Gov. Phil Scott and Sen. Sam Douglass. Photos by Glenn Russell/VTDigger
Vermont Republican leaders continued to distance themselves from first-year Sen. Sam Douglass on Wednesday. During a press conference, Republican Gov. Phil Scott said his message for the Young Republicans was simple: “Clean up your act. Be good people.”
The governor publicly called on the Orleans County senator to resign Tuesday after a Politico article outed Douglass, among other politicians in the Young Republicans, a national group, for exchanging racial slurs and derogatory messages in a group chat.
Douglass, 27, has not resigned, despite calls for him to step down from both sides of the political spectrum. In a Wednesday press release, Douglass denounced the “vile and disgusting comments” included in the Politico story and said he had “cut ties with those involved.”
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by Greta Solsaa
October 14, 2025, 6:26 pmOctober 15, 2025, 11:50 am
In a June exchange between former New York State Young Republicans co-chair Bobby Walker and chair Peter Giunta, Walker mentioned a mutual friend who had dated an “obese Indian woman,” according to the report. Giunta replied that the woman was not Indian, to which Douglass responded: “She just didn’t bathe often.”
After Douglass made a comment about a Jewish colleague potentially making a procedural mistake, his wife and national Young Republicans committee member Brianna Douglass responded, stating, “you’re giving nationals to (sic) much credit and expecting the Jew to be honest.”
Sam and Brianna’s comments are among thousands of racist, antisemitic and violent messages revealed in a leaked national Young Republicans group chat. Members in the chat referred to Black people as “the watermelon people,” and joked about killing political opponents and sending them “to the gas chamber.” Another chat member wrote, “I love Hitler.”
In his statement, Douglass suggested he had little to do with the chat, and said his role “was a procedural one about bylaws and floor strategy.”
A screenshot of a since deleted post from Gov. Phil Scott’s Facebook page published on Oct. 28, 2024. Screenshot via Facebook
“There were often periods of multiple days when I didn’t check this group chat and I was unfortunately unaware of those comments,” he wrote. “I should’ve been more vigilant, more careful, and less naive about who I associate with and my digital environments.
He added that his comment highlighted in the Politico story “was not a generalization and doesn’t represent my views or character.”
“I apologize so deeply to my constituents and colleagues that our county and state have been dragged into this,” he wrote. “I am currently weighing all my options to ensure that the outcome of this is what’s best for the safety and wellbeing of my family and my constituency, and I will make another statement before the end of the week.”
Group chat members in other states have faced similar calls for resignation from Republican counterparts. In New York, assemblyman Mike Reilly fired Giunta as his chief of staff over Giunta’s messages, according to SILive.
Brianna Douglass was not made available for a comment after an interview request on Tuesday.
Earlier Wednesday afternoon, Scott said he and Douglass haven’t spoken since Scott made his Tuesday statement. He added that he has a zero tolerance policy for the language used in their messages. “What we saw in that article, we should reject it,” Scott said.
“We’re better than that,” he added later on.
Scott previously endorsed Douglass during Douglass’ campaign in the 2024 election. At the time, Scott posted pictures with Douglass touting his support for the prospective senator. On Wednesday afternoon, those posts were no longer visible on Scott’s accounts.
Fellow Republican lawmakers from the Northeast Kingdom also disavowed Douglass on Wednesday in a statement signed by Sens. Russ Ingalls, Michael Marcotte, Richard Nelson and others.
“This is a sad day for our party and for our state,” they wrote. “These comments have no place within our society as a whole and will not be tolerated.”
Vermont GOP Chair Paul Dame called the language used in the group chat “shocking and grotesque to all Republicans,” according to a press release issued Wednesday. He said he would be removing Douglass from the duties he has with the state party “until this matter is resolved.”
Douglass had been serving as the chair of the Republican Party in Orleans County and was an officer with the state chapter of Young Republicans.
“If Sen. Douglass can not meet the minimum standard for informing the public about issues he is involved in, then I will also join the Governor and legislative colleagues in calling on him to resign,” he said in the press release.
While Dame suggested that the remarks attributed to Douglass “themselves were not bigoted or racist,” he noted that because of his participation in the group, “it has reflected poorly on himself, our party and Young Republicans everywhere.”
Sam Douglass works as a mental health professional with the Lamoille County Mental Health Services, and as a real estate agent.
In a phone call, Jennifer Stratton, the head of the Lamoille County Mental Health Services, said the organization was “aware of the current situation” but said it was “an employee matter that we’re looking into.”
Stratton added the agency is “supportive of all people, of all races, cultures and religions” and that they “want all of the individuals we serve to feel safe and supported.”
Douglass was among a number of Republican candidates that Scott and the GOP establishment campaigned for in the run up to the 2024 elections, building off of public concerns over taxes and affordability. Republicans secured multiple upset victories in the House and Senate, effectively dismantling the Democrat’s supermajority in the Legislature.
Six seats were flipped in the Senate, including the Orleans County seat now held by Douglass. Douglass beat Democrat Katherine Sims of Craftsbury, a state representative at the time, by more than 2,200 votes.
“Up in the Northeast Kingdom, we’re a very tight knit bunch, and we know when you’re not authentic,” Douglass told VTDigger after his victory. “This might be a little radical to say, but I don’t think it was Republicans that won. I think it was common sense that won.”
Scott endorsed Douglass during his 2024 campaign, appeared in a photo with him on social media and contributed money to his campaign. In the social media post, which has since been deleted, Scott said Douglass was “a common sense candidate who will always vote in the best interest of the Northeast Kingdom, regardless of party.”
“We need him in Montpelier, and I encourage the people of Orleans County to vote for Sam Douglass for state Senate,” Scott wrote.