Composite 8.24 / 10, weighted per the Constitutional Weight Schedule.
✓ Clears the 700 bar, Author's Verdict: supported.
Clears the 700 support line at credit 784 (Strong band) with no severity flag, Author's Verdict: supported on the documented conduct.
No military service on record. Scott's pre-office career was in construction (co-owner of DuBois Construction) and as a nationally known stock-car racer at Thunder Road. No branch, rank, or years to report.
The 14 measures
Each measure is scored 0–10 against an anchored example, with a cited source. Hover/expand why? for the reasoning.
| # | Measure | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| M01 | Duty to Constitution & Rule of Law | 9 | why?Duty to the Constitution and rule of law is the apex of this record. Scott lawfully canvassed and certified
Vermont's 2020 and 2024 electoral votes per state law, and on January 6, 2021 became the FIRST Republican
governor in the country to call for the sitting president of his own party to "resign or be removed,"
naming the day as an orchestrated attempt "to cause an insurrection that overturns the results of a free, fair and legal election." Affirmative credit for refusing to subvert a lawful result and for naming the
subversion at partisan cost. Held one below apex because of the 2025 SNAP-data episode: he handed
Vermonters' personal data to the federal government and reportedly kept the AG from joining a suit a federal
judge later vindicated, a deference-to-federal-overreach appearance-concern (weighed, not a finding) that
sits in tension with this measure's affirmative rule-of-law posture.
[source] |
| M02 | Party Over Country | 9 | why?Cross-aisle governing conduct is a defining strength. A Republican governing with a Democratic legislature
for his entire tenure in the nation's bluest state, Scott has sustained the most popular-governor ranking in
the country (74% approval; 59% favorable among self-identified Democrats). His stated method is compromise
before bills reach the desk and bipartisan buy-in (the 2026 education bill drew support across all three
parties). Ordinary use of the veto, even the 2024 session where six were overridden, is not penalized as
such; it is constitutional friction within the process, not against it. Top-tier.
[source] |
| M03 | Persons of Equal Worth | 8 | why?Persons-of-equal-worth conduct is strong and consistent. Scott's public posture toward immigrants and
vulnerable Vermonters has been protective in rhetoric ("enough" with the federal immigration crackdown, defending community members regardless of status, a belonging stance scored as conduct, not the policy
itself). No documented pattern of casting any group as less-than. Upper tier.
[source] |
| M04 | Weaponization of Justice | 8 | why?No documented weaponization of state power, no retaliatory use of agencies, the AG, the Guard, licensing, or contracts to punish rivals, critics, or local officials. The relationship with the Democratic AG has at
times been adversarial (the SNAP-data dispute), but that is a policy/process disagreement, not retaliation.
No criterion-class conduct. Strong.
[source] |
| M05 | Incitement / Anti-Belonging | 8 | why?No documented pattern of incite-or-anti-belonging rhetoric. Scott's public voice is measured and
de-escalatory; even his sharpest moment (blaming Trump for the Capitol riot) was directed at conduct, not at
a class of citizens as enemies. The opposite of enemy-making. Upper tier.
[source] |
| M06 | Fiduciary Conduct | 7 | why?Fiduciary conduct is sound with one honest drag. On taking office Scott divested his 50% stake in DuBois
Construction (a state contractor) for $2.5M over 15 years to avoid conflict. A 2018 Ethics Commission
advisory opinion nonetheless found the continued financial tie violated the ethics code; the opinion was
withdrawn in September 2019 on process-flaw grounds, leaving no sustained finding. A weighed
appearance-concern (the deferred-payment tie to a vendor), mitigated by the divestiture and the withdrawal.
[source] |
| M07 | Duty to Call Out | 9 | why?The active-duty standard, calling out one's OWN party at cost, is met as well as the governor cohort
allows. Scott was the first GOP governor nationally to demand his own party's president resign or be removed
after January 6, has stated he never voted for Trump, and has repeatedly broken with his party's national
leadership. This is not free in a Republican coalition; he paid for it and held the line. Near-apex.
[source] |
| M08 | The Discretion Test | 7 | why?The discretion test, what he did when he had room to choose, is generally well-exercised (the COVID
response, the Jan 6 stand) but carries one real drag. In 2025 his administration turned over low-income
Vermonters' SNAP data to the federal government and reportedly prevented the AG from joining a lawsuit a
federal judge later vindicated by ruling the feds had no legal right to the data. Whether read as
over-compliance or risk-aversion, it is a discretion call that broke against the citizens whose data was at
stake. Weighed appearance-concern, not a finding; keeps the measure mid-upper rather than high.
[source] |
| M09 | The No-Camera Test | 8 | why?No documented private/public consistency gap. Those who worked closely with him through the pandemic
describe the same calm, data-driven, empathetic figure seen in public; even adversaries credited him with
putting public health over politics. The off-camera reputation matches the on-camera one. Strong.
[source] |
| M10 | Constituent-vs-Donor Vote | 8 | why?Constituency fidelity is strong. Scott governs to the actual Vermont electorate rather than to a national
party base, the durable cross-party approval and five consecutive statewide wins reflect a leader whose
conduct tracks the people he serves over outside pressure. Upper tier.
