Vermont Sen. Sam Douglass (R-Orleans) announced on Friday that he will resign from his seat, bowing to intense pressure from state Republican leaders after it was revealed he participated in a group chat containing hateful, racist and misogynistic comments.
Douglass announced his decision in a lengthy statement released at 5 p.m. on Friday, four days after Politico first published a story about the leaked chats of Young Republican leaders. The senator had faced immediate calls for his resignation from Gov. Phil Scott and Senate Minority Leader Scott Beck (R-Caledonia), among many others.
In his statement, Douglass said he was stepping down as of Monday at noon to protect his family and honor Scott’s call for him to resign.
“I know that this decision will upset many, and delight others, but in this political climate I must keep my family safe,” Douglass wrote in the statement. “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 group chats obtained by Politico included messages sent between January and August of this year and show Douglass participated on at least two separate occasions. One exchange involved his wife, Brianna Douglass, who is a Vermont Young Republicans national committee member.
In one chat, according to the outlet, Sen. Douglass responded to a message about a “very obese Indian woman,” known to some in the group, by saying, “She just didn’t bathe often.”
In another instance, Douglass discussed what appeared to be a procedural error made by a Jewish colleague of one of the other group members, according to the outlet.
“I was about to say you’re giving nationals to [sic] much credit and expecting the Jew to be honest,” Brianna Douglass replied, per Politico.
Douglass said in his statement that he and his wife had recently welcomed their first child and he was returning from paternity leave when news of the group chat broke this week. In the days since, Douglass said he and his family had received “some of the most horrific hate one could imagine,” including death threats.
Douglass was seen as a promising young up-and-comer in the GOP. He’d gotten support from Gov. Scott on the campaign trail and easily won election last November to his first term in the Statehouse. But the state’s Republican establishment had largely disavowed Douglass after the chats came to light.
“The vile, racist, bigoted, and antisemitic dialogue that has been reported is deeply disturbing. There is simply no excuse for it.” Gov. Scott said Tuesday in a statement. “Those involved should resign from their roles immediately and leave the Republican party — including Vermont State Senator Sam Douglass.”
By Wednesday night, the Vermont Republican Party Executive Committee came out to condemn the “hateful, racist, and antisemitic” chat and called for Douglass to resign immediately. The committee also took the extraordinary step to retract a previously issued statement by party chair Paul Dame that called the chats “shocking and grotesque” but stated that the comments attributed to Douglass “were not bigoted or racist.”
Douglass initially apologized in a statement on Wednesday, but he declined to comment on his political future, saying he’d release more information at the end of the week.
On Friday, Douglass said the comments he wrote in the group chat were about a specific individual and not a generalization. He did not address the comment attributed to his wife.
“I love my state, my people, and I am deeply sorry for the offense this caused and that our state was dragged into this,” Douglass wrote. “The contents of the article do not reflect me or the values of our state.”
Per tradition, Scott will appoint a Republican to succeed Douglass in the Senate.
Read Douglass’ full statement below:
