Politics
Samuel Douglass was reportedly the only elected official to take part in the Young Republican group chat that included racist and antisemitic messages.
A Vermont state senator has resigned over his involvement in a Young Republican group chat after racist and antisemitic chat messages shared among its members were made public.
Republican Samuel Douglass announced his resignation, effective Monday, in a lengthy statement posted online, adding that he was “deeply sorry for the offense” caused by his comments.
Politico had reported on the leaked Telegram messages from a group chat including Young Republican leaders from Vermont, New York, Arizona and Kansas. The messages spanned 2,900 pages of chats over a roughly seven-month period and contained racist comments, jokes about gas chambers, torture and rape, according to Politico.
Douglass, a first-term state senator, was the only elected official in the chat, the outlet reported.
The leaked exchanges have sparked condemnation from Democrats and many Republicans, with the Young Republican national board saying it was “appalled by the vile and inexcusable language.” New York Republican Party officials voted to suspend its Young Republican chapter on Friday. Vice President JD Vance has downplayed the incident, dismissing the messages as “edgy” and “offensive jokes” told by “kids” – despite many of the participants being in their 20s and 30s.
Douglass was reported to have contributed to the chat on at least two instances, including responding to a comment another member of the group made about a person who dated an “obese Indian woman.” When someone replied the woman was “not an Indian,” Douglass said: “She just didn’t bathe often,” Politico reported.
In a separate comment, Douglass was said to have described how a Jewish person may have made procedural error. His wife Brianna Douglass, who was also involved in the chat in her role as a committee member for Vermont’s Young Republicans, responded with an antisemitic remark, Politico reported.
The couple have both resigned from their positions in the Vermont Young Republicans, chairwoman Chelsea Magwire, said in a statement, adding that “racism, discrimination and hateful behavior have no place in our organization.”
In his resignation statement, Douglass said his initial comment “was an unflattering remark about a specific individual, absolutely not a generalization.” He added that he hoped to “mend bridges to the best of my ability,” and that “since the story broke, I have reached out to the majority of my Jewish and BIPOC [Black, Indigenous and people of color] friends and colleagues to ensure that they can be honest and up-front with me.”
He said that he and his wife have been subjected to “horrific hate” since the story broke.
Douglass was elected in 2024 to represent the Orleans district as part of a swing toward Republicans in the state senate and was seen as an up and coming politician.
Vermont Republican Party Chairman Paul Dame initially issued a statement saying that Douglass’s comments were “not bigoted or racist” but “reflected poorly” on the party. However, the party later changed course, releasing an updated statement that backed calls from the state’s Republican governor, Phil Scott, for Douglass to resign.
On Saturday, Vermont Senate Republican leader Scott Beck said the resignation marked the end of a “difficult week” in the state. “Sen. Douglass’ resignation is the first step in Vermont’s healing, and his family’s healing,” he told The Washington Post.
Elsewhere, party leaders have also moved to denounce Young Republican groups or call on those involved to resign. In Arizona, however, the Young Republicans Federation has rejected what it calls a “witch hunt” targeting fellow members.
While most Republican Party leaders were quick to condemn the text messages, some, including Vance, also pointed to leaked messages sent by Jay Jones, a Democrat running for attorney general in Virginia, who suggested in a 2022 exchange that a political opponent deserved two bullets to the head. Jones has since apologized for his comments.
Vance has referred to the outrage against the Young Republican chat as “pearl clutching,” and said “I really don’t want us to grow up in a country where a kid telling a stupid joke – telling a very offensive, stupid joke – is cause to ruin their lives.”
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