ORLEANS COUNTY – Vermont Senator Samuel Douglass, who served on the Senate Sexual Harassment Prevention Panel, last week faced calls to resign following a Politico report Tuesday afternoon that revealed young GOP leaders on a private Telegram group chat joking about gas chambers, slavery and rape. Tuesday, the Governor’s office said Douglass’ resignation was in process.
Thursday afternoon NBC5 News at Noon ✕
The statement sent Friday said he’d vacate his seat by noon Monday, but no formal notice had been sent to the governor’s office, lieutenant governor’s office, or the Senate secretary.
At his weekly press conference Wednesday, Gov. Scott said it was likely just a technical error.
“He thought if he announced to the world that he was resigning that that was it. But you know the Senate rules and the legislative rules are a little bit different,” he said.
A spokesperson from Senate President Phil Baruth’s office told NBC5 that a formal notice was submitted to their office Wednesday night.
Douglass, who works as a mental health professional, had declined to resign immediately, claiming ignorance of the Telegram chat’s contents, saying in his first public statement following the Politico report, “I was unfortunately unaware of those comments,” last Wednesday afternoon.
“I should’ve been more vigilant, more careful and less naive about who I associate with and my digital environments.”
Douglass appears to have been the only elected official on the chat thread, with members of the Young Republican National Federation.
The Politico report identified only one comment made directly by Douglass in which he seemed to mock the bathing habits of a person from India.
It is unclear whether Douglass had any familiarity with the woman in question.
Douglass’ wife was a member of the Young Republicans and the group chat, where she wrote of “expecting the Jew to be honest.”
“The hateful statements made in this group chat are disgusting and unacceptable,” Governor Phil Scott said in a written statement Tuesday.
“The vile, racist, bigoted and antisemitic dialogue that has been reported is deeply disturbing. There is simply no excuse for it. Those involved should resign from their roles immediately and leave the Republican party, including Vermont State Senator Sam Douglass.
“We are in agreement with Gov. Phil Scott. Sen. Sam Douglass’ statements as reported by Politico are unacceptable and deeply disturbing,” wrote Vermont Senate and House Republicans in a joint response Tuesday afternoon.
“They cannot be excused and are inconsistent with Vermont values and what Vermont Republicans stand for. It is time for Sen. Douglass to step away from his position as a Vermont Senator and resign.”
Later in the week, citing threats to his family, Douglass said he would resign Monday, October 20. “But for all concerned, me, my wife, my family, I must resign (effective Monday at noon).”
Despite his initial reluctance to heed the Governor’s call for his resignation, Douglass then said, “And if my Governor asks me to do something, I will act, because I believe in what he’s trying to do for the state of Vermont.”
The Monday before the Politico story broke, Douglass was endorsed by the Vermont Republican Party in his planned bid for reelection in November 2026. Douglass, in turn endorsed GOP Party Chair Paul Dame in his bid to remain chair of the Vermont Republican party.
Dame’s statement Wednesday said Douglass’ alleged statements in the chat were not “bigoted or racist,” saying Douglass’ participation in the chat and the statement he made in it “reflected poorly on himself, our party and Young Republicans everywhere.”
Douglass was removed from his duties with the state party “until the matter is resolved,” explained Dame.
Later that day, the executive committee of the Vermont Republican Party issued a statement, retracting Dame’s statement and calling upon Douglass to resign immediately.
Wednesday, Northeast Kingdom Republican Sen. Russ Ingalls was joined by Reps. Marcotte, Higley, Page, Labor, Nelson and Wells in calling for Douglass to resign as chair of the Orleans County Republican Party, in addition to his Senate seat.
Douglass, now 27 years old, was elected to the Senate last November, helping the GOP to pick up six Senate seats.
Former Rep. Katherine Sims, who ran against Douglass in that election and lost, said in a social media post last week, “In light of the revelations about Senator Sam Douglass and the deeply troubling text exchanges, I’m feeling a complex mix of emotions. There’s sadness and frustration that we ended up with a representative whose extreme views many of us had flagged early on. It’s a painful reminder that concerns about his readiness and maturity were raised — and yet, here we are.”
In response to a question on Vermont Public’s “Vermont Edition” Monday, Dame said the party vets candidates it endorses and can review social media posts, though he stopped short of saying it had done so when it endorsed Douglass in his 2024 run for Senate.
Dame pointed to Douglass’ losing bid in the 2022 election cycle and the contested 2024 Republican primary as having given the public a chance to vet his candidacy.
Sims expressed concern at the divisive tone of current political dialogue. ”My hope is that we can remember our shared humanity. . . Let’s hold each other accountable, yes — and also hold each other with grace and compassion. That might be the only way we begin to bridge the deep divides between us.”
In the run-up to the November 2024 Senate contest, Sims outspent Douglass almost 3 to 1 in the campaign, where a combined total of over $110,000 was raised.
Douglass was backed by some well-known Vermont Republicans according to campaign finance reports, and by the Phil Scott for Vermont organization, which contributed $700 in September 2024, with another $500 that October.
The Newport Daily Express reported “Sims said her original campaign budget was $30,000, but she felt compelled to raise more when Douglass allegedly sent out ‘attack mailers.’”
The Politico report made national and international news, with Westmore Democratic party member Joanna Burgess saying, “Lookie! Vermont and Sam Douglass made international news in The Guardian, pointing to a story titled, “Vance Brushes Off Racist Remarks.” In that story, it was reported that “Vance, speaking on a new episode of the Charlie Kirk Show, the podcast run by colleagues of the late conservative activist, suggested that the participants in the leaked chats were much younger than they in fact are. Some of the participants are barely younger than the 41-year-old vice-president.”
“‘The reality is that kids do stupid things, especially young boys,’ Vance said.
”U.S. Army veteran Gaston Bathalon from Troy, announced on Monday that he will run for the Orleans County Senate seat left vacant by Douglass’ resignation in the November 2026 election, regardless of who Gov. Scott appoints,” according to WPTZ.
Bathalon is Troy’s town health officer, in addition to serving on the Troy select board and school boards.
WPTZ reported “He does not believe he will be appointed to the vacant role by Scott.”
Paul Fixx is editor of The Hardwick Gazette and lives in Hardwick.
