Republican Gerald Malloy, an Army veteran running for Vermont’s sole U.S. House seat against incumbent Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT), told Breitbart News that years of progressive governance have contributed to affordability problems and an exodus from the state, arguing that voters are increasingly ready for political change.
Malloy, who ran for the U.S. Senate against Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT) in 2022 and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) in 2024, won the 2026 Republican primary for Vermont’s at-large U.S. House seat with 76 percent of the vote. “There is interest for this, what I think is going to be a seismic, maybe off-the-radar win for the GOP,” Malloy said.
Malloy described his previous campaigns as “a great learning curve” in fundraising and meeting voters across the state. “I’ve met in person, shook the hand of well over 100,000 Vermonters,” he said, adding that Vermont “is unaffordable right now for a variety of reasons” and that residents are “leaving left and right” for states including New Hampshire, Tennessee, Texas, and Florida. “I want to turn that around.”
Malloy cited his professional and military experience, pointing to “40 years of government experience, business experience,” an MBA, graduation from West Point, service “all over the world,” and 17 years working in Washington, DC. “I know that I can actually produce results,” he said. Of his 2024 race against Sanders, Malloy added, “I beat him in three debates. He won the general, but no one’s come closer.”
Malloy also highlighted Republican gains in Vermont in 2024, saying, “It was important to get out of the supermajority here in the state senate.” He then took issue with a property tax proposal considered during the most recent legislative session, saying Vermont had already seen “60% average property tax increases” over seven years and that lawmakers were looking at “another 14% average hike.”
Malloy criticized the direction of Vermont Democrats, arguing that “the progressive left hijacked the Democrat Party” and that the party is “showing their true colors as socialists.” He said Vermont has seen “wealth redistribution with unwanted programs, endless new taxes, giant tax increases, and seeking control of land.”
Malloy also discussed repeated clashes between the legislature and Republican Gov. Phil Scott, saying lawmakers overrode 12 of Scott’s vetoes during one 15-month period. “Much of, if not all of, those overrides were more cost burdens on taxpayers and businesses,” Malloy said. “It’s a small business state. Small businesses are either closing or leaving, and it’s a very bad path to be on.”
“Vermonters have seen that socialism has failed Vermont,” Malloy said. He accused Sanders of making “false promises for 40 years now about health care and education and housing” and argued that voters are ready to elect what he described as “moderate, balanced representation in Washington, DC,” saying it has been “25 years” since Vermont has had that kind of representation.
Malloy said Vermont’s congressional delegation has focused heavily on attacking the Trump administration rather than working with Gov. Scott on issues affecting the state. “That’s all Vermonters are getting right now from the whole congressional delegation, this angry, angry rhetoric, bashing the current administration, and not getting actual results for Vermont,” he said. Malloy contrasted that approach with his own, saying, “I’m not an angry rhetoric type person.”
Malloy said he wants to “work with our Republican governor to make Vermont attractive for innovation and technology businesses that will attract people and that will enable young people to go to school here and stay here as opposed to leaving.” He added, “Our greatest export is not timber or maple syrup, it’s young people, 18 to 34, leaving the state. So I want to turn that around.”
Asked whether he is encountering independents and Democrats who are open to supporting him, Malloy responded, “Oh, absolutely.” He said, “We see DSA kind of taking over the Democrat Party” and that Democrats and independents are increasingly saying, “No, I’m not being part of that; it’s not going to work. It’s bound to fail.”
“I meet them every day, lifelong Democrats that are jumping over to the GOP,” Malloy said. He said Vermont has “mostly folks somewhere in the middle” politically and that voters are moving toward Republicans because “frankly it’s the pragmatic part of the party.” Malloy also called the GOP the “common sense” party and said it is “the party that believes in the Constitution.”
Malloy said Balint may not be “publicly admitting to being a socialist,” but “the things she did here in the state have led to the affordability and exodus crisis.” He said those were “socialist-type policies,” including “wealth redistribution” and “control of land.”
Malloy said Balint is “really only delivering angry rhetoric” and that “there’s no policy legislation impact.” He added that there has been “absolutely no support, direct support to a Republican governor” and said, “None of our delegation spends a lot of time or any time in Montpelier trying to work with our governor to do things for the state.” Malloy said he shares Gov. Scott’s vision to “turn it around, grow back Vermont’s population, bring business in, make it business friendly as opposed to unfriendly.”
“I’m running on my own merit, and I’m running about Vermont. I’m not running about the White House. I’m not running about the Oval Office,” Malloy said. “I’m running about delivering results under the Constitution for America and for Vermont.”
Malloy said Republican representation from Vermont could “impact and influence policies that Vermonters are not happy with.” He contrasted that with what he called the “nonstop 24/7 bashing from Bernie Sanders and Peter Welch and Becca Balint,” saying, “It’s not having an impact.” Malloy added, “I look to be able to actually impact policies and decisions with the administration.”
Balint was among at least 12 Democratic members of Congress who planned to boycott President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address in February and instead attend the “People’s State of the Union,” a progressive rally organized by MoveOn and MeidasTouch near the Capitol. Organizers called the event “counterprogramming” to Trump’s “night full of lies and misplaced priorities for the American people.” Balint said she preferred “a night of standing with colleagues, organizers, advocates and everyday Americans” rather than attending what she called Trump’s “annual self-congratulation, misinformation, and division speech.”
Malloy connected his opposition to socialism to his 22 years of military service after graduating from West Point. “I’ve lived and served in Europe, Asia, Persian Gulf, and Middle East,” he said, adding that his first assignment was in Germany “defending the Fulda Gap” and that he had been to “communist East Germany” and “communist East Berlin.”
“I think all these folks that are all enthralled with socialism, if they spend about an hour in [a] communist place — because it’s sad, it’s depressing — they would maybe change their mind because it’s not the path to be on,” Malloy said. “Our Constitution is not about socialism. It’s not about people for the government. It’s about individual opportunity and individual freedom.”
Closing the interview, Malloy said, “This is an important election at the national level. We see socialism’s interest in it. It is failing, and it is bound to fail.”
“Finally, it’s taken a long, long, long time here in Vermont, but this progressive experiment went off the rails,” Malloy said. “It’s become socialism, and Vermont is going to reject it as the whole country should.”
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