a Republican surge in the state, chiefly over concerns about affordability.
Rep. Laura Sibilia (I-Dover) was ultimately unsuccessful in her bid for speaker. On Thursday, Sibilia praised Krowinski as a kind, generous person who has mentored many women in the Statehouse.
“She has provided a very significant public service to our state,” Sibilia told Seven Days.
Scott announced that he would seek a sixth term on Thursday after he walked across the street to the Secretary of State’s Office to file his campaign paperwork.
If he wins and completes the term, he would become the longest-serving governor in state history.
“It’s not about breaking records; it’s about trying to do something good for the state and fulfilling the promise I made when I first started: of leaving Vermont in better shape than I found it,” he told reporters.
The 67-year-old Republican from Berlin filed a petition to run with 500 signatures of registered voters and a financial disclosure form. The deadline applies to all major party candidates seeking to be on the ballot for the August 11 primary.
Scott has made a habit of not declaring whether he would run for another two-year term until right before the deadline. This not only gives him more time to make up his mind, but it also keeps any potential opponents guessing.
Those opponents include Aly Richards, the former head of advocacy group Let’s Grow Kids, and Amanda Janoo, a self-employed economist from Burlington. Both filed paperwork to run in the Democratic primary for governor.
Another statewide office holder who filed just under the wire was Treasurer Mike Pieciak, who had considered a gubernatorial run but signaled earlier this year that he had opted against taking on the popular incumbent.
Other candidates who filed their paperwork by 5 p.m. on Thursday included three Democratic candidates for lieutenant governor: Molly Gray, Ryan McLaren and Esther Charlestin. Lt. Gov. John Rodgers also filed to run for a second term.
Deputy Auditor Tim Ashe and Nicholas Graeter, an accounting specialist from Williston, filed to run for state auditor.
Secretary of State officials cautioned that the list of statewide candidates qualifying for the primary ballot would not be complete until the signatures and paperwork were verified and appeal deadlines pass in June.
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