REPUBLICAN STEVEN HEFFERNAN, a Bristol native and local business owner, unseated Chris Bray to represent Addison County, Huntington, Rochester and Buel’s Gore in the Vt. Senate alongside Democrat Ruth Hardy. 

ADDISON COUNTY — A new face will represent the Addison District in the Vermont Senate, as Bristol Republican and first-time candidate Steven Heffernan on Tuesday beat out incumbent state Sen. Chris Bray, D-Bristol, for his seat representing Addison County, Huntington, Rochester and Buel’s Gore in the Legislature’s upper chamber.

Incumbent state Sen. Ruth Hardy, D-Middlebury, was the top vote-getter in the contest, with the top two finishers going to Montpelier. Hardy tallied 11,713 votes (23.47%), according to the Vermont Secretary of State’s unofficial results. Heffernan received the second-most with 11,644 votes (23.34%), followed by Bray with 10,997 votes (22.04%).

Republican and first-time candidate Landel Cochran of Huntington finished fourth with 8,210 votes (16.45%).

“I’m very happy with the results,” Heffernan told the Independent on Wednesday morning. “Addison County voters, I hope, sent a very clear message that they want balance in Vermont, and I can’t thank people enough for their vote and for their support.”

Hardy also expressed gratitude to voters on Wednesday.

“I’m honored that the people of the Addison District voted to return me to represent them in the senate,” she said. “I’m especially honored in a year when it was a rather tumultuous election season for Democrats.”

Cochran offered his best wishes to Hardy and Heffernan on Wednesday morning.

“I want to congratulate Sen. Hardy on her re-election and Steven Heffernan on his election,” he told the Independent. “Steven was a great teammate this year, and I look forward to seeing him serve us in the senate.”

Bray could not immediately be reached for comment on Wednesday morning.

Bray has served in the Legislature for more than a decade and was first elected to the Vermont House in 2006. He began representing the Addison District in the Vermont Senate in 2013, and currently chairs the Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee. Bray also serves on the Senate Finance Committee, Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules and the Joint Carbon Reduction Committee.

Heffernan topped the field in 14 Addison County towns, including Bristol and Ferrisburgh. Hardy received the most votes in most all of the other nine communities in the county — expect for Weybridge and Lincoln, where Bray finished on top.

Hardy won most of the votes in Rochester and Huntington (Buel’s Gore ballots are counted with Huntington’s).

Results of the state senate race mirrored those in a handful of other communities around Vermont where Republican challengers flipped seats previously held by Democrats, dismantling the Democrat supermajority in the upper chamber. GOP candidates also unseated Democratic incumbents in the Vermont House, including longtime Rep. Diane Lanpher of Vergennes, who chairs the House Appropriations Committee.

Pressing issues on the minds of voters this election season included climate legislation like the Affordable Heat Act (S.5), sponsored by Bray, and education finance, following a challenging school budget season and average 13.8% increase in education property tax bills across Vermont.

Heffernan said those two issues will be his priorities when he gets to Montpelier.

“Those are probably the top two. That seemed to be what was on most peoples’ mind,” he said.

Heffernan said he doesn’t yet have a preferred senate committee assignment.

“Wherever they can use my talents is probably what I’m going to be on, so maybe something with transportation as far as our infrastructure,” he said. “And I’ll have to see what’s out there. This is a whole new learning experience for me.”

Hardy, a three-term incumbent, currently chairs the Senate Committee on Government Operations. She also serves on the Senate Health & Welfare Committee, the Canvassing Committee and the Judicial Retention Committee.

She said addressing property taxes and the state’s education funding system will be among her priorities upon returning to the Statehouse.

“This is something I’ve worked on in the past in my professional life as a member of a school board and legislator,” Hardy said. “It’s very clear that has to be top of mind for us and is one of my priorities.”

Hardy’s other top priority is addressing the rising cost of healthcare in Vermont.

“It’s something I’ve been working on the last couple years, and a major report just came out about the high cost of healthcare in Vermont,” she said. “That is a driver for a lot of the other issues we’re dealing with, and we really need to tackle that issue.”

Hardy congratulated Heffernan and other Republican candidates who prevailed on Tuesday.

“I congratulate him for a successful race, and I look forward to working with him in representing the Addison District,” she said.

When asked about how lawmakers might work together differently following shifts in the Legislature, Hardy said voters have shown what issues they want legislators to tackle together.

“I think the voters made it clear that property taxes and other affordability issues were top of mind, and they want us and other elected officials to work together to solve those issues,” she said. “Republicans who did win seats wanted these issues to be at the forefront, so I look forward to hearing their detailed proposals for how to solve these problems.”

She added that now that Republican Gov. Phil Scott is no longer working with a Democratic supermajority, he’ll also need to come forward with solutions to such issues and work with lawmakers to tackle those problems.

“It was a rough election night for a lot of people, especially nationally, and I just hope we in Vermont can continue to be a welcoming place for everyone and to work against the headwinds nationally,” Hardy added. “I know a lot of my constituents are worried, and I hope we in Vermont can continue to honor the rights and safety of all Vermonters.”