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Endorses Roy
The race
3 state Senate seats are at stake in Vermont's Chittenden Southeast District, for a two-year term, elected by plurality block voting — each voter may vote for up to 3 candidates. The incumbent senators are Thomas Chittenden (Democratic), Kesha Ram Hinsdale (Democratic), and Virginia Lyons (Democratic). The confirmed general-election roster, from Wikipedia's district general-election table (which compiles the Vermont Secretary of State's general-election candidate list), is: Thomas Chittenden (Democratic); Kesha Ram Hinsdale (Democratic); Virginia Lyons (Democratic); Bruce Roy (Republican); Javen Sears (Republican); Rohan St. Marthe (Republican). Chamber control is rated Safe Democratic by both Sabato's Crystal Ball (January 22, 2026) and State Navigate (October 24, 2026), per the predictions tables compiled on Wikipedia; no district-level rating was published in the sources consulted.
The candidates, claim by claim
Thomas Chittenden (D), nominee. Appears on the confirmed general-election roster for this district (Wikipedia's district general-election table, accessed October 25, 2026). No detailed voting-record, biography, or signature-claim file for this candidate was verified at this sourcing depth, and none is invented here.
Pros: A sitting incumbent whose constituents know the record. Cons: No documented break with the Democratic Party toward this publication's values was located in the compiled record — no Manchin-test break. In the Senate, a Democratic organizing vote is heavy: it carries chamber control and the judicial pipeline with it. The flaw, plainly: Enabler class, not extremist — a reliable party-line vote, which is the standing reason the exception for a Democrat is not earned here.
Kesha Ram Hinsdale (D), nominee. Kesha Ram Hinsdale is the Senate majority leader (New England News Press, October 2026).
Pros: A sitting incumbent whose constituents know the record. Cons: No documented break with the Democratic Party toward this publication's values was located in the compiled record — no Manchin-test break. In the Senate, a Democratic organizing vote is heavy: it carries chamber control and the judicial pipeline with it. The flaw, plainly: Enabler class, not extremist — a reliable party-line vote, which is the standing reason the exception for a Democrat is not earned here.
Virginia Lyons (D), nominee. Appears on the confirmed general-election roster for this district (Wikipedia's district general-election table, accessed October 25, 2026). No detailed voting-record, biography, or signature-claim file for this candidate was verified at this sourcing depth, and none is invented here.
Pros: A sitting incumbent whose constituents know the record. Cons: No documented break with the Democratic Party toward this publication's values was located in the compiled record — no Manchin-test break. In the Senate, a Democratic organizing vote is heavy: it carries chamber control and the judicial pipeline with it. The flaw, plainly: Enabler class, not extremist — a reliable party-line vote, which is the standing reason the exception for a Democrat is not earned here.
Bruce Roy (R), nominee. Bruce Roy is a former Essex Junction school board member and was the Republican nominee for this district in 2024 (Wikipedia, Chittenden Southeast district section).
Pros: The Republican nominee in this race; Republicans and conservatives are in-tent under this publication's values (Constitution, capitalism and the free market, Christianity, freedom). Cons: No service record was verified at this sourcing depth — the candidacy is unproven, which is a watch posture, not a demerit. The flaw, plainly: None proven was located in the compiled record.
Javen Sears (R), nominee. Javen Sears is a high school track and debate coach (Wikipedia, Chittenden Southeast district section).
Pros: The Republican nominee in this race; Republicans and conservatives are in-tent under this publication's values (Constitution, capitalism and the free market, Christianity, freedom). Cons: No service record was verified at this sourcing depth — the candidacy is unproven, which is a watch posture, not a demerit. The flaw, plainly: None proven was located in the compiled record.
Rohan St. Marthe (R), nominee. Rohan St. Marthe is a store manager and was a nominee for this district in 2022 and 2024; he made the 2026 ballot as a write-in in the Republican primary (Wikipedia, Chittenden Southeast district section; South Burlington Voter Guide 2026).
Pros: The Republican nominee in this race; Republicans and conservatives are in-tent under this publication's values (Constitution, capitalism and the free market, Christianity, freedom). Cons: No service record was verified at this sourcing depth — the candidacy is unproven, which is a watch posture, not a demerit. The flaw, plainly: None proven was located in the compiled record.
OUR CALL
We endorse Bruce Roy (R), Javen Sears (R), and Rohan St. Marthe (R) — as unproven, and on watch. This district elects 3 senators and the endorsement covers the Republican slate. No proven flaw was located in any Republican nominee's compiled record. No Democratic nominee passes the Manchin test on any record located — no documented in-service break with their party toward this publication's values — and in the Senate that organizing vote is the heaviest on the ballot. No extremist classification is made for any candidate here except where the article states the personal-program test and its result.
For the complete Election 2026 breakdown — every race, claim by claim — see the full coverage on our website.
Vote early. Research your candidates. Choose the best moderates, whatever their party — no extremism from either side. And encourage your friends and family to do the same.
Sources
- Wikipedia, "2026 Vermont Senate election" — district general-election tables, incumbents, retirements and primary results (accessed October 25, 2026) — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Vermont_Senate_election
- Vermont Secretary of State, "General Election Candidates" (the official candidate list underlying the Wikipedia district tables; cited there as retrieved July 27, 2026)
- Wikipedia, "Vermont Senate" — current membership and fusion lines (accessed October 25, 2026)
- Record gaps: no district-level legislative voting records, campaign-finance figures, or biographies beyond the offices and facts printed above were verified for the nominees in this district at this sourcing depth; no district-level competitiveness rating beyond the chamber ratings printed above was published in the sources consulted
- Standing check: no pedophile-association material meeting the proven standard (knowing association with or defense of a convicted pedophile) was located for any candidate on this ballot
Result pending. No verified call (Associated Press or official) as of November 4, 2026. This page will be updated when the race is called or certified. The original article above is unchanged.
AI-assisted article — but the sources are human, and the facts are very real.
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