Dustin Allard Degree

Dustin Degree
Minority Leader of the Vermont Senate
In office
January 6, 2017 – November 15, 2017
Preceded byJoe Benning
Succeeded byJoe Benning
Member of the Vermont Senate
from the Franklin district
In office
January 7, 2015 – November 15, 2017
Preceded byDonald Collins
Succeeded byRandy Brock
Member of the Vermont House of Representatives
from the St. Albans City district
In office
January 5, 2011 – January 3, 2013
Preceded byJeff Young
Succeeded byMike McCarthy
Personal details
Born (1985-02-12) February 12, 1985 (age 39)
Political partyRepublican
ResidenceSt. Albans City, Vermont
Alma materTilton School
Norwich University
University of Vermont
Websitewww.dustindegree.com

Dustin Allard Degree (born February 12, 1985) is a politician from the city of St. Albans in the U.S. state of Vermont. A Republican, he represented St. Albans in the Vermont General Assembly during the 2011-2012 biennial session. Degree graduated from Bellows Free Academy, St. Albans in 2003, attended the Tilton School in 2004, and attended Norwich University and the University of Vermont. He worked in the office of Governor Jim Douglas.

In June 2010, Degree left his job in the governor's office to run for the Vermont House of Representatives, seeking the Franklin-3 District seat in the General Assembly to represent St. Albans City. He cited fiscal responsibility and the need to provide more opportunities to young Vermonters as his top priorities during the campaign.[1]

On November 2, 2010, Degree defeated one-term incumbent State Representative Jeff Young by 243 votes to secure one of the two seats in the district.[2] When he took office on January 5, 2011, at 25 years old, he was the second youngest member of the Vermont General Assembly and the youngest Republican serving in the Legislature. Degree was also the principal in the St. Albans consulting company Champlain Strategies, LLC.[3]

In 2012, Degree ran for the State Senate; he won a nomination for one of Franklin County's two seats.[4] In the general election, he was defeated by only 34 votes, a result which was confirmed by a recount.[5]

Degree ran again in 2014; in November, he won election to one of Franklin County's two seats.[6]

In 2016, Degree was reelected to a second term.[7] In January 2017, the Republican members of the State Senate chose him to serve as minority leader.[8]

Degree resigned from the Senate in November 2017 in order to join the administration of Governor Phil Scott as special assistant to the governor and executive director of workforce expansion.[9]

In December 2017, Scott announced that he had appointed Randy Brock to fill the Senate vacancy caused by Degree's resignation.[10]

  1. ^ St. Albans Messenger - Dustin Degree
  2. ^ "(Vermont Election Results, Vermont Secretary of State)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-12-26. Retrieved 2010-12-18.
  3. ^ McCallum, April (November 15, 2017). "Vt. Senate minority leader to join governor's office". Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT.
  4. ^ "Collins wins in recount against Degree for Franklin County Senate seat". VT Digger. Montpelier, VT. December 4, 2012.
  5. ^ "Collins wins in recount against Degree for Franklin County Senate seat".
  6. ^ "VPR's 2014 Election Coverage". Vermont Public Radio. Colchester, VT. November 5, 2014.
  7. ^ Polhamus, Mike (November 9, 2016). "Degree, Branagan take Franklin County Senate seats". VT Digger. Montpelier, VT.
  8. ^ Johnson, Mark (January 9, 2017). "Senate GOP changes leadership as last year's divisions linger". VT Digger. Montpelier, VT.
  9. ^ "Franklin County Senator to join Scott administration". WCAX-TV. Burlington, VT. November 15, 2017.
  10. ^ Hewitt, Elizabeth (December 27, 2017). "Brock to fill vacant Franklin County Senate seat". VTDigger. Montpelier, VT.