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Vermont State Senate Caledonia District

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Vermont State Senate Caledonia District
Incumbent
Assumed office: January 8, 2025

Vermont State Senate Caledonia District is represented by Scott Beck (R).

As of the 2020 Census, Vermont state senators represented an average of 21,450 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 21,011 residents.

About the office

Members of the Vermont State Senate serve two-year terms and are not subject to term limits. Vermont legislators assume office the first Wednesday after the first Monday in January.

Qualifications

See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

The Vermont Constitution states, "No person shall be elected a Representative or a Senator until the person has resided in this State two years, the last year of which shall be in the legislative district for which the person is elected."[1]


Salaries

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
State legislative salaries, 2024[2]
SalaryPer diem
$843.32/week during sessionNo per diem paid during session. Members can receive $168.66/day in per diem outside of session.

Vacancies

See also: How vacancies are filled in state legislatures

If there is a vacancy in the Vermont General Assembly, the governor must select a replacement to fill the vacant seat.

The governor must select a replacement that will serve for the remainder of the unexpired term. There are no deadlines set by statute on when a vacancy has to be filled.[3][4]

DocumentIcon.jpg See sources: Vermont Const. Chap. 2, Art. 45, Vermont Stat. Ann. tit. 2, §4, and Vermont Stat. Ann. tit. 2, §9


District map

Redistricting

2020 redistricting cycle

See also: Redistricting in Vermont after the 2020 census

Vermont Gov. Phil Scott (R) signed H722 on April 6, 2022, enacting new legislative districts for the state House and Senate.[5] The Vermont House of Representatives voted 129-13 to advance the state legislative redistricting bill on March 16.[6] On March 25, the Vermont State Senate unanimously approved H722, sending it to Scott.[7] These maps took effect for Vermont's 2022 legislative elections.

How does redistricting in Vermont work? Because Vermont has only one congressional district, congressional redistricting is not necessary. The state legislature draws state legislative district lines with the assistance of an advisory commission. This advisory commission consists of the following members:[8]

  1. The governor appoints one member each from the state's political parties. To qualify for consideration in this context, a political party must have had "at least three state legislators for six of the previous 10 years."
  2. The chairs of the aforementioned political parties each appoint an additional member.
  3. The chief justice of the Vermont Supreme Court appoints the commission's chair.

Commissioners cannot be legislators, nor can they be employed by the legislature. The commission may make recommendations to the legislature, but these recommendations are non-binding.[8]

State law requires that state legislative districts be contiguous and compact and that they "adhere to county and other political subdivision boundaries, except where necessary to comply with other legal requirements." In addition, state statutes specify that districts should account for "patterns of geography, social interaction, trade, political ties, and common interests."[8]

Vermont State Senate Caledonia District
until January 3, 2023

Click a district to compare boundaries.

Vermont State Senate Caledonia District
starting January 4, 2023

Click a district to compare boundaries.

Elections

2024

See also: Vermont State Senate elections, 2024

General election

General election for Vermont State Senate Caledonia District

Scott Beck defeated Amanda Cochrane in the general election for Vermont State Senate Caledonia District on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Scott Beck
Scott Beck (R)
 
58.2
 
7,245
Amanda Cochrane (D)
 
41.6
 
5,182
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.2
 
24

Total votes: 12,451
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Vermont State Senate Caledonia District

Amanda Cochrane defeated Shawn Hallisey in the Democratic primary for Vermont State Senate Caledonia District on August 13, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Amanda Cochrane
 
87.8
 
1,393
Shawn Hallisey
 
9.6
 
153
 Other/Write-in votes
 
2.6
 
41

Total votes: 1,587
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Vermont State Senate Caledonia District

Scott Beck defeated JT Dodge in the Republican primary for Vermont State Senate Caledonia District on August 13, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Scott Beck
Scott Beck
 
82.5
 
1,096
Image of JT Dodge
JT Dodge
 
16.8
 
223
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.8
 
10

Total votes: 1,329
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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2022

See also: Vermont State Senate elections, 2022

General election

General election for Vermont State Senate Caledonia District

Incumbent Jane Kitchel defeated JT Dodge in the general election for Vermont State Senate Caledonia District on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Jane Kitchel
Jane Kitchel (D)
 
63.4
 
6,210
Image of JT Dodge
JT Dodge (R)
 
36.4
 
3,566
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
13

Total votes: 9,789
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Vermont State Senate Caledonia District