[source] |
| M11 | Net-Worth Trajectory | 7 | why?Office-attributable enrichment: the only documented thread is the DuBois Construction tie, a company the
state has paid for transportation work, held through a 15-year deferred-payment buyout after he took
office. This is the structured measure for self-dealing/pay-to-play; the divestiture was a good-faith
attempt to sever it, and the lone adverse opinion was withdrawn on process grounds. No raw-wealth penalty
applied. Weighed as a genuine but mitigated appearance-concern, not an established breach.
[source] |
| M12 | Floor Decorum | 9 | why?Institutional decorum is a hallmark. Across nearly a decade Scott has modeled restrained, non-theatrical
executive conduct, honoring the office over the spectacle, treating the legislature and the press as
legitimate counterparts even in conflict. Among the cleanest decorum records in the cohort.
[source] |
| M13 | Lying & Misleading | 8 | why?Truthfulness conduct is strong. No sustained documented-falsehood pattern; his pandemic briefings were
credited for candor and data-fidelity (Dr. Fauci called Vermont's response a national model), and he has
named uncomfortable truths about his own party. Upper tier; not apex absent a longer adversarial-fact paper
trail.
[source] |
| M14 | Knowledge Depth | 9 | why?Substance and competence are demonstrated, not asserted. Vermont's pandemic management, data-driven, decisive, achieving the highest vaccination rate in the country and praised by Dr. Fauci as a national model, is concrete executive competence under maximum pressure. Among the strongest competence records measured.
[source] |
Why not higher, the points withheld
The standard is the seat; the ceiling is a perfect 10. Every withheld point traces to documented conduct, weighed where the measures and attributes say it belongs, shown openly here, the same way the earned points are.
| Where | Documented conduct | Mitigation weighed |
|---|---|---|
| M01 | 2025 SNAP-data turnover to the federal government; AG reportedly blocked from joining a suit a federal judge later vindicated ↳ Rule-of-law / deference-to-federal-overreach appearance-concern | Weighed appearance-concern, not a finding; otherwise a leading affirmative rule-of-law record (lawful certification + first-GOP-governor Jan 6 stand) |
| M06 | 2018 VT Ethics Commission advisory opinion found his continued DuBois Construction financial tie violated the ethics code ↳ Fiduciary appearance-of-impropriety | Opinion withdrawn Sept 2019 on process-flaw grounds; he had divested his 50% stake on taking office |
| M08 | Discretion to protect Vermonters' SNAP data broke against them in 2025; turned data over and limited the AG's litigation ↳ Discretion test, choice against the affected citizens | Read by some as over-compliance under federal pressure; weighed, not adjudicated as misconduct |
| M11 | 15-year deferred-payment buyout kept a financial thread to DuBois Construction, a state transportation contractor, after taking office ↳ Office-attributable enrichment appearance-concern | Good-faith divestiture; sole adverse opinion withdrawn on process grounds; no raw-wealth penalty |
| Pillar III | SNAP-data discretion call (Stewardship/Protection) cut against the citizens whose data was at stake ↳ Stewardship/Protection drag | Otherwise a protective record, COVID stewardship, immigrant-belonging posture |
| Pillar IV | DuBois ethics asterisk on an otherwise clean legacy (Integrity) ↳ Integrity drag | Withdrawn opinion + divestiture; Moral Courage of the Jan 6 stand dominates the legacy |
The Four Pillars, worthy to be followed?
A separate axis from the 14 measures. The measures ask did their conduct meet the standard; the Pillars ask is this someone worthy to be elevated and followed at all. The two can diverge, when they do, the divergence is the finding.
| # | Pillar | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | Trust & Loyalty
| 9 | why?Attributes: Courage, Selfless Service, Steadiness Under Pressure, Loyalty-to-oath-over-party. The first-GOP-governor Jan 6 resignation call and lawful certification are the purest evidence, loyalty to the constitutional result over coalition. Minimal drag toward Self-Interest or Collapse. |
| II | Aspiration & Integrity
| 8 | why?Attributes: Conviction, Authenticity, Consistency, Teachability. A consistent, authentic moderate-Republican identity sustained across five terms; held below 9 by the DuBois ethics asterisk and the SNAP-data episode, both weighed honestly rather than waved away. |
| III | Protection & Influence
| 7 | why?Attributes: Protection, Courage in Conflict, Stewardship, Accountability. Strong protective stewardship in the pandemic and on belonging; the real drag is the SNAP-data discretion call, which used the office in a way that broke against the citizens whose data was at stake. No documented Exploitation. |
| IV | Legacy & Virtue
| 8 | why?Attributes: Integrity, Moral Courage, Justice, Love of Truth. A durable institutional-fidelity legacy, cross-party trust in a polarized era and the courage to break with his own party's leader. The DuBois asterisk and SNAP-data drag temper but do not erase a record most would be proud to see reflected. |
| TOTAL: Strong | 32/40 |
Total 32/40, Strong. The pillars track the conduct composite closely: extraordinary trust/oath fidelity and competence, tempered by two honest fiduciary/discretion drags.
