Vermont Legislature Could Pick Next Governor

Vermont's 2014 gubernatorial election appears headed for a decision in 2015, with incumbent Democratic Gov. Peter Shumlin holding a narrow lead overRepublican Scott Milne but not the majority needed to keep the decision from going to the Legislature.

With all but a handful of precincts reporting early Wednesday, Shumlin had won about 47 percent of the vote. Milne had about 45 percent, with five other candidates accounting for the balance.

Under Vermont's Constitution, if no candidate for governor, lieutenant governor or treasurer gets an outright majority, the election goes to the Legislature. Democrats are expected to maintain control of both houses, but the Legislature nearly always chooses the plurality winner in a gubernatorial election — the last time it didn't was in 1853.