Incumbent Jane Kitchel advanced from the Democratic primary for Vermont State Senate Caledonia District on August 9, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Jane Kitchel
Jane Kitchel
 
99.1
 
2,711
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.9
 
25

Total votes: 2,736
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Vermont State Senate Caledonia District

JT Dodge advanced from the Republican primary for Vermont State Senate Caledonia District on August 9, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of JT Dodge
JT Dodge
 
97.3
 
985
 Other/Write-in votes
 
2.7
 
27

Total votes: 1,012
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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2020

See also: Vermont State Senate elections, 2020

General election

General election for Vermont State Senate Caledonia District (2 seats)

Incumbent Jane Kitchel and incumbent Joe Benning defeated Matthew Choate, Charles Wilson, and JT Dodge in the general election for Vermont State Senate Caledonia District on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Jane Kitchel
Jane Kitchel (D)
 
29.8
 
10,285
Image of Joe Benning
Joe Benning (R)
 
29.1
 
10,057
Matthew Choate (D)
 
21.2
 
7,342
Image of Charles Wilson
Charles Wilson (R) Candidate Connection
 
16.1
 
5,558
Image of JT Dodge
JT Dodge (L) Candidate Connection
 
3.6
 
1,255
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.2
 
62

Total votes: 34,559
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Vermont State Senate Caledonia District (2 seats)

Incumbent Jane Kitchel and Matthew Choate advanced from the Democratic primary for Vermont State Senate Caledonia District on August 11, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Jane Kitchel
Jane Kitchel
 
58.3
 
4,218
Matthew Choate
 
40.5
 
2,930
 Other/Write-in votes
 
1.2
 
88

Total votes: 7,236
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Vermont State Senate Caledonia District (2 seats)

Incumbent Joe Benning and Charles Wilson advanced from the Republican primary for Vermont State Senate Caledonia District on August 11, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Joe Benning
Joe Benning
 
58.2
 
3,044
Image of Charles Wilson
Charles Wilson Candidate Connection
 
39.2
 
2,049
 Other/Write-in votes
 
2.5
 
133

Total votes: 5,226
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Due to nationwide changes in election administration in 2020, Ballotpedia is exercising increased caution before projecting election winners. Click here to read our new election calling policy and vote total update schedule

Vermont Progressive Party primary election

No Vermont Progressive Party candidates ran in the primary.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

2018

See also: Vermont State Senate elections, 2018

General election

General election for Vermont State Senate Caledonia District (2 seats)

Incumbent Jane Kitchel and incumbent Joe Benning won election in the general election for Vermont State Senate Caledonia District on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Jane Kitchel
Jane Kitchel (D)
 
52.3
 
10,967
Image of Joe Benning
Joe Benning (R)
 
46.9
 
9,818
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.8
 
167

Total votes: 20,952
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Vermont State Senate Caledonia District (2 seats)

Incumbent Jane Kitchel advanced from the Democratic primary for Vermont State Senate Caledonia District on August 14, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Jane Kitchel
Jane Kitchel
 
100.0
 
2,681

Total votes: 2,681
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Vermont State Senate Caledonia District (2 seats)

Incumbent Joe Benning advanced from the Republican primary for Vermont State Senate Caledonia District on August 14, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Joe Benning
Joe Benning
 
100.0
 
2,169

Total votes: 2,169
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2016

See also: Vermont State Senate elections, 2016

Elections for the Vermont State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election took place on August 9, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was May 26, 2016.

Incumbent Jane Kitchel and incumbent Joe Benning defeated Galen Dively III in the Vermont State Senate Caledonia District general election.[9][10]

Vermont State Senate, Caledonia District General Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Jane Kitchel Incumbent 48.12% 12,383
     Republican Green check mark transparent.png Joe Benning Incumbent 42.39% 10,908
     Marijuana Galen Dively III 9.49% 2,443
Total Votes 25,734
Source: Vermont Secretary of State


Incumbent Jane Kitchel ran unopposed in the Vermont State Senate Caledonia District Democratic primary.[11][12]

Vermont State Senate, Caledonia District Democratic Primary, 2016
Party Candidate
    Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Jane Kitchel Incumbent (unopposed)


Incumbent Joe Benning ran unopposed in the Vermont State Senate Caledonia District Republican primary.[11][12]

Vermont State Senate, Caledonia District Republican Primary, 2016
Party Candidate
    Republican Green check mark transparent.png Joe Benning Incumbent (unopposed)

