Two of Vermont’s statewide elected officials — Republican Lt. Gov. John Rodgers and Democratic Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas — said Thursday they plan to seek reelection in 2026.
Rodgers discussed his plans to seek a second term, which have not been previously reported, in an off-the-cuff interview with VTDigger Thursday afternoon. Copeland Hanzas signalled she was running for a third term in a fundraising email to supporters earlier this week, and confirmed those plans in an interview Thursday.
Candidates for the 2026 election have until next May to formally declare they are running. But Copeland Hanzas said she wanted to announce her plans well in advance because she’s concerned President Donald Trump is sowing distrust in states’ elections well before next November, and she sees herself as “a steady hand” to push back against that rhetoric.
“I figured, with all that’s going on in the world, that people would probably like to know that their secretary of state — who’s got an eye on taking us through the 2026 election — plans to be there, and working hard, to make sure that our democracy is safe and and that our elections go off as we expect them to,” she said in an interview.
Rodgers said he does not plan to formally announce his reelection bid until next year, though said in response to a reporter’s question about his plans that he is not ready to hang up his hat.
“I think I’ve been very effective working with legislators in the building and working with the governor’s office,” Rodgers said. (The lieutenant governor presides over the Vermont Senate.) “I think we’ve made some progress, but there’s a lot left to do — and so, I’m excited about staying in the position and continuing my work.”
Copeland Hanzas announced Wednesday that her office will not comply with a request it’s expecting to receive from Trump’s Department of Justice to share detailed personal data on Vermont’s registered voters. After putting out that statement, she said, she’s received encouragement from a number of supporters to run for governor, instead.
But her plans to run for another term as secretary of state likely leave just two other statewide Democratic officials as potential gubernatorial candidates — Attorney General Charity Clark and Treasurer Mike Pieciak.
Incumbent Gov. Phil Scott, a Republican, has not yet said whether he will run again in 2026. He is in his fifth term. Scott has made a habit in years past of not announcing his reelection plans until the state Legislature adjourns for the summer — typically in May — during an election year.
Clark said in an interview Thursday that she plans to run in next year’s election, though has “not officially decided what office I’m running for.” She declined to say which offices she was considering.
Meanwhile, Natalie Silver, political advisor to Pieciak, said the treasurer had not made a decision about the upcoming election yet. Silver previously served as campaign manager for Democratic U.S. Rep. Becca Balint’s winning bid for Congress in 2022.
“Mike is very focused on his current job,” Silver said Thursday. “He certainly is thinking about his options for the next cycle, but has not made any decisions.”
Both Pieciak and Clark are sitting on substantial campaign cash, according to their latest filings with the state, which detail fundraising and spending through the end of June. Pieciak had about $184,000 on hand, the filings show, while Clark had about $98,000. Copeland Hanzas, by comparison, had about $12,000 on hand as of late June.
Vermont State Auditor Doug Hoffer, a Democrat/Progressive, has said previously he did not plan to seek reelection in 2026. He said in an interview Thursday that he wasn’t aware at this point of anyone who was angling for the job after him.
“I’ve put in my time. I’ve enjoyed the work,” Hoffer said. “But it’s time for somebody else to take it on.”
