Biggest governor landslides in Vermont

The most lopsided races for governor of Vermont, ranked by the winner’s margin over the runner-up.

The biggest landslide in a Vermont governor’s race was in 1828, a margin of 89.4 points. Samuel C Crafts beat Joel Doolittle, 16,285 to 916. Next widest are 1823 (77.5 points) and 1862 (77.2 points).

Every state is ranked together on Biggest governor landslides. For every gubernatorial race Vermont has held, special elections included, see the Vermont governor hub.

What is the biggest landslide in a Vermont governor’s race?

The widest margin in a Vermont gubernatorial general election came in 1828, 89.4 points. Samuel C Crafts beat Joel Doolittle, 16,285 to 916. Next are 1823 (77.5 points) and 1862 (77.2 points).

Why do some huge wins not appear?

A blowout only counts here when somebody real finished second, which means at least 5% of the vote. Without that rule the list fills with uncontested races and with contests where the record is simply missing the major opponent, both of which show the winner near 100%.

Does this include recalls and special elections?

No, only regular general elections for governor. The Vermont governor hub lists every race including specials and recalls.

Biggest governor landslides in Vermont
#ElectionResultVotesMargin
11828Samuel C Crafts A def. Joel Doolittle J16,285 – 916+89.4 points
21823Cornelius P. Van Ness D def. Dudley Chase D11,479 – 1,088+77.5 points
31862Frederick Holbrook R def. Benjamin H. Smalley D29,543 – 3,772+77.2 points
41819Jonas Galusha D def. William Czar Bradley D12,628 – 1,035+75.3 points
51827Ezra Butler D def. Joel Doolittle D13,699 – 1,951+75.0 points
61824Cornelius P. Van Ness D def. Joel Doolittle D13,413 – 1,962+72.8 points
71861Frederick Holbrook R def. Andrew Tracy D33,152 – 5,722+64.1 points
81946Ernest W. Gibson Jr. R def. Berthold C. Coburn D57,849 – 14,096+60.7 points
91924Franklin S. Billings R def. Fred C. Martin D75,510 – 18,263+60.0 points
101920James Hartness R def. Fred C. Martin D67,674 – 18,917+56.2 points
111942William H. Wills R def. Park H. Pollard D44,804 – 12,708+55.8 points
121896Josiah Grout R def. J. Henry Jackson D53,426 – 14,855+55.2 points
131992Howard Dean D def. John McClaughry R213,523 – 65,837+51.7 points
142024Phil Scott R def. Esther Charlestin D266,439 – 79,217+51.6 points
151865Paul Dillingham R def. Charles N. Davenport D27,586 – 8,857+51.4 points
161866Paul Dillingham R def. Charles N. Davenport D34,117 – 11,292+50.2 points
171922Redfield Proctor Jr. R def. John Holmes Jackson D51,104 – 17,059+49.8 points
181994Howard Dean D def. David F. Kelley R145,661 – 40,292+49.7 points
191894Urban A. Woodbury R def. George W Smith D42,663 – 14,142+49.1 points
201950Lee E. Emerson R def. J. Edward Moran D64,915 – 22,227+49.0 points
211856Ryland Fletcher R def. Henry Keyes D34,052 – 11,661+48.6 points
221996Howard Dean D def. John L. Gropper R179,544 – 57,161+48.1 points
231928John E. Weeks R def. Harry C. Shurtleff D94,974 – 33,563+47.5 points
241904Charles J. Bell R def. Eli H. Porter D48,115 – 16,556+47.4 points
251868John B. Page R def. John L. Edwards D42,615 – 15,289+47.1 points

How this ranking is measured

Gubernatorial general elections in Vermont, ranked by the largest gap in vote share between the top two finishers, widest 25 shown. Served from the governor_race_margin materialized view. A qualifying race needs a genuine second-place finisher with at least 5% of the vote, and at least 1,000 votes between the top two. Recalls and special elections are excluded; the state hub lists those. The national list applies a 50,000-vote floor, so an early race can appear here and not there.

Compiled by PolitiFinder · published June 14, 2026 · sources: Data & sources · data last verified September 25, 2026.