2014

See also: Vermont State Senate elections, 2014

Elections for the Vermont State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on August 26, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was June 12, 2014. Caledonia has two state senators. Incumbent Jane Kitchel and Mike Heath were unopposed in the Democratic primary, while incumbent Joe Benning was unopposed in the Republican primary. Kitchel and Heath defeated Benning in the general election.[13]

Vermont State Senate Caledonia District, General Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngJane Kitchel* Incumbent 44.9% 7,786
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngJoe Benning Incumbent 35.5% 6,149
     Democratic Mike Heath 19.6% 3,390
Total Votes 17,325

*Kitchell appeared on the ballot as both a Democrat and a Republican.

2012

See also: Vermont State Senate elections, 2012

Elections for the office of Vermont State Senate consisted of a primary election on August 28, 2012, and a general election on November 6, 2012. Democratic incumbent Jane Kitchel and Republican incumbent Joe Benning defeated Stephen Amos (D) and David Dill (R) in the general election. Kitchel and Amos were unopposed in the Democratic primary election. Benning and Dill were unopposed in the Republican primary election.[14][15][16][17]

Vermont State Senate, Caledonia District, General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngJane Kitchel Incumbent 34.1% 9,934
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngJoe Benning Incumbent 27.4% 7,969
     Democratic Stephen Amos 19.2% 5,584
     Republican David Dill 19.3% 5,619
Total Votes 29,106

Campaign contributions

From 2000 to 2024, candidates for Vermont State Senate Caledonia District raised a total of $437,252. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $10,665 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money

Campaign contributions, Vermont State Senate Caledonia District
Year Amount Candidates Average
2024 $108,962 4 $27,240
2022 $6,709 2 $3,354
2020 $19,775 3 $6,592
2016 $5,157 3 $1,719
2014 $15,550 3 $5,183
2012 $41,465 4 $10,366
2010 $64,644 5 $12,929
2008 $43,678 5 $8,736
2006 $58,192 4 $14,548
2004 $51,986 4 $12,997
2002 $2,728 1 $2,728
2000 $18,406 3 $6,135
Total $437,252 41 $10,665


See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. Vermont Constitution, "Chapter II, Section 15," accessed May 23, 2025
  2. National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
  3. Legislative Council of the General Assembly for the State of Vermont, "Vermont Statutes Unannotated and Vermont Court Rules," accessed February 3, 2021 (Statute, 2-1-4, Vermont Statutes)
  4. Legislative Council of the General Assembly for the State of Vermont, "Vermont Statutes Unannotated and Vermont Court Rules," accessed February 3, 2021 (Statute, 2-1-9, Vermont Statutes)
  5. VTDigger, "Scott signs new legislative maps into law, solidifying Vermont’s political playing field for next decade," April 6, 2022
  6. VTDigger, "House advances redistricting bill by a wide margin," March 16, 2022
  7. VTDigger, "Senate unanimously approves new district maps with little debate," March 25, 2022
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 All About Redistricting, "Vermont," accessed April 22, 2015
  9. Vermont Secretary of State, "Candidate listings," accessed November 4, 2016
  10. Vermont Secretary of State, "2016 general election results," accessed November 28, 2016
  11. 11.0 11.1 Vermont Secretary of State, "Qualified candidates for the statewide primary - August 9, 2016," accessed May 26, 2016
  12. 12.0 12.1 Vermont Secretary of State, "Vermont Election Night Results," accessed August 9, 2016
  13. Vermont Secretary of State, "2014 Candidate Listing," June 13, 2014
  14. Vermont Elections, 2012 General Election Results, accessed October 23, 2013
  15. Vermont Elections, Official Primary Election Results, accessed October 23, 2013
  16. Vermont Secretary of State, Major party primary candidate list, accessed October 23, 2013
  17. Vermont Secretary of State, 2012 draft, independent, and minor party candidate list, accessed October 23, 2013


Current members of the Vermont State Senate
Leadership
Majority Leader:Kesha Ram Hinsdale
Senators
Addison District
Bennington District
Caledonia District
Chittenden Central District
Chittenden North District
Chittenden Southeast District
Essex District
Franklin District
Grand Isle District
Lamoille District
Orange District
Orleans District
Rutland District
Washington District
Windham District
Windsor District
Joe Major (D)
Democratic Party (16)
Republican Party (13)
Vermont Progressive Party (1)