What the Four Pillars are & the questions behind each →
In their own words
“President Trump should resign or be removed from office by his Cabinet, or by the Congress.”
First Republican governor to call for Trump's removal, hours after the Capitol was breached · Office of Governor Phil Scott, official statement · PRINCIPLED · cite
“Make no mistake, the President of the United States is responsible for this event... President Trump has orchestrated a campaign to cause an insurrection that overturns the results of a free, fair and legal election.”
Same statement, naming Jan 6 as an attempt to overturn a lawful election · Vermont Business Magazine · PRINCIPLED · cite
“Enough.”
Breaking with the federal immigration crackdown's effect on Vermont communities · Boston Globe · CIVIC · cite
Full personnel file
1. Identity
Philip Brian Scott (born August 4, 1958). Republican Governor of Vermont since January 2017; previously Lieutenant Governor 2011-2017 and a Vermont State Senator (Washington County) 2001-2011. Co-owner of DuBois Construction before office and a longtime Thunder Road stock-car racer. As of 2026 he is the most popular governor in the United States and, filing for a sixth two-year term, is positioned to become Vermont's longest-serving governor. A moderate Republican who governs the bluest state in the nation alongside a Democratic legislature.
2. Voting / Legislative Profile
Gubernatorial record (no DW-NOMINATE/Lugar, those are legislative-roll-call instruments that do not apply to a governor). Executive posture: fiscal restraint (repeated vetoes of property-tax and spending increases), with constitutional friction inside the process, the 2024 session saw six vetoes overridden by the Democratic supermajority, while the 2024 elections he helped shift broke that supermajority and pushed the 2025-2026 legislature toward earlier bipartisan compromise (the 2026 education bill drew tri-partisan support). Signature executive achievement: Vermont's COVID-19 response, achieving the nation's highest vaccination rate. Specific policy stances (taxes, education consolidation, energy, immigration) are NOT scored, only the conduct of power is graded.
3. Constitutional Moments
Institutional-fidelity moments at partisan cost. January 6, 2021: the first Republican governor in the country to call for President Trump to "resign or be removed," naming the day as an orchestrated attempt to overturn a lawful election. Lawful canvass and certification of Vermont's 2020 and 2024 electoral votes. Repeated public breaks with his own party's national leadership, including a stated record of never voting for Trump. The countervailing moment is the 2025 SNAP-data turnover, where the office deferred to federal demand for citizen data a court later found unlawful, recorded as a weighed rule-of-law/discretion concern, not a finding.
4. Rhetoric & Discourse Profile
Measured and de-escalatory across a long tenure, with no documented enemy-making pattern. The sharpest moments, blaming Trump for the Capitol riot, "enough" with the federal immigration crackdown, are directed at conduct and policy, never at a class of citizens as people who do not belong. The dominant register is calm, data-driven, and institution-respecting.
5. Fiduciary Profile
On taking office Scott divested his 50% stake in DuBois Construction (a state transportation contractor) for $2.5M over 15 years to avoid conflict. A 2018 Ethics Commission advisory opinion found the continued financial tie violated the ethics code; the opinion was withdrawn in September 2019 on process-flaw grounds, leaving no sustained finding. The deferred-payment thread to a vendor is a genuine appearance-concern, mitigated by the divestiture and the withdrawal. No raw-wealth penalty applied; no documented self-dealing, no-bid steering, or pay-to-play beyond this single, mitigated matter.
6. Severity-Class Conduct
No documented Severity-class (criterion 1-8 or 10) conduct. The strongest constitutional moment runs the protective direction, refusing to abet election subversion and naming it at partisan cost. The two honest drags (the DuBois ethics asterisk and the 2025 SNAP-data episode) are weighed appearance-concerns that do not rise to process-subversion, enemy-making, or terminal conduct. Flag count: zero.
7. What The Framework Says
Phil Scott records as a strong governor on conduct. What carries him is the rule-of-law spine: lawful certification of his state's electors and the distinction of being the first Republican governor in the nation to demand his own party's president resign or be removed after an attempt to overturn a lawful election, active-duty courage met at partisan cost. That sits atop a near-decade of cross-aisle governing in the bluest state, demonstrated pandemic competence, and clean institutional decorum. The standard counts the drags honestly, the DuBois Construction ethics asterisk (a withdrawn opinion over a divested company) and the 2025 SNAP-data turnover that broke against the citizens whose data was at stake, because a high mark only means something when the blemishes are weighed too. Sound, and earned.
8. Sources & Where To Look Deeper
Tier 1 (primary): Office of Governor Phil Scott, official statements · National Archives, VT Certificates of Ascertainment 2020/2024
Tier 2: VTDigger · Vermont Public · Seven Days Vermont
Research links: Office of Governor Phil Scott · Ballotpedia · Wikipedia · VT 2024 Certificate of Ascertainment (archives.gov)
Scores derive from the fixed Constitutional Weight Schedule. The bar does not move. Conduct, not party.