Lisaius announces run for Vermont House as candidates file for August primary
May 29, 2026 | By Lisa Scagliotti While the legislature still has adjournment in sight, the deadline for candidates to file for the state primary election in August – including statewide offices and every seat in the Vermont House and Senate – was Thursday.
Voters will choose major party candidates in the Aug. 11 primary to be on the general election ballot on Nov. 3.
Some big announcements landed on Thursday as candidates filed their petitions: Gov. Phil Scott announced his plan to run for a sixth term while both top legislative leaders – House Speaker Jill Krowinski, a Burlington Democrat, and Senate President Pro Tempore Philip Baruth, D/P-Burlington – are not running again.
Although the Vermont Secretary of State’s Office is still working to process all of the candidate filings, the local slate of legislative candidates is taking shape.
Lawmakers representing Waterbury, Duxbury and the Mad River Valley are nearly all seeking re-election with one key exception: state Rep. Tom Stevens, D-Waterbury, will not run for another term after serving in the House since 2009. Stevens announced last month that his current ninth term in office would be his last.
Washington-Chittenden Democratic House candidate Katarina Lisaius. Photo by Josh Coffee
In his place on the Democratic ticket for the Washington-Chittenden House district will be first-time candidate Katarina Lisaius, who lives in Bolton. Lisaius is familiar in Waterbury where she recently served as the town’s recreation director for just over two years until last fall. She’s currently working as Advocacy and Organizing Manager at the nonprofit Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence.
A 2007 Harwood Union High School graduate, Lisaius grew up in Warren. She also is a St. Michael’s College alumna. Prior to her stint as town recreation director, she worked for the Vermont Department for Children and Families and for U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders’ Burlington office.
In announcing her campaign for a House seat, Lisaius said she is running “to support and cultivate strong Vermont communities.” She talks about how communities thrive thanks to individuals working together to overcome challenges.
“Ultimately, the strength of our local communities doesn’t come from Montpelier – it comes from backyard barbecues, our town meetings, and uplifting the places we call home. We face real, complex hurdles ahead, but I know what Vermonters can achieve when we look out for one another,” she writes. “I am running because I believe that by working together, we can build a resilient, supportive future where every neighbor thrives.”
Lisaius also invites the community to a campaign kickoff this Sunday, May 31, 2-4 p.m., at The Tropic brewery in downtown Waterbury.
Lisaius joins veteran lawmaker, state Rep. Theresa Wood, D-Waterbury, on the ballot. Wood, who has served in the Vermont House since 2015, is running for a sixth term. She chairs the House Committee on Human Services. Wood has served in the Vermont House since her appointment in 2015 and has won election to five terms since.
State Rep. Theresa Wood, D-Waterbury, is seeking a sixth term. Courtesy photo
Wood and Lisaius confirmed that they have filed the necessary forms to be Democratic contenders in the November election for the House district that covers Waterbury, Bolton, Huntington and Buel’s Gore.
As of Friday afternoon, the Secretary of State’s office had not completed posting its declared candidates lists. Chief of Staff Bryan Mills said it would take into next week to review all of the forms submitted. There is a 10-day window after the filing deadline for state elections officials to confirm that each candidate has submitted the proper number of signatures, etc.
So far, it appears that there will not be a primary contest in the Washington-Chittenden district. No other candidates have contacted the Waterbury Roundabout to announce their campaigns. The Secretary of State’s office so far also does not list any primary candidates running on the Republican or Progressive party ballots, either.
In 2024, the district saw a particularly lively primary and general election. Wood and Stevens faced a challenge in the August primary from Waterbury candidate Elizabeth Brown. It was the only election during the time Stevens and Wood have served together that they had a competitive primary. The two incumbents won the Democratic nominations and went on to win the general election, besting Republican Jonathan Griffin from Waterbury and Huntington Independent James Haddad.
Turnout in the 2024 general election – which also was a U.S. presidential election – was high with 77% of registered voters in Waterbury and Bolton casting ballots; Huntington and Buel’s Gore, saw 79% turnout, according to town clerk reports.
Washington-2 House district
Washington-2 state Reps. Dara Torre, D-Moretown, and Candice White, D-Waitsfield, are seeking re-election. Legislative photos
The Washington-2 House district covers Moretown, Duxbury, and the Mad River Valley communities of Waitsfield, Fayston and Warren.
Both Democratic incumbent House members – Rep. Dara Torre of Moretown and Rep. Candice White of Waitsfield – filed their petitions to be on the August ballot.
According to the Secretary of State’s office, no other candidates have filed to run in the primary for the Washington 2 seats for any of the three major party ballots.
Torre is running for a third term in the House where she is a member of the House Committee on Energy and Digital Infrastructure.
White is currently serving in her first term in the House where she is on the Transportation Committee.
Washington Senate
Since the 2022 reapportionment, the Washington state Senate district encompasses all of 20 cities and towns in Washington County along with the towns of Stowe in Lamoille County and Braintree and Orange in Orange County.
All three Washington incumbent Democrats – Sens. Ann Cummings and Anne Watson of Barre City and Andrew Perchlik of Marshfield – have filed to run for re-election.
Cummings has served for 15 two-year terms and has been representing Washington County since 1997. Perchlik is seeking his fifth term and Watson is running for a third term.
As of Friday’s posted primary candidates from the Secretary of State’s office, they have one Democratic primary challenger, Gabe LaJeunesse of Montpelier. One candidate is also listed to be on the Republican primary ballot for the Senate district, Peter Schmeeckle of Stowe.
The November election may still have others on the ballot following deadlines coming up later in the summer. Minor party candidates and those running as independents for the general election – who will not be on the August primary ballots – need to file with the secretary of state by Aug. 6.
This story may be updated with additional information after the primary candidate list is finalized by the Vermont Secretary of State’s Office.